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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: carl a. mehr who wrote (34870)	11/27/1999 4:58:00 PM
From: Bill Fischofer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74651

Re: Linux "threat" It's curious how so many are concerned for MSFT's future given the Linux threat but are somwhow silent on how Linux will similarly ravage other companies. For some reason, Linux is a deadly threat to MSFT but companies like SUNW, whose whole business model is based on a proprietary version of Unix to support their proprietary hardware (Sparc) will be spared any significant effect. It seems obvious that the first to embrace Linux en masse should be users of proprietary Unix variants since the application environment is so similar. Of course, once running on a common (commoditized) OS platform there is little advantage to using proprietary hardware so it would seem that Linux on INTC should be taking over the Unix world as we speak. However, that doesn't seem to be happening just yet. The major uses of Linux are in the sealed-box server appliance market. Until proprietary Unix vendors start to feel real heat from Linux, the real impact on MSFT is likely to remain rhetorical.

To: carl a. mehr who wrote (34870)	11/27/1999 5:25:00 PM
From: Jim McMannis	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74651

Carl, RE:"Linus is no threat to Microsoft, and Redhat sell its operating system for almost as much as windows!" I believe Redhat Linux sells for about $30 and Windows 98 SE for $179. This may be the same price to you but I took first grade arithmetic. Jim

To: carl a. mehr who wrote (34870)	11/28/1999 4:55:00 PM
From: Valley Girl	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 74651

OS wars In my opinion the Linux threat is more against the nascent NT server business than on the desktop. Although it's popular to bash MSFT as a monopolist, SUNW is making a pretty good living selling expensive boxes to host web sites because there aren't many alternatives that can meet RAS requirements as cost-effectively. This premium pricing strategy is reminiscent of Apple's desktop strategy (Apple still doesn't have an Intel version!). Customers are all hoping for a cheaper alternative based on Intel boxes but delays in IA64 and advanced bus architectures have so far kept this threat at a distance. This will change within the coming year. What's interesting is that MSFT had been taking their share of this market for granted, since NT was thought to be the only OS to run on these cheaper platforms. Linux has emerged as a credible alternative on the same hardware. I have tried all of the major Intel OSes and for what it's worth I think RedHat 6.1 is an outstanding product, especially as a server OS. A huge plus is that it comes bundled with so many of the things you'd want in a client, a server, and a development workstation. The "free" Solaris 7 gets a D- in comparison. Price is the biggest advantage, tho; my copy of RH 6.1 cost $20 on sale, while Win2000 workstation is expected to be $220. The negative for RH 6.1 on the client is the admin functions (e.g. setting up dial-up networking) aren't up to scratch UI-wise, plus the hardware support's a bit dodgy, and then there's the problem of available client applications (it has Netscape and a Java VM, but StarOffice, which came with it, just plain doesn't work). Overall, though, I'll tip my (red) hat to RHAT and wish them well. P.S. I have the pre-release Win2000 from MSDN; I don't know what problems others have had, but in my case it was the only OS that installed flawlessly on my PC, had no trouble finding and using my hardware (including my 36G hard disk, which gave RH pause). It runs all my applications without trouble, GUI's the same as Win98, etc. It looks like a good product.