To: Daniel Schuh who wrote (17582 ) 2/21/1998 1:23:00 PM From: Daniel Schuh Respond to
infoworld.com This suggests a new chapter in the story of the camel and the tent. IT managers convinced themselves that the nose of Microsoft's camel (the king of FUD) wasn't attached to the rest of the body, and now they are scrambling around inside the tent trying to avoid being crushed by the beast. The bravest of them are calling out for someone, anyone to get the darn thing out of the tent, but many are too afraid to even say anything for fear of drawing attention to themselves. And there are a surprising number saying that the loss of space and control isn't so bad, since the camel keeps the tent warm (they are the ones currently riding the camel's back, hoping to not get knocked off the next time it shrugs). Despite principled cries of "let the market decide" and "let people choose," the issue is about what happens in the back rooms of your local dealer before you ever get to make a choice. Although it certainly has ramifications for corporate autonomy, it is not about a company's "right to design products as it sees fit," it is about the history of a particular company that has left no screw unturned in making that right impractical to other companies.
