'Death of Microsoft,' compressed GIF at 11

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: GIBBS & BRADNER
06/07/05

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Net Insider columnist Scott Bradner discusses Clayton
  Hallmark's rant on Microsoft
* Links related to Gibbs & Bradner
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: 'Death of Microsoft,' compressed GIF at 11

By Scott Bradner

Pundit Clayton Hallmark recently wrote a rambling rant (and a
good one as anti-Microsoft rants go) with the eye-grabbing title
of "BIG NEWS ON MICROSOFT: Slavery to It Is Ending" (
<http://la.indymedia.org/news/2005/05/126594.php> ). Not
surprisingly, the work popped up all over the place, with a
Google search getting more than 1,500 hits, so far. I do not
agree with all of his rant, but there are some interesting
observations in it.

It seems more than a bit callous to equate the general need to
use Microsoft products with slavery, considering the history and
current extent of slavery of the humankind, and I think it takes
away from the messages in Hallmark's article. That said, his
basic message that Microsoft does not have a way to effectively
compete in software for cheap or very cheap personal computers
against open source offerings has merit. Hallmark particularly
focuses on the current very low-cost computers already available
from Wal-Mart ( <http://www.networkworld.com/nlgibrad2406> )
and similarly priced systems from India. The Wal-Mart offerings
cost less than $200 without a monitor, plus $40 for a copy of
Linux. Hallmark says he expects that there will be systems
available for even less in the future - maybe as low as $100,
including software.

Microsoft currently charges manufacturers between $70 and $83
per system for Windows but that does not include editors, etc.,
Hallmark says. Microsoft has a $30 "starter kit" version of
Windows for entry-level computers in developing countries, but
Hallmark considers this a trap and provides links to analysis by
folk like Gartner that warn against using the kit.

Hallmark points out that there is no room for a $75 operating
system in the cost structure of a $200 computer. Hallmark argues
that the advent of these very cheap computers running Linux
instead of Windows will become a real threat to Microsoft. That
seems to be a bit of wishful thinking, as I doubt that
super-cheap computers will eliminate the market for more upscale
systems. I also doubt that enough corporations will decide to
switch to Linux on their desktops to worry Microsoft.

(I won't bother mentioning Apple even though I think its
offerings are better than Windows and Linux, because I doubt it
will ever be a big enough player to be statistically
significant.)

But I do agree that there soon may be a lot more people using
non-Microsoft-running computers than Microsoft-running ones.

Hallmark seems to be part of the Microsoft-is-evil camp. That is
a camp I've stayed in from time to time when thinking about some
of the company's business practices, but I use Microsoft
software on my Apple computer. I use the Office Suite and some
other software. In fact, I'm editing this column on MS Word
while listening to KHYI on Windows Media Player.

Microsoft is a very powerful player in the computer biz and I
doubt it will fade away anytime soon. But Microsoft might find
the going harder in some areas - which I would not find
troubling.

Disclaimer: Harvard is an old (and maybe powerful) player in the
education biz and learns from changing times, but it has not
expressed a view on Microsoft's future trials.
_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Scott Bradner

Bradner is a consultant with Harvard University's University
Information Systems. He can be reached at <mailto:sob@sobco.com>
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Hewlett Packard
Choosing the Best Architecture

Learn how controller-based architecture for tape libraries best
meets reliability and interoperability requirements in
enterprise storage area networks. Details include how the
introduction of the HP StorageWorks Extended Tape Library
Architecture defines the next generation of tape libraries in
enterprise SAN environments. Download the white paper now!
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=106194
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ARCHIVE LINKS

Gibbs archive:
http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/gibbs.html

Bradner archive:
http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/bradner.html
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