Firefox is a telling example...
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| dinotrac Dec 17, 2005 8:05 PM EDT |
The traction achieved by Firefox is nothing short of amazing, and a perfect example of competition coming out where you least expect it. Microsoft's free (as in gratis) browser owned a monopoly on the internet, which is a fair characterization when one product by one company controls more than 90% of the market. How on earth could anybody possibly compete with that? The thing came with the OS. It didn't cost of dime. Using IE was a no-brainer. And yet Firefox continues to gain steam against that monopoly. Why? Because it's better and people know both how to get it and use it. Microsoft did what monopolies do...it ceased to invest seriously in IE. Compared to Firefox, IE is a nasty, ugly, slow and creaky mess. If a number of web sites hadn't been coded specifically for IE, it's market share might be in complete free-fall by now. Office is next. Office costs real money. Office makes real money. But, honestly, Office ain't that great...and it sure is hard to see how it's getting any better in ways that are meaningful to me. Microsoft will try to get as much from as little as it can, but this is another monopoly that is destined to fall by the wayside. If enough OpenDocument tools crop up -- tools that allow users to mix and match best-of-breed components, and, taking advantage of the wide-open and completely documented document format, integrate their own custom apps into the mix, Office will be revealed for the creaky and restrictive mess that it really is. It will die on the vine. All of this, however, takes time. Desktops are many times harder to win than server rooms. |
| Abe Dec 18, 2005 7:56 AM EDT |
Dino, You seem to be on a very good roll with your latest posts. Is that really you? What did the trick? keep it up and avoid "murkying up"!.lol |
| dinotrac Dec 18, 2005 8:22 AM EDT |
Abe - I don't know. I think I'm saying pretty much the same things I always say. Sometimes, I think, the starting point makes a difference. With this article, I can agree and extend, which probably makes the post seem more positive than saying the same thing in response to something that I don't agree with in part or in whole. At any rate, thanks. Oh -- Abe -- just for you: Have a Murkey Christmas, unless you're one of those Hazy Holidays types! ;0) |
| Abe Dec 18, 2005 9:07 AM EDT |
Nothing is hazy about the Holidays, I celebrate all of them no matter what they are called. You too have a Merry Christmas and happy new year. looking forward for a more prosperous FOSS year. |
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