____/ High Plains Thumper on Monday 06 August 2007 15:39 : \____
> Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>>
>> I have come across quite a bit of news from Singapore
>> recently. I suspect that a poor vision of Vista leads many
>> people to looking at alternatives. Actually, studies have
>> already shown this. A PCWorld article that keeps getting
>> republished (even 2 days ago) covers one such study which says
>> that 86% (?) of all businesses won't 'upgrade' to Vista.
>> Instead, they look at alternative operating systems.
>
> True, Vista is not getting the positive reaction overall. It has
> become an antithesis to promises. The Economist Magazine has an
> interesting article regarding this:
>
> http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8550569
>
> Microsoft Peaks, valleys and vistas
>
> [selective quotes]
> The launch of a new version of Microsoft Windows, called Vista,
> is not quite the event it used to be. Has the software giant
> reached the pinnacle of its power?
>
> Toppling the software Babel
>
> Computing has changed radically since Microsoft rose to
> prominence 25 years ago with its operating system for IBM's
> personal computer. Microsoft unified standards, which made life
> easier for users and software writers. Both Windows and Office
> were employed by software developers as platforms for their own
> applications, nudging Microsoft further towards ubiquity. Now
> three trends are changing this.
>
> First is the rise of open-source software....
>
> The second trend confronting Microsoft comes from online
> applications and the rise of software as a service....
>
> The third difficulty facing Windows and Office is security....
>
> Windows and Office go together like salt and pepper. The question
> now is whether there will be a decoupling. That could happen if
> consumers buying a new computer take Windows Vista but decline to
> buy Office 2007, because they can get similar applications
> elsewhere, even free. The next step might be for computer-makers
> to start pushing PCs with Linux rather than Windows installed on
> them.
> [/selective quotes]
>
> This is what Singapore essentially has done, by having their
> MINDEF (Ministry of Defence) replace 20,000 copies of Microsoft
> Office 97 replaced with copies of OpenOffice.
>
> Obviously the Singapore Government wasn't very impressed with
> Microsoft in 2004, when told this:
>
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11/18/ballmer_linux_lawsuits/
>
> [quote]
> Use Linux and you will be sued, Ballmer tells governments
> Lawsuit doom over 228 'stolen' patents predicted
>
> By John Lettice → More by this author
> Published Thursday 18th November 2004 10:34 GMT
>
> Asian governments using Linux will be sued for IP violations,
> Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said today in Singapore. He did not
> specify that Microsoft would be the company doing the suing, but
> it's difficult to read the claim as anything other than a
> declaration of IP war.
>
> According to a Reuters report (which we fervently hope will
> produce one of Ballmer's fascinating 'I was misquoted'
> rebuttals*), Ballmer told Microsoft's Asian Government Leaders
> Forum that Linux violates more than 228 patents. Come on Steve,
> don't hold back - what you mean 'more than 228' - 229? 230? Don't
> pull your punches to soften the blow to the community. "Some
> day," he continued, "for all countries that are entering the WTO
> [World Trade Organization], somebody will come and look for money
> owing to the rights for that intellectual property."
> [/quote]
>
> Mary Jo Foley also had mentioned the same:
>
> http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/operating_systems/
> is_microsoft_rattling_the_linuxpatent_sabers.html?kc=
> MWRSS02129TX1K0000535
>
> or http://tinyurl.com/38mke3
Wow. Thanks for these! Golden refs.
--
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | "On the eighth day, God created UNIX"
http://Schestowitz.com | Free as in Free Beer | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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