____/ Charlie Wilkes on Wednesday 29 August 2007 08:16 : \____
> On Tue, 28 Aug 2007 08:02:34 +0100, Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>>
>> ODF is the most important thing for Linux right now. Microsoft uses at
>> least 6 companies at the moment (3 are selling Linux) to combat ODF.
>
> Hey Roy,
>
> You do a great job of running down interesting material on the web, but I
> think you overestimate the importance of this issue. I also think your
> concerns about Microsoft in general are out of balance with what is
> really happening these days.
>
> It seems pretty clear that Microsoft's star is waning. If you look at
> their financials, they are heavily dependent on desktop OS/apps for their
> earnings, and the days of fresh windfalls from desktop software are
> pretty much over. Microsoft's threats about patent lawsuits and their
> tampering with standards committees have an undertone of desperation.
>
> Portable devices appear to be the new focus of innovation and potential
> blockbuster products, and these will overwhelmingly be powered by Linux.
> The average PC may soon become little more than a fuel and storage dock
> for gadgets, which does not bode well for a high-priced OS.
>
> This is the picture that is taking shape for me largely because I read
> the links that you post. I also see it in the real world... people use
> their phones to display photos and perform various tasks they formerly
> did with a desktop computer. And I never see a Microsoft logo on any of
> these phones or media players, or their splash screens...
>
> But even if control over the desktop is still important, I don't think
> Microsoft can maintain control with lawyers and back-room deals the way
> they once did. Microsoft is losing clout with OEMs because Vista is not
> moving machines the way the OEMs hoped, and in fact, OEMs are being
> forced by consumers to maintain a line of XP machines.
>
> As for OOXML, if MS is going to say OOXML is an open standard, they will
> have to cooperate on some level to make it one. For example -- the guy
> who wrote about what went on in Norway noted that Sun views OOXML as a
> way of compelling MS to release the specs they need to make their apps
> compatible with older versions of MS office products. And MS is pinned
> under the weight of their own rhetoric, because this backward
> compatibility is their best argument that OOXML differs substantially
> from ODF.
>
> I wouldn't want to be part of Microsoft's top management these days... it
> can't be a fun time, especially with a clown like Ballmer running the
> show.
>
> On the other hand, it's a good time to be a Linux advocate.
>
> Charlie
I agree with all your points. In retrospect, I ought to have said that greatest
danger (as opposed to "most important thing for Linux") is not OOXML, but the
entire stack of 'open' standards that accompany OOXML. People still fail to
see what Microsoft is trying to achieve very quietly. They are assisted by
Ecma.
Linux will win (by "win" I mean it will conquer tommorrow's device and the
desktop as well, eventually), but there are factors that slow down adoption.
XAML/OOXML/MSDRM, for example, are among them. In years to come, they will
introduce 'deal breakers' to those who have many compelling reasons to move to
Linux.
--
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | Open the Gate$ to Hell
http://Schestowitz.com | RHAT Linux | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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