[unrev-II] Re: Microsoft XP

From: Frode Hegland (frode@liquidinformation.com)
Date: Mon Aug 06 2001 - 01:07:05 PDT

  • Next message: Jack Park: "[unrev-II] Fwd: [xtm-wg] ANN: TMTab - A topic map editing plugin for Protege"

    Jack, thanks for the heads up:
     
    >Two items from the page worth quoting:
     
    >"Microsoft removed the Java environment from XP, thereby
    >breaking thousands
    >of Web sites that use Java. XP customers will face endless
    >downloads to
    >replace the functionality they'd come to expect.
     
    >Microsoft will force XP users to sign up for its Passport authentication
    >system if they want to use key XP features. This is a dagger
    >aimed at all
    >kinds of other businesses, and despite Microsoft's claims to
    >the contrary
    >it represents a potentially massive threat to customers'
    >security and privacy."
     
    I have been thinking a lot about this.
     
    There is one way to make Microsoft into a fair and productive member of
    the industry: Make all formats and protocols where end user data is moved
    open and accessible to developers.
     
    This includes email protocols (Hotmail does not use standard POP so a
    third party cannot build and email system which is compatible for Hotmail
    users) and document formats such as Word. (a third party cannot maintain
    a professional word processor when Microsoft changes the Word format
    secretly, making reliability to read and write Word documents very
    difficult to maintain.
     
    Let Microsoft do what they want to, but let other developers compete in a
    realistic environment where access is guaranteed whenever the end user
    moves his or her information.
     
    It is not the tying together of the operating system, Windows, and the
    applications, Word, Excel, Explorer and so on that is the problem, it is
    the monopoly of access to the users data which creates the problem. An
    information environment where users may work on their documents on
    Windows using Microsoft programs and then continue on another operating
    system and/or another application would foster healthier competition and
    bring innovation into computer business.
     
    Frode Hegland
     
    NEW: -> http://www.SpeakingAssistant.com <-
     
    http://www.liquidinformation.com
    http://www.liquid.org
    http://www.appleblunders.com
    http://www.frode.com
     
    UK: (44) 777 953 3856
    US: (1) 877 239 1010
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

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