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
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Small business owners...
Tell us what you think!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/vO1FAB/txzCAA/ySSFAA/IHFolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Community email addresses:
Post message: unrev-II@onelist.com
Subscribe: unrev-II-subscribe@onelist.com
Unsubscribe: unrev-II-unsubscribe@onelist.com
List owner: unrev-II-owner@onelist.com
Shortcut URL to this page:
http://www.onelist.com/community/unrev-II
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Aug 06 2001 - 01:07:58 PDT