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Linux is Window Manager's Product of the Year
brokeninside writes "Infoworld's 'Windows Manager' Columnist Bob Livingston named Linux his 1999 product of the year in his most recent column. I especially enjoyed his assertion that Microsoft was 'playing catchup' with Windows 2000. He said, '...Microsoft is catching up with Linux, not setting a higher standard.'"
Maybe you're right, and the columnist's comments are merely a cynical ploy to win ad hits from Slashdottians. That sort of thing certainly happens often enough. For that reason, I tend to take columns such as these with a grain of salt.
However, this guy seems to be different. Unlike Jesse Burst (who went from 'Linux isn't worth your time' to 'Linux is up and coming' to 'Linux is a solid bet' in an amazingly short period of time), he makes it very clear that what he wants is for Microsoft to produce better products. He's not saying that he plans to jump ship to the Linux camp because of that OS's higher quality. He's simply saying that he sees that the Linux OS has some things right (and other things wrong), while Windows NT, Windows 95/98/SE, and Windows 2000 all have some serious problems that Microsoft seems unwilling to address.
He's praising the good things about Linux and acknowledging that it has some problems of its own. That's par for the course with the average columnist, and I wouldn't trust him except that he's flat out stating that his desire is for Microsoft to realize it has some genuine competition and take the opportunity to improve their products. He's stating up-front that he's rooting for the home team, rather than unfairly denigrating the competition or praising phantom qualities of the chosen product.
I can respect that sort of forth-rightness. It's a refreshing way to approach the computer wars, which have seemingly forever been typified by the "my favorite widget rules and yours sucks" mentality.
This columnist is staying true to his beliefs, and he's doing it in a fair way. He simply believes Microsoft has temporarily gone astray, and hopes the success of Linux will lead the company back onto the path of greatness, which they will no doubt pave with many wonderful products. I don't agree with him, but the way he's stated his opinion makes me respect him.
That should be the norm, but it's not. So I solute him for his uncommonly rational stance.