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Strategy Shift In The Air For Microsoft
mrdaveb writes "In the face of a declining market for MS Windows and MS Office, Microsoft's recent statements and acquisitions point to a future in which .NET is a key driver behind a strategy which will see Windows CE devices taking the limelight. This article explores the problems which Microsoft face in maintaining their stranglehold, and their likely route to keeping Windows on top."
Well, you only got a 'C' on your explanation. :)
:D
A natural monopoly occurs when a company (not an industry... that suggests 'several' companies) can only become efficient once it reaches a certain size, meaning that they only become profitable once a certain economy of scale is reached. These are companies with high fixed costs, and anybody that's had some business training know that if you spread out the fixed costs over more units of production there is less fixed cost attached to each unit. In a natural monopoly, there are extremely high barriers to entry (i.e. power distribution grid, phone service grid, cable TV infrastructure, etc.), and extremely large economies of scale, so that it really only makes sense to have one player, but the government keeps tabs on them through regulation.
The main problem with natural monopoly regulation is the fact that the return they are allowed is based on the value of their assets, so it really invites inefficiency... companies spend all their time acquiring new assets rather than finding inefficiencies in their production to raise their profits, as a 'normal' business would have to do.
The government is sometimes quick to change it's tune in the face of new technology, however. AT&T went from being a regulated natural monopoly to seeing the inside of an anti-trust court in a very short time, mainly because technology caught up and there were new ways to transmit telephony data. AT&T tried to restrict access to the new technology since it owned all the current infrastructure, and got itself split up into the Baby Bells.
It's my opinion that Microsoft should be treated as a natural monopoly and be regulated, but that's food for another debate.
Ignorance must not be modded as interesting.
.NET? This is not VB. .NET is very stable, in fact if all Microsoft applications were written in .NET they would be a lot more stable and secure. I'm really starting to get pissed off about people who haven't even used .NET and talk crap about it.
.NET is pretty rock-solid. I've used it for dozens of projects and I've had a better overall experience than Java (faster, more coherent, less bloat).
Have you ever tried
Remove your tin foil hat and get the facts. I'm not pro-Microsoft, i'm happy not to use their products when I can. However,
Please give some examples to support your claims.