Nah. Just because they were caught by surprise doesn't mean that they won't adapt. They don't even have to do anything beyond maintain XP. I am happy that Linux has been able to provide the competitive pressure to keep Microsoft on its toes, but to suggest that MS is going to keep reinforcing failure is a pipe dream. They are already on the OLPC, you can get the EEE with XP if I remember correctly, and so on. I predict that there will soon be a windows "light" based on XP or even NT, and the cycle starts all over again.
Still, it's nice to see that after 10 years or so of stagnation, the free market in software is finally healthy again and doing its job. I think they were caught off guard. Why they would then use an 8 years old and battered OS to fight this new market. Sure, it's proven, and welcomed by the users, but it still doesn't fit so well into the niche as GNU/Linux does.
I believe that GNU/Linux will soon dictate the pace in the emerging OS platforms, because it's much more flexible and versatile than Windows. Sure, there's the confusion with hundreds of distros, but who would know which one will catch Microsoft off guard in the next emerging market.
The problem is that people percieve the driver problems as Linuxes fault. But we know it isn't - and there is a bit of irony to not develop drivers on an open platform. But it'll change...
Although this is an important victory for MS, they actually played a defense role here to maintain their position in the market. They had to throw their time, money and human resources into this global operation of corruption. And we still have ODF as an ISO standard, that could be distruptive enough to OOXML business. Yes, it's another uphill battle, but MS keeps retreating. And time is on our side.
I have a friend who is quite familiar with computer and Windows XP into Linux. Of course because of his familiarity with the OS he doesn't quite feel the need to move to another OS, especially because he has some software that wont run under Ubuntu except with a little help of virtualization.
That's the most common problem Ubuntu and Vista have with the XP userbase - it's widely known, proven, manageable and maintained. Although this might mean reformatting the neighbours drive twice a year besides the monthly cleanup of trojans and worms. For an administrator, XP is a necessary evil.
For me, it's an old OS. After trying out Ubuntu 8.04 beta I'm getting a feeling that it will beat the crap out of XP usability-wise. The "CLI gaps" are being closed more and more thoroughly. I haven't touched xorg.conf for months now and pppoeconf will become a nice memory with 8.04 (for desktops, of course). Simplicity of use is ridiculously easy in Ubuntu and all we need now is a theme which will be appealing to the blueish XP crowds (although I somehow got fond of the Human theme).
De facto, Windows is also percieved to be free because of piracy and preinstallation.
You can buy Linux, no problem at all, with competitive prices, and Ubuntu support as well.
But this false cheapness is beginning to crumble - a friend came the other day and asked me to give him Ubuntu for his sister's computer. He installed Windows at first, but his validation key was false, then he got another WinXP image, installed it, but it came with a virus built in. Than he called me to help him on installing Ubuntu.
If there is a perception that free is worse, than in the OS case it's a false one.
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Nah, they're downloading Xubuntu for their own needs...
GPL is here to stay and is catching up MS products on almost every front. The resistance is futile ;)
The problem is that people percieve the driver problems as Linuxes fault. But we know it isn't - and there is a bit of irony to not develop drivers on an open platform. But it'll change...
... he's more scared of his own driver developers.
Although this is an important victory for MS, they actually played a defense role here to maintain their position in the market. They had to throw their time, money and human resources into this global operation of corruption. And we still have ODF as an ISO standard, that could be distruptive enough to OOXML business. Yes, it's another uphill battle, but MS keeps retreating. And time is on our side.
I have a friend who is quite familiar with computer and Windows XP into Linux. Of course because of his familiarity with the OS he doesn't quite feel the need to move to another OS, especially because he has some software that wont run under Ubuntu except with a little help of virtualization.
That's the most common problem Ubuntu and Vista have with the XP userbase - it's widely known, proven, manageable and maintained. Although this might mean reformatting the neighbours drive twice a year besides the monthly cleanup of trojans and worms. For an administrator, XP is a necessary evil.
For me, it's an old OS. After trying out Ubuntu 8.04 beta I'm getting a feeling that it will beat the crap out of XP usability-wise. The "CLI gaps" are being closed more and more thoroughly. I haven't touched xorg.conf for months now and pppoeconf will become a nice memory with 8.04 (for desktops, of course). Simplicity of use is ridiculously easy in Ubuntu and all we need now is a theme which will be appealing to the blueish XP crowds (although I somehow got fond of the Human theme).
De facto, Windows is also percieved to be free because of piracy and preinstallation. You can buy Linux, no problem at all, with competitive prices, and Ubuntu support as well. But this false cheapness is beginning to crumble - a friend came the other day and asked me to give him Ubuntu for his sister's computer. He installed Windows at first, but his validation key was false, then he got another WinXP image, installed it, but it came with a virus built in. Than he called me to help him on installing Ubuntu. If there is a perception that free is worse, than in the OS case it's a false one.