I think Bozman's view, correctly stated, is that twice nothing is still nothing. That Linux begins from too small a base to challenge Unix or Windows in the foreseeable future.
Linux is *not* a "niche player that just does webserver duties".
True enough, and I should have deleted that line as a needless distraction, pure flame bait. But I think the story is a useful corrective to the rose-tinted view that Linux is marching to victory in the server market.
I'm suprised they didnt mention that Linux servers had the greatest overall growth with 35.4%, and that they're 10% of the entire market
Computerworld's take on the story was a dose of ice cold water:
Windows Server 2003, DataCenter Server and Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition are all selling well, according to IDC's enterprise group chief, Jean S. Bozman.
Bozman also said that she could not see Linux overtaking either Windows or Unix in the foreseeable future, mainly because Linux is starting from such a small base. As a result, she could not project out far enough to see Linux overtaking either of the other two main operating systems.
So if IDC is to be believed, the world's favorite open-source operating system is destined to remain a niche product serving Web pages for the time being, while Microsoft makes hay with its core product. It has been a long time since this reporter was able to ask Microsoft representatives if they still believe that Microsoft will ever succeed in the enterprise. It looks like it now has.Microsoft server software challenges Linux offerings
I have a few hundred cassettes. Some are in fairly bad shape because cassettes are kind of fragile. I'll be damned if I'm going to rebuy all of U2's and the Talking Heads' early work just because the music industry is going to lable me a "pirate" if I don't.
By the same reasoning, if I own badly worn and cracked 78s of Louis Armstrong's first sessions from the twenties, I am entitled to steal the DVD-A digital audio restorations.
Stripped to its essentials, what you really want is a free upgrade of your collection to CDs.
If Linux and OS X suddenly have better software than Windows, and people see this, might they be more obliged to make the switch?
How much "buzz" did iTunes, Firefox, or OpenOffice generate before being ported to Windows? Apple's software product earns consistently good reviews, their publicity machine is second to none, but OSX hasn't gained market share in years.
If your target is end users, a port to Windows can be very revealing.
instead of posting this long-winded rant with every Piquepelle story, could you simply provide a link, in the unlikely event there is anyone left who wants to read it?
What we need is a computer that have been desiged from ground up for home use with hardware closely designed with software
sounds like a gamer's Alienware Windows PC, any Windows MCE system, or the XBox.
the problem for Linux is that anything in software a home user would want already exists for Windows and the Mac or is being ported to Windows and the Mac. there is no reason to shelve a five to ten year investment in Doom for the dubious pleasures of Tux Racer.
The reason these labs exists is because home Internet access is extremely rare. The labs have Internet access, otherwise there would be little reason for them to exist.
But what does access mean in this context:
"In 2001 there was more international IP bandwidth (1.3Gbit/s) available to the 450 000 citizens of Luxembourg than the 820 million citizens of the African continent (1.2Gbit/s). Although available bandwidth is now slowly increasing, as new satellite providers enter the market a lack of bandwidth still threatens Internet usage and uptake."
"Under 6% of all Africans can access telecommunications of any kind with many of those outside urban areas unable to access fixed lines. The Internet is out of reach to the vast majority of Africans" What does broadband offer for Africa?
it's difficult to market a very cheap computer when there is a $30 to $80 Microsoft tax per machine
you can live with microsoft licensing when you achieve economies of scale in mass production and distribution. there is nothing like an order for ten million units to ease the pain.
BTW, he doesn't tout the success of the Walmart PC, he just notes it's existance. Who said it's successful?
Walmart.com lists a handful of $200 cheap-ass Linux PCs. But mostly the chain sells more capable and stylish Windows systems as household appliances, durable goods, in the $500-$1200 price range. The comfort zone for the middle-class. I would hazard a guess that Walmart sees its future in Windows MCE not Linux. Microtel SYSWM9003 Media Center with 3.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4
every good tech knows Firefox adoption is on the upswing
The problem here is, that it is adoption by non-techies that matters. For example, I would like to see the breakdown for my cable ISP.
If web browsers become a major platform which houses many of users favorite applications then Windows becomes marginalized and mostly irrelevant.
I have made my peace with DRM and become a subscriber to services like Rhapsody. The workaday apps are still there, shoved into the background, and yet I find I am demanding more from Windows and not less.
Almost all of XP's growth came from people replacing 98 and ME. NT4 and W2K had 15-20% marketshare before XP even shipped
The stats I quoted from W3Schools were for the last two years. w3School's OS stats for March 2003:
The one unmistakable lesson to be drawn here is that Windows users stay within the Windows family, they do not migrate in significant numbers to alterative operating systems.
When you borrow money, you are renting money. If you invest the packet in a project that returns more than the interest on the loan, you have turned a profit and wasted nothing.
In two years, Linux and the Mac have shown little growth at all, while XP's share has doubled. If this is what the world looks like to a web developer, I don't think Microsoft has much to fear in the mass consumer market, where the browser wars translate into serious money and power, W2K was never a factor, and where Win XP has been the default OEM install since August of '01.
unlike the old-skool philosophy of inventions based on and leading to information sharing and broad education.
I can't think of a single significant nineteenth invention that wasn't the subject of prolonged and bitter litigation and intense corporate infighting. The old school way was to fight like hell for the control of new technologies until the money men stepped in and forced cooperation through the formation of a cartel.
The models for splitting products by functionality and performance to maximize overall profit are well known, yet MS seems to have ignored to opportunity to apply this to software.
There were versions of Word Perfect for medical and law offices, at a premium price.
Microsoft sold Office components you could mix and match and customize as needed throughout your organization, if your needs were simpler, there was always Microsoft Works or a Works suite with Microsoft Word. Currently, Student-Teacher Office, which might as well be called Office Home Edition, lists for $150 and installs on three PCs.
The "Made for TV Movie" was a studio product, pioneerd by Universal, and a training ground for young talent like Steven Spielberg, "Duel," 1971.
While digital techniques arguably make production easier than ever, that doesn't erase the advantage the majors have in recruitment, talent, technology, finance and distribution.
Intel had better have a good lure to get consumers to buy this
Consumers, by definition, are interested in content and services. iTunes, Rhapsody, Y! Unlimited. They buy a DVD to see the movie, not upload it to Kazaa. When they can rent the entire RIAA backlist for $5-$15 a month and port it their stereo, their iPod, and their car, they will take to DRM like ducks to water.
when the Chinese, sick of having US DRM imposed on them, form a huge market willing and able to buy DRMless parts
Dell recently placed an order for 300,000 14 inch wide-screen laptops a month from a single Chinese supplier, a story which rated no more than a filler on the tech news sites.
The OEMS don't give a damn about your pathetic little outlaw markets, they don't re-align billion dollar fabs and ship product to rust on the LA docks because it will never clear customs.
I would rather that the big guys "take their ball and go home" rather than pollute my technology (HDTV, DVD player, internet connection, etc.). I would then just use my technology to do other things (like distribute creative commons material).
...which places you among a minority so small that it can safely be ignored.
the onus should be on the companies to prove that their content is worth it to the people, for us to continue to maintain their monopoly.
The Incredibles return to date is $640 million world-wide in ticket sales and DVD. 18 million DVD sales domestically in its first release, and currently the gold standard for home theater projection and sound. The odds are approaching 1 in 5 that if you own a DVD player, you will own a copy.
there is no compelling reason why the populace or government should help them.
The industry employs 360,000 waged and salaried workers in the U.S., concentrated in the cultural capitals of New York and Los Angeles. Motion Picture and Video Industry Not counted here are the numbers employed in secondary distribution channels such as cable tv, video rental and sales.
Hollywood has been tremendously successful in exporting culture, no one does it better; the export market for american films is huge and politically significant. Hollywood in the Era of Globalization
The VCR had significant limitations. It was difficult to program and impossible to edit. Tapes did not stand up well to repeated viewings. Broadcast films were censored, cut to fit pre-defined time slots, and were otherwise abused. Cable, rental and sales markets would be exploited first, and broadcast last.
Slashdot Mirror
I think Bozman's view, correctly stated, is that twice nothing is still nothing. That Linux begins from too small a base to challenge Unix or Windows in the foreseeable future.
True enough, and I should have deleted that line as a needless distraction, pure flame bait. But I think the story is a useful corrective to the rose-tinted view that Linux is marching to victory in the server market.
Computerworld's take on the story was a dose of ice cold water:
Windows Server 2003, DataCenter Server and Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition are all selling well, according to IDC's enterprise group chief, Jean S. Bozman.
Bozman also said that she could not see Linux overtaking either Windows or Unix in the foreseeable future, mainly because Linux is starting from such a small base. As a result, she could not project out far enough to see Linux overtaking either of the other two main operating systems.
So if IDC is to be believed, the world's favorite open-source operating system is destined to remain a niche product serving Web pages for the time being, while Microsoft makes hay with its core product. It has been a long time since this reporter was able to ask Microsoft representatives if they still believe that Microsoft will ever succeed in the enterprise. It looks like it now has. Microsoft server software challenges Linux offerings
By the same reasoning, if I own badly worn and cracked 78s of Louis Armstrong's first sessions from the twenties, I am entitled to steal the DVD-A digital audio restorations.
Stripped to its essentials, what you really want is a free upgrade of your collection to CDs.
How much "buzz" did iTunes, Firefox, or OpenOffice generate before being ported to Windows?
Apple's software product earns consistently good reviews, their publicity machine is second to none, but OSX hasn't gained market share in years.
If your target is end users, a port to Windows can be very revealing.
instead of posting this long-winded rant with every Piquepelle story, could you simply provide a link, in the unlikely event there is anyone left who wants to read it?
sounds like a gamer's Alienware Windows PC, any Windows MCE system, or the XBox.
the problem for Linux is that anything in software a home user would want already exists for Windows and the Mac or is being ported to Windows and the Mac. there is no reason to shelve a five to ten year investment in Doom for the dubious pleasures of Tux Racer.
But what does access mean in this context:
"In 2001 there was more international IP bandwidth (1.3Gbit/s) available to the 450 000 citizens of Luxembourg than the 820 million citizens of the African continent (1.2Gbit/s). Although available bandwidth is now slowly increasing, as new satellite providers enter the market a lack of bandwidth still threatens Internet usage and uptake."
"Under 6% of all Africans can access telecommunications of any kind with many of those outside urban areas unable to access fixed lines. The Internet is out of reach to the vast majority of Africans" What does broadband offer for Africa?
you can live with microsoft licensing when you achieve economies of scale in mass production and distribution. there is nothing like an order for ten million units to ease the pain.
Walmart.com lists a handful of $200 cheap-ass Linux PCs.
But mostly the chain sells more capable and stylish Windows systems as household appliances, durable goods, in the $500-$1200 price range. The comfort zone for the middle-class.
I would hazard a guess that Walmart sees its future in Windows MCE not Linux. Microtel SYSWM9003 Media Center with 3.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4
CP/M was not free or open source.
Since the cost of version 1.3 (1.4?*) was only 70 $, this operating system soon became installed on every 8080 computer. CP/M, what's that?
I'll leave adjustment for inflation as an exercise for the reader.
The problem here is, that it is adoption by non-techies that matters. For example, I would like to see the breakdown for my cable ISP.
If web browsers become a major platform which houses many of users favorite applications then Windows becomes marginalized and mostly irrelevant.
I have made my peace with DRM and become a subscriber to services like Rhapsody.
The workaday apps are still there, shoved into the background, and yet I find I am demanding more from Windows and not less.
The stats I quoted from W3Schools were for the last two years. w3School's OS stats for March 2003:
The one unmistakable lesson to be drawn here is that Windows users stay within the Windows family, they do not migrate in significant numbers to alterative operating systems.
W2K.......42%
Win XP...29%
Win 98....15%
Win NT.... 7%
Linux........2%
Mac..........2%
Win 95......1%
Others......0%
When you borrow money, you are renting money. If you invest the packet in a project that returns more than the interest on the loan, you have turned a profit and wasted nothing.
In two years, Linux and the Mac have shown little growth at all, while XP's share has doubled.
If this is what the world looks like to a web developer, I don't think Microsoft has much to fear in the mass consumer market, where the browser wars translate into serious money and power, W2K was never a factor, and where Win XP has been the default OEM install since August of '01.
Win XP... 64%i n.NET.. 1%
W2K........20%
Win 98......4%
Linux.........3%
Mac...........3%
W
Others.......0%
whoops. "ninteenth century invention"
I can't think of a single significant nineteenth invention that wasn't the subject of prolonged and bitter litigation and intense corporate infighting. The old school way was to fight like hell for the control of new technologies until the money men stepped in and forced cooperation through the formation of a cartel.
Godwin's Law
Meme, Counter-meme
How to post about Nazis and get away with it - the Godwin's Law FAQ
Currently in second place, 175,000 visitors, 115 blog links. Geeks are so gullible when it comes to sex and tech.
There were versions of Word Perfect for medical and law offices, at a premium price.
Microsoft sold Office components you could mix and match and customize as needed throughout your organization, if your needs were simpler, there was always Microsoft Works or a Works suite with Microsoft Word. Currently, Student-Teacher Office, which might as well be called Office Home Edition, lists for $150 and installs on three PCs.
While digital techniques arguably make production easier than ever, that doesn't erase the advantage the majors have in recruitment, talent, technology, finance and distribution.
Consumers, by definition, are interested in content and services. iTunes, Rhapsody, Y! Unlimited.
They buy a DVD to see the movie, not upload it to Kazaa. When they can rent the entire RIAA backlist for $5-$15 a month and port it their stereo, their iPod, and their car, they will take to DRM like ducks to water.
Dell recently placed an order for 300,000 14 inch wide-screen laptops a month from a single Chinese supplier, a story which rated no more than a filler on the tech news sites.
The OEMS don't give a damn about your pathetic little outlaw markets, they don't re-align billion dollar fabs and ship product to rust on the LA docks because it will never clear customs.
the onus should be on the companies to prove that their content is worth it to the people, for us to continue to maintain their monopoly.
The Incredibles return to date is $640 million world-wide in ticket sales and DVD. 18 million DVD sales domestically in its first release, and currently the gold standard for home theater projection and sound. The odds are approaching 1 in 5 that if you own a DVD player, you will own a copy.
there is no compelling reason why the populace or government should help them.
The industry employs 360,000 waged and salaried workers in the U.S., concentrated in the cultural capitals of New York and Los Angeles. Motion Picture and Video Industry Not counted here are the numbers employed in secondary distribution channels such as cable tv, video rental and sales.
Hollywood has been tremendously successful in exporting culture, no one does it better; the export market for american films is huge and politically significant. Hollywood in the Era of Globalization
The VCR had significant limitations.
It was difficult to program and impossible to edit. Tapes did not stand up well to repeated viewings. Broadcast films were censored, cut to fit pre-defined time slots, and were otherwise abused. Cable, rental and sales markets would be exploited first, and broadcast last.