I seem to recall that Napster tried something like
this when they were trying to prove that their
software was more general-purpose than trading
copyrighted files. They didn't have too much success
with that business model.
I don't think any centralized scheme would work
without a revenue stream that relied on selling bits.
Alright, let me put it this way. I have both Win2K
& Linux machines on my desk. I set up a Win2K
workstation w/Office, DreamWeaver, JDK, and some
browser plug-ins (mainly, Macromedia Flash). That's
all I need on Windows. Both machines have identical
hardware and I leave them running 24x7 with d.net.
For some reason, I have to reboot the Win machine
every morn. I've also tried swapping the hard drives
in the machines. Same result.
I oversee a site with about 50 users running Win2K
and 15 developers running Linux and about 20 servers
running Linux. I spend about 90% of my support
budget on the Win2K users. In my experience, Win2K is
only stable out of the box. Add in apps and browser
plug-ins, and you have a seething cesspool of
instability.
They are also dependent on the pervasiveness of
third-party training, support, and developers.
There's no way OSS can challenge them on those
grounds within this decade. Maybe the next one.
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I seem to recall that Napster tried something like this when they were trying to prove that their software was more general-purpose than trading copyrighted files. They didn't have too much success with that business model. I don't think any centralized scheme would work without a revenue stream that relied on selling bits.
Alright, let me put it this way. I have both Win2K & Linux machines on my desk. I set up a Win2K workstation w/Office, DreamWeaver, JDK, and some browser plug-ins (mainly, Macromedia Flash). That's all I need on Windows. Both machines have identical hardware and I leave them running 24x7 with d.net. For some reason, I have to reboot the Win machine every morn. I've also tried swapping the hard drives in the machines. Same result.
That's pretty easy. Find those with the deepest pockets and tie them up in costly lawsuits. So that means 3, 4 and 5.
I oversee a site with about 50 users running Win2K and 15 developers running Linux and about 20 servers running Linux. I spend about 90% of my support budget on the Win2K users. In my experience, Win2K is only stable out of the box. Add in apps and browser plug-ins, and you have a seething cesspool of instability.
They are also dependent on the pervasiveness of third-party training, support, and developers. There's no way OSS can challenge them on those grounds within this decade. Maybe the next one.