Microsoft, as well as Sun, Cisco, HP, Dell, have become "Gorilla Companies". (see "The Gorilla Game" by Geoffrey A. Moore). His premise is that the actual products are not nearly as relevant as the market penetration and the fact that the products become Industry Standard. How well a product works is only a small part of the equation - whether it can be supported - by many - on demand - is far more important. I am a consultant working for at least 250 clients - small businesses, too small to have IT depts. that do a range of things - from manufacture clothing, to graphic design to retail, to property management. Not one uses sun anything. 2 or 3 use Macs. A small business that relies on Jenny's 17 year old son to support their IT systems is a small business heading toward an IT train wreck. I see it all the time. The business costs (including down time) to untangle a geeky experiment in egotistical empire building can be astronomical and devestating. Knowing how to overclock a system and keep linux working on it does not mean you understand what a business needs to keep it's day to day functions running smoothly. I'm not a huge microsoft fan, but until you understand the above, there is no way to move toward a different world. It's not about control. It's about the money....follow it, and you will understand.
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Microsoft, as well as Sun, Cisco, HP, Dell, have become "Gorilla Companies". (see "The Gorilla Game" by Geoffrey A. Moore). His premise is that the actual products are not nearly as relevant as the market penetration and the fact that the products become Industry Standard. How well a product works is only a small part of the equation - whether it can be supported - by many - on demand - is far more important. I am a consultant working for at least 250 clients - small businesses, too small to have IT depts. that do a range of things - from manufacture clothing, to graphic design to retail, to property management. Not one uses sun anything. 2 or 3 use Macs. A small business that relies on Jenny's 17 year old son to support their IT systems is a small business heading toward an IT train wreck. I see it all the time. The business costs (including down time) to untangle a geeky experiment in egotistical empire building can be astronomical and devestating. Knowing how to overclock a system and keep linux working on it does not mean you understand what a business needs to keep it's day to day functions running smoothly. I'm not a huge microsoft fan, but until you understand the above, there is no way to move toward a different world. It's not about control. It's about the money....follow it, and you will understand.