Re: no Java in XP Windows -- MIDRANGE-L

Why, thanks for asking!

The point of breaking them up is to allow other companies equal access to
opportunities to bundle with the operating system.

For years (two decades now!) Microsoft has been able to push a new product
into the market by simply bundling it with their operating system and
displacing the existing market leaders.

If the operating system division were required to isolate their income model
from the income of the applications division, as would be the case if they
were separate publicly held companies, then at least other vendors would
have an equal shot on being able to get a bundling deal.

A good example of this is Lotus/IBM. Why doesn't IBM just sink a few bucks
into bundling SmartSuite with Windows and pick up some market share? Or more
to the more current day point, why doesn't Netscape?

Right now, Microsoft can introduce a new application, like it did with IE,
and bundle it into the OS. Then, they tell us as customers it is "Free" and
they just roll the cost of it into what we pay for the OS.

Now, just breaking them up doesn't mean suddenly giving market share to
anyone else. It would be a long time before we would actually see the
benefits of this because it would come in the form of just allowing other
companies equal access. But it also means that applications developers would
be guaranteed equal access to APIs (I don't know if you recall when
WordPerfect discovered that they were given a different set of APIs than
were being given to Microsoft's applications developers. WordPerfect seemed
to crash a lot more, this was one of the first times a breakup was
requested).

Second, it would mean that Microsoft's applications division would have to
view other platforms based on the profit/loss of moving to that platform.
The applications division has had a unique position in the marketplace.
Historically, this could have made a big difference to OS/2. If IBM could
have paid Microsoft's applications division to port to OS/2 or done a joint
venture deal with WordPerfect, then that would have opened up a much greater
market to OS/2.

Right now there is a concern that if the new "Front end" to all server
applications becomes the browser, the Microsoft has the ability to make sure
that there is an advantage to using IE/XP combined. That's not so bad, to
see extra special beneficial features in IE and XP, but Netscape should have
equal access to the API that XP publishes for IE, and IE should be tempted
to be ported to other markets like Linux or OS/2.

Chris Rehm
javadisciple@earthlink.net
If you believe that the best technology wins the
marketplace, you haven't been paying attention.


----- Original Message -----
From: "John Taylor" <jtaylor@rpg2java.com>
To: <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2001 2:47 PM
Subject: Re: no Java in XP Windows


> Chris,
>
> While I agree that something should have been done to curb MS a long time
> ago, I've never really understood the value of breaking them up into an
O/S
> & applications group. How is that going to solve anything?
>
>
> John Taylor
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Chris Rehm" <javadisciple@earthlink.net>
> To: <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2001 14:52
> Subject: Re: no Java in XP Windows
>
>
> > Along this line, I heard today on the news the Microsoft intends to ask
> for
> > a new hearing regarding the illegal monopoly findings. I believe that
they
> > are interested in delaying any remedy until after they have herded the
> > market onto XP.
> >
> > I personally think that a break up would be very much in the interests
of
> > consumers. I know that some people think that this would mean Microsoft
> > Operating systems would not work as closely with their applications
> people,
> > but I think it would lead to a day when they would have to work that
> closely
> > with all applications people.
> >
> > It would also surely make Bill Gates an awful lot richer. I am sure that
> > each of the subsequent companies would be an independent investment
> > opportunity.
> >
> > Chris Rehm
> > javadisciple@earthlink.net
> > If you believe that the best technology wins the
> > marketplace, you haven't been paying attention.
> >
> >
>
>
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