Re: RE my XP Windows got broke in a Hailstorm

John,
    Your example is so very accurate. Which is exactly why the desktop
market affects the midrange market so much. Desktop users have a tendency to
fund Microsoft's attempts to break into the high end server markets.

    Crazy as it seems, I think all that is fine. The reason is that IBM sees
the problem, so does HP and every other vendor. They have a choice about
what to do about it (provided there is some change as a result of the
antitrust case).

    I recently posted my little anecdote about a friend of mine who, when we
were discussing the Microsoft case said it didn't affect him because, "I
didn't even look at a Microsoft computer, I bought a Dell." He, by the way,
was just promoted to warehouse manager at the company where he works.

    The desktop market, for the most part, is just a commodity, consumer
oriented market. But it isn't the whole nor the life blood of the computer
industry. If that were true, there would not be any iSeries machines, or
Unix boxes anywhere.

    Somewhere, a business owner has to be smart enough to think about the
cost of ownership, the value of uptime, and ask for good expert advice. As I
whined about to you before, what bothers me is when the "expert" gives
advice that isn't appropriate just because that is the money solution for
him (or sometimes just so he can keep sounding like an expert).

    But if there is an open playing field, then companies like IBM and HP
and whoever else can take a shot at it. If IBM doesn't have the tools to
fight in the desktop market, they can buy them or enter into joint ventures.
Or they can stay out.

    Taking as an example your friend: In this case you could give him some
input of your own. After all, this is a great time for him to learn that
Microsoft didn't make that computer any more than Keytronic made the last
one. He can walk away from this a little bit better informed. But that might
not (by a long shot) make any difference. Either way, that is the
marketplace.

    If he makes a dumb decision based on bad science, he'll pay the price.
That could just be extra dollars that he could have pocketed, or it could be
lost sales. If everyone he competes with make the same dumb decisions, then
he is okay. But if other guys are making brighter decisions then they'll
have a better chance to compete.

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: Saturday, July 21, 2001 2:26 PM
Subject: RE: RE my XP Windows got broke in a Hailstorm


>
> Chris,
>
> >
> > But John, it isn't the Joe Public who makes those choices. It is the MIS
> > professional. That's the guy Joe Public will blame if his credit card
does
> > get stolen or if a virus attacks his computer.
> >
>
> As usual, we'll have to agree to disagree. In my opinion, JP is THE
deciding
> factor in the ultimate technology choices. Don't confuse who he's going to
> blame --always someone else-- with who's going to make the decision.
>
> Let me tell you about what happened to me just yesterday afternoon.
>
> The owner of one of the companies that I work for came into my office and
> asked if I had time to go for a ride with him. As we're travelling along
in
> his car, he begins to tell me what this is all about. It seems that he's
> been at a car dealership where he saw the new "Microsoft Computer".
> Apparently, it's really small, but very powerful, and it has brilliant
sharp
> colours on the screen. He's convinced that we need to start buying these
> Microsoft computers. He even has the name of the computer outfit that sold
> these to the dealership, and he thinks I should give them a call.
>
> I play dumb to see how far this is going to go.
>
> We get to the dealership and he starts chatting it up with the counter
clerk
> who had shown him this great new computer. As it turns out, the Microsoft
> computer consists of a decent quality LCD monitor, connected to an
el-cheapo
> clone PC that's tucked neatly out of site. It's running Win98, and the guy
> has a couple of browser sessions going, along with their dealership
package.
> Nothing special. So where did the "Microsoft Computer" come from?
>
> The keyboard. Right across the top of the keyboard, is the name Microsoft.
>
> One JP start's chatting it up with another JP, who just happens to love
his
> new toy because it's so much better than the Unix terminal that it
replaced,
> and one more company comes a hair's width away from buying a whole bunch
of
> new Microsoft Computers.
>
>
> John Taylor
>
> p.s. - Not 3 weeks earlier, I'd pitched him the IBM Netvista X40, which
*is*
> really small, powerful, and has a nice screen. But no sale, because it's
too
> expensive.
>


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