, 2002-06-19
The use of "terrorism" and "national security" are shameful attempts to use fear, uncertainty, and doubt to push Microsoft's monopolistic agenda.
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Alexis de Tocqueville Serves Up a Red Herring
, 2002-06-19 The use of "terrorism" and "national security" are shameful attempts to use fear, uncertainty, and doubt to push Microsoft's monopolistic agenda.
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(1) This argument has probably not reached the ears of IBM, which just happens to be the largest computer company in the world: IBM has been positioning Linux for several years now as the single operating system that unifies its mainframes, minicomputers, workstations, servers and desktops. And IBM is not the type of computer vendor that takes corporate concerns about security lightly - In fact, IBM's big iron mainframe roots mandate that IBM be extremely aggressive if not proactive on security matters. Other major players such as Sun Microsystems and HP have taken pains to align their strategies and tactics with the undoubted strengths of the Open Source movement.
(2) More and more smart appliances are designed around Linux, not to mention game boxes, PDA's, etc. On the human resources front, an entire generation of computer people is being weaned on Linux, and I have no doubt that this generation will be responsible for some stupendous technical breakthroughs.
(3) Any buyer or would-be buyer of commercial software must contend with various forms of intellectual dishonesty such as vaporware and marketing hype, which hardly provide an environment for efficient buying. When was the last time that Open Source product was referred to in terms of vaporware and marketing hype? I submit that exaggeration, if not outright lying about product features and functionality, is difficult to impossible when the full source code open to all for inspection.
I'd call any argument that Open Source is bad for the US economy an interesting, compelling, contrarian argument that is based on anything but the facts - or anyone's dispassionate understanding of the facts. My best prediction is that those computer companies that manage to leverage the strengths of the Open Source movement will be the ultimate winners in the computer marketplace, whereas those computer companies that fight Open Source every step of the way will find themselves backed into a corner and eventually annihiliated - even computer companies that are presently as large and cash-rich as Microsoft. The time frame of my prediction: shall we say, less than five years?
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Link to this comment: http://www.securityfocus.com/comments/columns/89/13410#13410