Re: Is MS Maturing? (was tlug: Hustling NT 5 out the door)

[Howard Abbey <habbey@example.com>]

Sean Bennett wrote:
> > ...hmmm....     ...there's big bucks in the support industry nowadays...
> Not to quote myself, but... mark my words!  Check out this Forbes article;
> http://www.forbes.com/forbes/98/1012/6208039a.htm
Ummm... I think you misunderstood this article.

> Bill Gates is commenting on how a sure sign of a company maturing is when support
> revenues surpass product revenues.
In this case, maturing sounds like a code word for dying.  And not
revenues, but 
revenue growth.  Big difference. 

Also given as a paraphrase quote:
>                  Gates and I discussed the service trap. It is his
>                  proposition that if software is good enough,
>                  all those services in which people install
>                  products and hook them together are not
>                  necessary. Think about it. A company's
>                  servicing its own product is, in a sense, a
>                  conflict of interest. The more screwed up the
>                  product is, the more service is requiredÍÂnd
>                  the more money the company makes. Not
>                  good. 

So Gates's ideal is a monolithic OS with every application anyone would
ever
need is integrated in, with no service needed.  Sounds like a
Win98/IE4/MS 
Office combo to me. (However, that doesn't happen to meet (m)any of my
needs.)

Also in the article is the success story of how HP resisted moving to
the 
service industry and kept to making good hardware products.


> *How to compete with linux??*  Give away a pared-down Windows, then charge for 
> support and applications.
However, I do agree that is what they seem to be headed toward, with
their 'free'
beta versions, and talk of a subscription to incremental Windows upgrade
versions.

later,
Howard
---------------------------------------------------------------
Next Meeting: 10 October, 12:30 Tokyo Station Yaesu central gate
Featuring the IMASY Eng. Team on "IPv6 - The Next Generation IP"
Next Nomikai: 20 November, 19:30  Tengu TokyoEkiMae 03-3275-3691
---------------------------------------------------------------
Sponsor: PHT, makers of TurboLinux http://www.pht.co.jp