Re: [PLUG] Microsoft's statement about Solaris-based Hotmail (old)

[Adam Turoff <ziggy@panix.com>]

Michael W. Ryan wrote:
> On Thu, 17 Feb 2000, Adam Turoff wrote:
> > Care to tell us what they're doing *well*, since you're spending so much
> > time in that environment?
> 
> Microsoft has been spearheading the development of WWW protocols,
> including DHTML and DOM.  These technologies are very useful in developing
> web-based applications.  

All true, but I'll also point out that they're responsible for some FUD
specs, like biztalk[1].  I have yet to hear anyone explain to me what the 
point of biztalk is -- including Microsoft programmers *IN THAT DIVISION*.

> Now, on the other hand, I think Microsoft might start to slip in the small
> business market.  Active Directory, while a huge boon to a larger
> enterprise, it can prove daunting to a smaller business.  

How?  Too resource intensive?  Too manpower intensive?  Too much training
required?  Everything I've heard about Active Directory is that it's
just an LDAP server and a suite of tools that use an LDAP server instead
of Microsoft's standard NT user administration suite (or NIS for that 
matter).

> This, combined
> with Linux's lower system requirements and purchase price, might provide
> more in-roads for Linux into the small business market.  Well, at least
> for the server role.  

Again, why?  What is Microsoft doing better at the high end?  I've seen
organizations brought to their knees using Exchange that would be much
better off using apache, sendmail or qmail on a *NIX box.

> The desktop role is going to need to resolve the
> question:  will I be able to read MS Office documents and create documents
> that are usable in MS Office?  BTW, is there currently a solution that
> hits both ends of this?

Sure.  StarOffice both reads and writes these formats.  Of course, they
don't guarantee 100% fidelity, but how many users need 100% fidelity
with every bug and feature in Word or Excel?  StarOffice isn't ideal,
but it fits into most workflows (even if it is quite cumbersome).

I suspect the same will be true of KOffice, no?

Z.

[1] BizTalk (http://www.biztalk.org/) is an XML framework for sending
    ecommerce and b2b transactions over the web.  It works by making
    everything reside in a "biztalk envelope", which effectively makes
    all messages biztalk documents.  Other efforts in this area do not
    try and redefine the world's b2b communication in terms of a single
    proprietary standard.


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