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

[Adam Turoff <ziggy@panix.com>]

Tom wrote:
> > This is yet another example of "no one runs Windows better than Windows."
> > That's not a valid example.
> 
> I beg your pardon! why is it NOT a valid example? 

To ask the question again, "What makes Windows a better Operating System
than competing offerings?"  

You're citing valid examples of individual cases where one business
legitimately needs to run their software on a given platform, however
there is nothing intrinsic about Windows that makes it better for
running a business.  Windows does not do A/R, Payroll, print spooling,
file serving, email delivery or image scanning any better than other OSes.

While there are many valid reasons for choosing products that lead to
vendor lockin (like Office and the other examples you cite), such
lockin is transitory; reasons that lead me to buy Windows servers
yesterday may lead me again to buy Windows servers today, but not
necessarily next month or next year.

I think there are reasons to look into non-Microsoft solutions for
small, medium and large businesses today, and reasons for many of those
same businesses to actively migrate away from Microsoft products
sometime in the next 18-36 months.  I think those migration decisions
will be made on the basis of hard issues like TCO, support, reliability, 
and productivity -- not irrational ones like hatred, envy or malice 
against a multi-billion dollar company.

Given that point of view, what needs to happen to make it a reality?

Put differently, where is Microsoft failing you today?  Better yet,
where is Linux failing you today, and where does Linux need to
catch up to Microsoft?

Z.


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