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> -----Original Message----- > From: plug-admin@lists.phillylinux.org > [mailto:plug-admin@lists.phillylinux.org] On Behalf Of Art Alexion > Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 1:12 PM > This is such a sham argument. Of course there are at least > 40 useful programs that run in Windows only as there are > probably 40 useful programs that only run on *nix. > > The real reason for that is momentum, of course. Commercial > developers (and virus writers) reasonably aim to design > products that can be run by the most common computers. > Before MS cemented its monopoly, software more often tended > to be written for more platforms. Now, with 95% of the > desktops running Windows, there is a huge disincentive to > develop for other platforms. It snowballs. When fewer > programs are written for a platform, fewer people choose that > platform. And when fewer people choose that platform, fewer > programs are written for it. > > The only way to reverse that trend is to buck the momentum > and create a rich software selection that attracts people to > the platform -- until the selection is so rich that it > attracts people to the platform. Most desktop users don't > care about operating systems, they get one with their > hardware, or they [used to] choose one based on the software > they needed. > > OS/2 failed because IBM couldn't attract developers to write > for the platform. Hence, no software. Hence no customers > for the platform. > > Linux is uniquely situated to buck this phenomenon because of > the Open Source culture. People chip in to develop software > because they need or want it themselves, regardless of how > many copies they will sell. This permits Linux to accumulate > a rich selection of software no matter how many desktops are sold. > > For many of us Linux is already there. For some, it is > getting there eventually. For others, with special needs > [that even windows may not be meeting], it will never be there. How is this a sham argument? Can you find me an ACT equivalent to run on Linux? You probably don't even know what DeepAnalysis does and I'll wager you a lot of money that there is no equivalent on Unix or Linux. I was an 0S2 from the very beginning and I was sad to see it go - it was way ahead of its time. OS2 disappeared because IBM lacked the balls to properly fight Microsoft. Years ago before Exchange was invented, I visited my friend Peter in the Microsoft office in Delaware. He badmouthed OS2 as a horrible OS - and Microsoft was going to crush it. He said anyone who runs it is a chump. When he took me through his NOC I noticed that Microsoft before Exchange ran their worldwide mail system on OS2. Howard ___________________________________________________________________________ Philadelphia Linux Users Group -- http://www.phillylinux.org Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce General Discussion -- http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug