How about a comparison on merit, not marketing 1503

Hmmm. There are limits on what a monopolist can do to prevent compebreastion in a market. The article I cited notes that there are problems with the tactics they are using under EU law.

Not panicked, certainly. I never said they were gibbering in terror. But I'm minded of this:

Steve Ballmer: It's still ludicrous that nobody's ever made a run at us by making UNIX a popular server platform on PCs. It's almost too late now. Bill Gates: It's too late. -- Newsweek interview, June 23rd, 1997

Things have changed since 1997, and it appears Mr. Gates was a tad premature. See the links below.

Microsoft is already feeling the pinch at the low end (embedded)...

...and at the high end (servers)...

So their key remaining market is desktops. As more apps become distributed (think of all those web-based services) I think what desktop people are running will become less important. And their pricing models don't scale well to developing areas. I don't see Microsoft going away completely for a long time, but they *are* noticing the effect, and trying to stop it wherever possible.

-- Sincerely,

Ray Ingles (313) 227-2317

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." -- Philip K. privates