Is Windows becoming irrelevant 1208

In comp.os.linux.advocacy, Plato wrote on 2 May 2006 16:22:01 -0500

20? It could be for as long as 500 years, unless a radical breakthrough in computing technology is done (e.g., quantum computing), a natural disaster a la Yosemite's supervolcano or a mbuttive meteorite decides to happen, we get a visitation by a hostile alien culture hell-bent on taking over the Earth (or maybe a benevolent one which we mistake for hostile), or we manage to self-destruct through something stupid such as nuclear war. The Dark Ages lasted at least that long (AD 476 to the year 1000 is how Wikipedia puts it) and Win32 is ingrained into a very large number of places already -- hundreds of millions, in fact, one of them probably on one's own desktop (though many here would dispute that since they've expunged the beast or never installed it :-) -- but how many of those, myself included, don't have WinE?).

This may or may not include Microsoft, but I for one could see Microsoft taking over the role of Mother Church, though with more modern (and maybe more subtle -- or maybe not; Abu Grahib, anyone?) torture devices.

We've done it before, and we may do it again.

A more likely fate is that Microsoft will decline slowly until Bill Gates retires, then fractures as the top guys squabble over what's left of a once-thriving corporate enbreasty (or, maybe, what's left of a once-thriving civilization, once we all run out of chemical fuel).

Depressing, I know. :-) Followups therefore redirected to COLA.

-- Windows Vista. Because it's time to refresh your hardware. Trust us.