Linux and audio pro 3813

Lorin David Schultz

Vendor lock-in is basically what happens when a vendor makes it difficult or impossible to switch to, or communicate with, any one else's products. For instance, MS creates vendor lock-in by being as incompatible with every one else as the possibly can. This seems to be an integral part of their marketing strategy.

Entire fields can become locked in to a particular vendor if the vendor plays their cards right. Then nobody can switch because in order to be competative they have to use the same product as everyone else, and there is no options because nothing else will communicate with this product. Since nobody will switch because doing so could cripple their business the problem never gets solved.

One past example is MS Office but now we have the option of using Open Office which is at least partially compatible...enough so that 99% of all Office documents can be opened and edited with it. That is how you break vendor lock-in...you create a compatible product that also has open standards.

An example of attempted lock-in is MS's extension of the kerbose protocol. That one didn't work.

It is possible that such lock-in exists within the pro audio community in the form of ProTools. Their method of creating a product that only works with certain hardware and (correct me if I am wrong) hardware that only works with certain software indicates that they are at least attempting to create such industry wide vendor lock-in. If all compebreastors have to be pro-tools compatible then it is a likely conclusion that there is lock-in that some are attempting to break through.

Hope that answers your question.