Messages in this thread | | | Subject | Re: Comments on Microsoft Open Source document | Date | Wed, 04 Nov 1998 20:39:01 -0300 | From | Horst von Brand <> |
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Richard Gooch <rgooch@atnf.csiro.au> said: > Horst von Brand writes: > > Anyway, much more disturbing is the idea of "extending" the "too > > simple" IETF protocols, and hinting at adding enough complexity and > > options that "others" will have a hard time selecting what to > > implement first, and how. [...]
> > [...] I.e., imagine MS-mess but on Internet scale, not just > > desktop-scale. If you can.
> As you said, it's hard enough managing a network with simple and open > protocols. For M$ to keep OSS on the back foot, they would have to > constantly "upgrade" (read: change in some subtle and incompatible > way) their protocols. These upgrades would have to come at a faster > rate than the OSS community could cope with.
That's exactly what they do on the desktop: Office'97 files unreadable by Office'95 ring a bell? The stupid crud MSIE uses, so there are websites that you _can't_ see with other browsers? I fear it is not just theory, they _can_ (and _will_) use those tactics, and (given the overwhelming desktop position they have) they even might have a chance. Sure, they tried to assimilate the Internet, and failed (for now...).
> This is a two-edged sword. If M$ pushes a new protocol or "extension" > onto the Internet (or even into a corporate LAN/WAN), they will > *break* that network. It will break because it is simply not possible > to upgrade all components of a network at once, and older components > will not understand the new extensions. The result is that the new > servers will have to be put back the way they were.
Nope. The way is _force_ them forward. More $$$ for M$, as everybody upgrades the server to version 107 since 106sp15 has glaring security problems, but then the clients don't work, and... People _do_ complain loudly than old versions are broken, and that new ones are too. But buy anyway... delicate balance, that one: Broken enough so that people get fed up and upgrade, but not broken enough that people get fed up for good ;-) -- Dr. Horst H. von Brand mailto:vonbrand@inf.utfsm.cl Departamento de Informatica Fono: +56 32 654431 Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria +56 32 654239 Casilla 110-V, Valparaiso, Chile Fax: +56 32 797513
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