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From: Richard Riehle <richard@adaworks.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Future with Ada
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 17:47:13 -0800
Organization: AdaWorks Software Engineering
Message-ID: <3C16B720.AB523493@adaworks.com>
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Date: 2001-12-12T01:55:34+00:00
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Marin David Condic wrote:

> The problem is that Micro$oft uses "MS-Word-Compatibility" to kill their
> competition. As soon as you can suck up an MS-Word file and spit one out,
> they go and change the format and you're forever playing catch-up. Not a
> good thing.

This is the very business practice that will ultimately doom the Microsoft
product line.  We are entering a new era of software in which interoperability
is going to become more and more important.  I believe the entire XP
business plan is going to backfire on MS and users are going to be looking
for alternatives.   The XP model for doing business has turned the consumer
into the enemy, treats customers as if they are criminals, and accrues no
benefit to anyone  who chooses to adopt it.

Someone, not necessarily in the world of Ada, should be able to attack this
vulnerability with sensible, user-friendly, interoperable,  and affordable
software that demonstrates how software ought to be rather than how MS
dictates it to be.

There is a real business opportunity for someone here.

Richard Riehle