Re: [ANNOUNCE] XML/Ada 0.5 released

["Marin David Condic" <marin.condic.auntie.spam@pacemicro.com>]

I read the article that Ted pointed to and I have to agree - they sound like
whining crybabies. "We can't compete against someone who is giving their
stuff away for free, so its not fair!!! They should stop!!!" (If its such a
lousy business model, then why would they be so worried? Just wait for the
business model to implode, like the dotcoms they site as examples. Maybe its
not such a lousy business model after all? Otherwise why would Micro$oft be
out trying to share their source code now?)

While there are potential problems with Open Source Software (divergence,
infection & the potential for abuses) it is hard to imagine that reasonably
intelligent people are suddenly going to jump on the Micro$oft Shared Source
stuff if it is more restrictive. Semi-sane developers will ask "What's in it
for me?" If I can work with OSS stuff at no cost to me with the possible
risk of GPL infection, is there some reason I want to start paying Micro$oft
money for access to *their* source? Or at least risking that by using
Micro$oft's source I am exposing myself to a predatory giant with a history
of eating its "partners"? Gee! I think I'll take my chances with some
version of the GPL!

Its a little like the Internet itself. The government built it with an eye
towards making something that couldn't be stopped by nuclear war. Now they
discover that they can't stop it with legislation. (Duh!) Now this Linux
thing is out there unleashed on the world of PC developers and users, and
Windoze is finding it hard to compete & they have now way of stopping it.
(boohoohoo!!! I weep for Micro$oft!) If Windows hadn't been so "proprietary"
it might have avoided this sort of competitor.

MDC
--
Marin David Condic
Senior Software Engineer
Pace Micro Technology Americas    www.pacemicro.com
Enabling the digital revolution
e-Mail:    marin.condic@pacemicro.com
Web:      http://www.mcondic.com/

"Preben Randhol" <randhol+abuse@pvv.org> wrote in message
news:slrn9fdgsv.946.randhol+abuse@kiuk0156.chembio.ntnu.no...
> Yes it does. The only reason why Linux isn't already bought and devoured
> by Microsoft, is that it isn't something you can buy. It is unattainable
> so they are now sucking their thumb and crying : "Mammy, Mammy! I don't
> like GPL. It is nice as I won't get so much money for my crappy software
> anymore! It forces me to make something that works!" It isn't for
> nothing that Sun bought and released the source code of Star Office.
>
> What they want is to get an alternative to M$ Office, because if they do
> get that then people can start uninstalling Windows and install other
> OSes.  Now "everybody" needs to have Windows because they get
> documents in Word or Powerpoint format.  It isn't for nothing either
> that Micro$oft won't use an open file format for Word, Excel,
> Powerpoint etc.., nor make a port to Linux and other Unices...
>