FreeRange

A Sudden Appetite for Web Based Computers

The carriers subsidizing computers is the death knell of the industry. The carriers are the commodity service but under this scenario they dictate the market, just like they have in the cell phone industry - suppressing innovation, prohibiting features and services on devices that conflict with their own objectives, ruining the market and driving out profits for the manufacturers - let the consumer be damned pushing the manufacturers to squeeze costs, hold back innovations and accept minimal returns. The computer industry should resist this trend - it is the rush to the bottom that offers no way out from unprofitability, or minimum profits at best. They will lose control of their own destiny. This practice should be illegal. Let the carriers discount THEIR services when you sign up for wireless broadband with your computer instead. That makes much more sense, and is the right business model for the PC manufactures. Otherwise, what is the cost of a new computer? FREE with two years of service. A free product has no value! And the brand is destroyed.

Will IBM Use Sun to Counter Client Computing Competitors?

IBM is already heavily into open source software, and in fact is one of the key market leaders in the space, both in offerings, as well as in their consulting practice so it won't hurt their products at all, just compliment... also, there is plenty of competition in the server market so this should not be a major anti-trust issue although it will certainly come up.


On Mar 18 12:52 PM MichaelAK wrote:

> What is not being addressed is the anit-trust issues to such an acquisition.
> Sun and IBM (previous anit-trust issues) might peak the interest
> of the new admin DOJ to review along with EU. Given the potential
> lose of jobs not sure if the new admin would force IBM to make some
> concessions or block the acq. Especially, given the size of IBM growing
> software presence.
>
> The bankers love the acq but seldom do the synenergies emerge, especially
> in technology. Guess would be interesting if Cisco would jump in
> to help with their new server initiative. Also how much talent (of
> what is left at SUN) will leave.
>
> Also how does opensource fit into IBM when that could hurt their
> own DB2, IFMX, Lotus, etc.
>

IBM Drops Two Bombs on Microsoft

You need to remember that Microsoft has been at office a lot longer than OpenOffice and the Linux marketplace. Open source will catch up - they have already come a very long way. The advances in the world in forcing open standards for documents will help continue to drive this trend.


On Dec 05 05:10 AM Nikola wrote:

> I run a virtual Linux dekstop. It has just as many problems as Windows.
> It's not faster or more stable.
>
> Face it: Linux is a better server platform, because it's modular
> and can be configured without the bells and whistles to churn our
> web pages very efficiently. You can't really do that with a Windows
> server. With Windows Server you still carry huge bulk on your back,
> and you can't take it off. Alas, your server performance suffers.
> Windows Server is convenient for some applications where you have
> a few users and a complex application, but otherwise, Linux will
> perform better.
>
> But desktop is a different beast.
>
> IBM's attempt will do no better than OpenOffice. OpenOffice is used
> by anarchist geeks the world over. However, the sales/marketing
> types, who produce many more Office documents and control software
> purchasing budgets will always go for the market leader.
>
> As one of our sales people put it: "You mean someone at Procter &
> Gamble may not be able to open my quotation/presentation because
> I created it in OpenOffice and they use Microsoft?"
>