So, Sun is giving away Solaris..
That's cool.
It really feels like MS is floundering. They just haven't found an acceptable model, even if they have done a good job of pimping an unacceptable model for over a decade. I reckon they're going to lose developers en mass eventually. They tried a few things to lock in developers, like passport and gotdotnet, .NET was good, but then again, it's just Java ;) and along came Mono. Projects like nant, nunit, and subversion really helped to open my eyes to the benefits of open source, and even hone my understanding (and wonder) at the basic, albeit somewhat clunky wonders of SMTP, HTTP and other internet standards. I'm sure this counts even doubly so for many other 'vb programmers'. Improvements in networking (i.e. 1.5 Mbps DSL, not a 56Kbps modem) and improvements in package management and distribution of Linux and even general improvements in public collaboration infrastructure (i.e. blogs, search engines, web forums, etc. ) have gone a long way to making the platform readily accessible to more people. I think some people inside MS have been doing some great things for that company over the past 5 years, but the reality is that MS is just as likely to return to its old ways (bambi one minute, godzilla the next, etc.) and it seems they can't do *anything* without tainting it with just a little bit of their totalitarian corporate stench.
I guess we have to thank them though.. for teaching us Java that is.. ;)
...wait, did I just use Sun releasing Solaris as an excuse to make rash comments about MS..? Oh well.. :P
( I don't care much for Sun either, mind you.. :| )
...besides, KDE is way cooler than windows. ( Particularly given that I don't run the face-lift known as WinXP because of that big brother registration crap they put in it that reports to them every time I install it )
...oh.
Anyway, one day the software will write itself, and on that day I can finally move to Thailand and learn Kung-fu.
I can never help but wonder what the MS, IBM or Sun research departments have up their sleeves though. They must have inhumane amounts of data about all of us. Where is cyberdyne? Is google it?
Haha! I like this post. :)
But really, don't you think Sun giving away Solaris is much more indicative of Sun floundering rather than MS floundering?
I mean, isn't it really just a last-ditch attempt to get people to run their OS, i.e. "If I just *give* you my software will you run it?? Pretty please!??!" It reeks of desperation, don't you think?
Yep.
My thinking was kind of along the lines that "proprietary platforms" aren't a viable software model.
So, Sun fails, MS fails... whatever. The 'model' fails. Everyone needs to think about how they license their OS / Platform..
We have an international collaboration system the likes of which the world has never seen before, it might get ugly, but I don't see how 'proprietary' can win in the long term..