Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/10/04

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Subject: Re: [Leica] OT: software, engineering, and microsoft
From: Adam Bridge <abridge@mac.com>
Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2003 16:50:46 -0700

On 2003-10-04 psu@kvdpsu.org (Pete Su) thoughtfully wrote: 

>Whatever else you say about Microsoft, the fact that they were able to 
>literally turn on a dime and decide to dominate the internet browser 
>was one of the most impressive feats of ruthless management that I've 
>witnessed. As someone who has worked in software for a decade, I can 
>tell you that it is decidedly not easy to do something like that.

I'd be more impressed if Microsoft had actually DONE that.

What Microsoft did is to go outside the company and purchase an existing product
and make it their own. They then began to internalize the browser, making it
inseperable from the OS to all intents and purposes, and began to "extend" the
standards to lock in their market.

So Microsoft did nothing great - beyond applying their immense amount of cash
into purchasing a solution and applying their own monopoly to its best
advantage. All the inventiveness originated outside Microsoft - because it's the
small software company that can be inventive and respond quickly to the market.

Under no circumstances should you see Microsoft as an innovator in any area
other than ferocious defense of its monopoly.

Adam
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Replies: Reply from Clive Moss <chmphoto@sbcglobal.net> (Re: [Leica] OT: software, engineering, and microsoft)