XPost: comp.os.linux.advocacy, comp.os.os2.advocacy   
   From: ajbrehm@gmail.com   
      
   Linønut <=?iso-8859-1?Q?lin=F8nut?=@bone.com> wrote:   
      
   > Andrew J. Brehm poked his little head through the XP firewall and said:   
   >   
   > >> No marketing, impossible to get OEM deals due to Microsoft's illegal   
   > >> business practices, etc.   
   > >   
   > > Do you know anybody who tries to buy a computer without Windows and   
   > > can't?   
   >   
   > That's not the point.   
      
   I believe it is the point. Most people want a Windows computer and can   
   buy it. Those who don't want a Windows computer can buy a computer   
   without Windows. Whether the supply of Windows computers is greater than   
   the splly of non-Windows computers doesn't matter, as the supply matches   
   the demand.   
      
   If there is demand for non-Windows computer, there will be a supply of   
   such.   
      
   > A technical user, whether it be of souped-up cars   
   > or souped-up computers, can always find a path to what he/she wants in a   
   > niche market.  The average user, even if they know of the niche market,   
   > do not have the savvy or the desire to work out how to use the   
   > niche market to their advantage.   
      
   The average user isn't looking for an incompatible computer. The average   
   computer needs a random computer to be compatible with the largest   
   selection of other random computers.   
      
   > The point is that Microsoft has forced all other OS vendors into the   
   > niche market.   
      
   The customers have forced all other OS vendors into the niche market.   
   Operating systems rely on the network effect to become most valuable.   
   More than one standard is simply not efficient and will be rejected by   
   most customers.   
      
   Most customers do not want a non-standard PC.   
      
   > That way, they can provide the default solution with   
   > absolutely no competition.   
      
   That is in the interest of the average customer. In contrast to what the   
   techical people think, most people are not interested in figuring out   
   what software to buy and comparing operating systems. For the there is   
   hardware and software, and the first is required to use the second. They   
   do not want (or need) more than one hardware platform or more than one   
   software platform.   
      
   The ideal solution would be commodity operating systems, with several   
   vedors implementing the same compatibility standard. Unix and Linux do   
   that, but customers rejected the standard and bought DOS and then   
   Windows instead.   
      
   > And the current U.S. administration told the D.O.J., "Hands off".   
      
   And I suppose that is wrong because you disagree with the decision?   
      
      
   --   
   Andrew J. Brehm   
   Marx Brothers Fan   
   PowerPC/Macintosh User   
   Supporter of Chicken Sandwiches   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)