Headline - Linux misses Windows of opportunity

[ryanag at zoominternet.net (Ryan)]

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 16:58:42 -0500
Mike McCarty <mike.mccarty@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I'd prefer that Linux flourish and not die just because
> MS is willing to do more of what is necessary to make life easier on
> customers than some other organization which supports Linux is
> willing to do.

Its apples and oranges. MS can afford to do whatever their customers
want since Windows, Office, and all their other software is *theirs*
(or licensed for their use).

Given enough financial incentive (a big enough customer base
requesting feature x) MS can do whatever they want with their code to
sell feature x to more customers.

Red Hat doesn't *own* Linux. While they can aid in development, and
help point it in a certain direction, there are numerous things about
Linux they have no control over and never will.


>So...
>certainly RH is operating at a disadvantage with respect to MS.
....
>But RH was accepting money and being paid to do something about
>it.

So long as they provide good service for a certain (high) % of their
customers, they will do fine. A certain % will walk away unsatisfied. I
think Red Hat does great given their challenges.