Microsoft has a modus-operandi that is detrimental
to the open nature of the Internet (and all computing, as well). They insist that everything
be done their way, and refuse to accept well-established and well-designed
standards. Then they re-invent "standards" that are not only private to Microsoft, the standards they invent are weak, myopic, and are made to benefit Windows as much as possible and all other platforms as little as
possible. Their goal is to own the Internet by slowly prying it away from Unix, Macintosh, etc.
Microsoft's Idea of Standards
Microsoft also changes their
"standards" whenever they fell like it and everyone dependent on the standard gets dragged kicking and screaming whether
they like it or not. They change these standards because it allows them to force you to upgrade and pay them more money. It also makes it very hard for competitors to keep up, because they will always be one step behind
Microsoft. Do you want to be one of those competitors that gets pushed out of a market because despite your quality work, Microsoft wanted it for
itself?
Consider this Scenario
You work at the Widget Company. Microsoft
starts bundling their nonstandard Web browser with the next version of Officeand raise the price of Office by $30 to pay offset this. Since many companies are already stuck into buying and upgrading Microsoft Office whether they like it or not, they get this browser with the next version of Office. Well,
management at the Widget Company says, "Why buy a Netscape of Mosaic browser when we get this Microsoft browser free?" At the same time, the Widget Company
decides to make an internal Web site ("Intranet") for company personnel to look up company information. The HTML designers of the Widget Company realize
that the internal users are all stuck on the Microsoft Web browser, and so they design the internal Web site using Microsoft proprietary HTML extensions.
Then the Widget Company decides to make an external Web interface to the public. The designers are all caught up in Microsoft-specific HTML and design their
Web interface with Microsoft-proprietary designs. Then users who visit their
site are forced into using Windows-specific, Microsoft-specific Web browsers.
You don't want this to happen, do you?!
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Paul Pedriana paulp@ccnet.com