While reading Nikolai Bezroukov’s comparison of Linux and Solaris, I came across this part:
“Microsoft indirectly subsidized all Unixes on Intel as the de-facto owner of PC standard: hardware that any Intel based Unix is running on is created by OEMs using the standards that Microsoft license for free to all PC manufactures and the cost of this hardware is mainly determined by the the size of the market created by Microsoft OSes. Plug and play hardware specification is a nice example here. Whether we like Microsoft or not, the simplest and reasonably precise definition of PC always was Microsoft compatible computer.”
I think I must agree with Nikolai… It’s thanks to Microsoft that PCs are now so inexpensive and, at the same time, so powerful.
As from now, each time I boot my PC (I’m using Kubuntu Linux), I’ll spend 1 second thinking of Bill Gates… ;-)
One second is not enough. You should stick a portrait of him on the CPU and chant his name along with some holy mantra each time the machine boots and shuts down. :)
This is a nice idea… Let’s try to create a nice holy “mantra” for Bill Gates. I start:
“Bill Gates…
I don’t like you,
Nor your software,
Even though XP is ok.
But we, Linux guys,
have to thank you
for the nice & cheap PCs
that we use to run Linux
and all the BSDs out there
that will, one day,
rule your world”
Amen!
Linux ruling the world one day?
I hope not. It’s all down to how subjective one’s thoughts are regarding which OS he prefers or not. Linux is not for everyone, neither is Windows.
I mentionned Linux PLUS all the BSDs out there (FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Mac OS X etc)…
According to some very well-known people (like Paul Graham for instance – refer to my post on Situated Software), Microsoft is doomed.
Apple is already recognising that Microsoft is a real behemoth. Why would it have allowed its Mac products to run certain Windows OS?
I personally thank Bill Gates (and the others) for his innovative ideas. Yeah, he’s a rich and smart guy with an above-avg IQ. Who would’nt want to be like him? There are people who envy him and many others who hate him like yourself… for whatever reasons.
Do you really think Apple was not aware (since 15-20 years) that “Microsoft is a real behemoth”???
That’s exactly the reason I don’t like Bill : most of his ideas come from the others ;-)
Microsoft doomed??? Come on Mr Meetoo, face the “sad” truth and stop referring to “according to some comments” by unknown people! Microsoft rules and will rule, and Windows is a class above both Linux and the absolutely overrated Mac OS crapp. And forget about Windows, there is absolutely no Apple or Ubuntu or any other open source thing that can rival the remarkable Visual Studio 2005/8, SQL Server 2005, Halo 3, Windows Server 2003/2008, .NET 2/3/4…etc. We live in a Windows world. You are a CS/IT guy, but the billions non-IT/CS people do not give a f*** about the still “unusable” Linuxes.
I stopped reading at:
Wa ha ha ha ha ha!!!
Thanks MS for the cheap PC , but I rather say : thanks MS for cheap PC hardware and good software on Linux :P