Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Michael S Czeiszperger <czei AT webperformanceinc.com>]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

On Friday 07 September 2001 02:13 pm, you wrote:
> Encouraged or discouraged, isn't that speculation and a bit
> irrelevant?  

To answer the first question, no, it isn't speculation. Java is designed to 
be cross platform, and the documentation plainly discourages using calls to 
native code. On the Microsoft side, the evidence entered into the antitrust 
case shows that the MS management views cross platform code as a threat to 
their monopoly, and directed the troops to change the development tools so 
that platform specific calls would be inserted into code without the 
programmer's knowledge.

The question of relevancy comes into play when looking at intent and public 
posturing with regards to standards. Its sometimes easy to equate something 
being a standard with being cross platform, which isn't the case with C#.

>       I would think that it would hard to cost justify spending
> additional hours developing something cross-platform if it will
> demonstrably save time and effort by utilizing a feature particular to
> the intended environment. [ ...]
>       It is an unfortunate scene that I am regularly faced with as
> anti-MS'ers proselytize the perils of using anything MS as a religious
> endeavor, rather than exercise a technology-agnostic approach and
> determine the best tool/platform for the job based on ROI and speed to
> market.

I agree with you. At a project management level the best technology should 
win out. At this level I believe non-Microsoft technologies have an advantage 
in many, but certainly not all situations, and there's no time to go into 
details. Suffice it to say that I acknowledge that in some areas MS has an 
advantage.

At a corporate level, you have to ask yourself do you really want to partner 
with a company that wants to put a free version of your software on every 
desktop in the world? This includes my own company, which competes directly 
with three different free Microsoft products. There's also the question of 
the wisdom on relying on a sole source for a critical piece of technology. 

Its an unfortunate thing that anyone who would insist that a company 
convicted of violating antitrust laws should be punished is "proselytizing" 
rather than simply being interested in justice and fair competition.

- -- 
Michael S Czeiszperger
czei AT webperformanceinc.com

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: PGP 6.5.8

iQA/AwUBO5kUSVgOl/a4Fw2AEQLh1wCg0VBZis2yRYkLhrcEA21cDYRY2h0An1ZK
dlzBgJ6H1oZBq9j7/M09Jk7z
=JyOV
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----