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  • From: <mdthomas AT mindspring.com>
  • To: InterNetWorkers <internetworkers AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Liar Liar Pants on Fire!!!!
  • Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 15:28:43 -0500



geschwin AT email.unc.edu wrote:

>however I have my doubts as to whether Mr. Sixpack or Ms.
>Soccermom would have any idea what to do with it.

Josep wrote a great article on this very subject for newsforge:

http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=02/03/07/1545228

I think that Linux has a good shot at the low-end terrority
that Oracle was shooting for with its Network Computer initiative
of the late '90s. Linux is a hard sell in the traditional desktop
PC market, but one of the dynamics of that market is that 'low
end' is at least a full MS Office install. There are certainly
people out there that really just need email and a web browser.
Often, things like Turbo Tax can even be used via an ASP model with
a very lightweight client machine. (Application Service Provider,
not Active Server Pages.)

However, if the volume PC dealers are prevented from exploring
such a market in order to preserve their traditional PC market
(b/c they don't want to upset MS) then anyone (including schools)
that can benefit from the Network Computer market (and its
lower price point) suffer, and in my opinion they suffer
in a manner consistent with the legal definition of an illegal
monopoly.

>I'm sure Dell is aware of this and thus would rather sell
>Windows on their machines to consumers, in order to spare
>themselves of all the hassles of consumers calling them for
>tech support and returning those machines that they don't
>know how to use.

This is an excellent argument that supports the Law of Increasing
Returns. I.e., dominant technologies make many things easier
up and down the supply chain. VHS vs. Beta is the classic
example of this -- it is easier for the VCR consumers, rental
shops, VCR retailers, etc. to have one dominant standard.

However, VHS isn't a proprietary standard and there isn't anyone
preventing other related standards from emerging (e.g., mpg, etc.)
b/c it may threaten VHS dominance. I.e., the benefits the consumer
enjoys b/c of VHS dominance aren't undermined as video evolves for PCs,
handhelds, etc. However, an attempt to keep evolution from
happening and to somehow force VHS on PCs, handhelds, etc. as part
of the business relationship management in the supply chains would
be deterimental to the consumer.






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