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On Thu, 19 Apr 2007, Robert Kriegel wrote: > The core principle of Goggle's success, and the part that worries Microsoft > and should concern us [for different reasons] is search. For us, the picture obviously has certain ramifications beyond just the AUP, EULA, and various other legal and security issues. I won't discuss those. As far as Microsoft goes. It goes WELL beyond search. The Sun Java lawsuit settlement now means Microsoft =cannot= change the Java API to break standards and make their product a one-way interoperable like they have used to defeat every other competing technology in the past. You can go right down the list of protocols. Google is leveraging that API with their docs suite and it is platform agnostic. Other companies, like Ford, are using java extensively as middle-ware especially for their database applications. They got burned hard by the big Microsoft push in the late 90's and don't want to get locked into an OS with proprietary middleware tied to a specific platform. They need to remain interoperable between their R&D and business divisions. Part of the suffering you have seen in the American Auto Industry is a direct result of the business decision to move to NT from Unix especially for their designers and R&D. It is merely one example of a BIG disconnect between the administration, IT, and users. It is far from the only example that I know of. Microsoft can really only do a couple of attacks against java. The first one was to change the Java so it wasn't compatible and discredit the technology. The result was the aforementioned Sun lawsuit, they lost. The next two ways they are going to try to attack is the web browser and data security. They have to lock you into their platform. ActiveX and their browser is how they decided to go. They are trying to discredit Firefox and other browsers via secuirty holes and whatever. The second way is data security and raise awareness to the security of data which is the big "current" push in CIO monthly. > Now, pardon me while I wave at the camera mounted on that roof top just > across the parking lot [just kidding]. Actually depending on the parking lot, there might be one.. I know there =were= cameras pointed out windows as webcam's from a couple of buildings when that was the cool geek thing to do back in the day. -------------------------------------- Sean O'Malley, Information Technologist Michigan State University -------------------------------------