Hey, I'm just wondering, does any of you have any idea of the uniqueness of OS compared to other software?
OS is far far more than a software. It's a platform. It provides API used to write all kinds of applications.
MS, due to certain strange history coincidence, seized the dominant share of popular OS. MS Windows is target at average users. Over the years, more and more people begin to use PCs, thus, begin to use Windows. More and more software companies are developing products based on Windows API thus Windows dependant. Then, here comes a cycle. More apps available for Windows, more users are driven to Windows and thus more and more apps.
So, it's not that simple that you just write a better OS or killer OS. There are already! Linux is great. So is Solaris 8 (haven't tried Solaris 9). It's the fact that the OS game is nearly mutual exclusion!! OK, get it?? It's a different game!! Once you dominate the game, it's so hard for you be driven away!!
So, just don't be so foolish to say that Windows is best because there is no better OS or killer OS. That's stupid!!
Linux is popular. Why?
1. Linux is targeted at PC and personal use.
2. There are a incredibly large number of developers out there writing a incredibly large number of apps of a incredibly large number of kinds. Just take a look at
www.sourceforge.net and you should find some clues.
3. Linux is open. It can't be easier for you to write apps using its API or system calls. And, you can even be involved in the improvement of it!!
So, that's why Linux is threatening Windows.
Once you entered the enterprise domain, say, you got a job at Sun, you would see a completely different scene. You see Solaris, big, big servers with over 100 scsi harddiscs linked by optical cables, with 100G mems and over 100 CPUs. You see no trace of MS. They just can't play in this different game.
So, don't feel that we are hating MS because we are envying MS for the fact that we just can't be as good as MS. Nope! MS is disgusting simply because it's bringing darkness and unfairness to the popular OS game. That's its fault.
BTW, why is Java so popular?? One of the main reason is that Java is OS-independant!! So, you can see how enthusiastically people are reacting to lifting limits emposed by one OS.
We need more openness and co-operation to make our world better. We should unite instead of depending solely on one particular entity.
