[ Thanks to bdearing for
this link. ]
“…What about Linux? Some hail open-source software
development as the answer. But I have some doubts about that. It’s
essentially software by committee, and there’s no incentive for
participants to react quickly to changing market demands. The Linux
open-source movement seems to be something of a contradiction, but
“react quickly” is still the operative phrase. I’m hopeful the
Linux community can create a truly Windows-competitive desktop OS.
It has made some strides but isn’t there yet. We’ll have to wait
and see.First and foremost, PCs aren’t dead. Not even close. Whether a
computer slips into your pants pocket, slides into your briefcase,
or sprawls across your desktop — it’s still a personal computer.
The notion that every PC user has a single boxy computer affixed to
a desktop may be a trend on the wane, but I wouldn’t bet the farm
on that. The steep decline in sales over the last year doesn’t
signify the end of the PC era; it signals that the market leaders
have become fat and complacent. They’ve forgotten how to focus and
innovate. Don’t get sucked into a negative mindset.The market drives technology, but it can’t take the industry
there on its own. The leading companies must divine the proper
direction. Microsoft, Intel, and other industry players have in the
past proved themselves perfectly capable of that kind of thinking
and action. But Microsoft nearly missed the Internet revolution,
and it apparently believed itself immune on antitrust issues. Don’t
get lulled into a false sense of negativity. Personal computing
opportunities have never been more prevalent — especially for any
company that has vision. None other than Apple’s longtime
evangelist Guy Kawasaki agrees.”