” ‘Beating on your chest and saying, ‘We are taking on
Microsoft’ is one sure way to get their attention,’ said David
Smith, an analyst with the Gartner Group. ‘No one who has done that
has survived.’ “
“[Borland founder Phillippe] Kahn’s experience with the software
giant may yield some clues to what AOL can expect of its enemy. His
plight shows how Microsoft’s perseverance can spell disaster for
its competitors even when it’s far behind–or completely
absent–from a particular technological market.”
“Microsoft beat Borland by undercutting prices, bundling new
features into its products and by hiring away its key
executives. It is a pattern familiar to many other
companies past and present that were unlucky enough to
find themselves in Microsoft’s crosshairs, including Netscape
Communications, Stac Software, Novell, and Corel, as well as
Apple.”
“In retrospect, Kahn said Microsoft’s key weapon on both the
database and tools front was price. ‘The fundamental problem I had
at Borland was that I was trying to sell what Microsoft was giving
away,’ Kahn told CNET News.com.”