“Frankenstein and his creation come to mind when I contemplate
developers’ reactions to Judge Jackson’s findings of fact in the
Microsoft-DOJ antitrust case. Having found Microsoft to be a
monopoly (a kind of monster), the mob has been quick to loudly
indict: Tear it to pieces! Restrain it permanently! Confine it!
Destroy it!”
“So Microsoft is a monster. What does one do with a monster?
What is the reasonable response? How should the company itself view
its actions? What is the role of the development community? What
does the whole issue seem to predict for the future? Obviously,
such questions can’t even be considered from the perspective of an
angry, frightened mob….”
“One thing is certain: We shouldn’t be scared of monsters
anymore. If you’re still concerned about Microsoft’s power,
there are things you can do. For your next project, why not base
your choice of development environment on merits, rather than on
market share? Why not get hold of a Linux distribution and learn to
use it? How about learning to program on it? How about supporting
more portable and open programming languages like Python, Perl, and
Java? How about choosing something different from Windows to
run the gadget you’re giving yourself for Christmas? As we often
tell kids, just ignore the monster and it will go away.”