Re: Comments on Microsoft Open Source document

Andrej Presern (andrejp@luz.fe.uni-lj.si)
Mon, 9 Nov 1998 01:03:28 +0100


On Thu, 05 Nov 1998, ralf@uni-koblenz.de wrote:
>On Wed, Nov 04, 1998 at 04:04:58PM -0300, Horst von Brand wrote:
>
>> Anyway, much more disturbing is the idea of "extending" the "too simple"
>> IETF protocols, and hinting at adding enough complexity and options that
>> "others" will have a hard time selecting what to implement first, and how.
>> If you look at the backwaters of the 'net (like around here), things don't
>> work so great because sysadmins of even larger corporations and mayor ISPs
>> around here don't get the basics straight... now think about what will
>> happen if the "wounderfully extended" protocols become the norm. the IETF
>> has an interesting enough life as is getting the "too simple" protocols to
>> work sanely, hardware/software providers and sysadmins have a hard time
>> understanding, implementing and exploiting the "too simple" stuff today.
>> I.e., imagine MS-mess but on Internet scale, not just desktop-scale. If you
>> can.
>>
>> Scary. Real scary. Halloween stuff, definitely.
>
>Makes me think of writing application proxies that trash any attempt to
>use M$ proprietary extensions.

Well, stating its intentions in a document such as the above seems like enough
of an evidence to prove Microsoft's possible monopolisation attempts in the
future (and explain those in the past). As far as the document can be read, it
seems like a 'probe' to see how the world will react to such outrageous
arrogance and evaluate possible action in the outlined directions. [*]

Protocols can be viewed as languages computers worldwide use to communicate.
One who controls languages, controls the information and the communicating
parties. Changing international protocols with intent to monopolize them
('because they are too simple'???) could be seen as not only an attempt to
bring down one (and all) economic competitor(s) but to bring down the whole
world!

Is this whole planet going completely insane or is somebody finaly going to
put a stop to Microsoft completely?

Andrej

[*] As far as I can tell, the reaction so far has been something along the
lines of seeing a banana peel on the pavement and thinking 'shit, I'm going to
fall again - better prepare my medic'..

--
Andrej Presern, andrejp@luz.fe.uni-lj.si p@luz.fe.uni-lj.si

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