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No it'd be more like "if Windows was a good enough OS, people would go to efforts to install it on computers that aren't made for it" (Bootcamp?). But either w

by anjc 9y ago

No it'd be more like "if Windows was a good enough OS, people would go to efforts to install it on computers that aren't made for it" (Bootcamp?). But either way, neither OSX or Windows are "differentiators". Attributes might differentiate the products in a theoretical sense, for example branding, pricing, licensing, support, ease of use, but there's effectively only 3 widely used operating systems so it's senseless to talk about differentiation as a concept. With that low level of competition you're just talking about 'different'. Redhat is an example of an OS that you could call 'differentiated' due to their business model and niche usage.

valuearb 9y ago
If you don't understand how massively differentiated operating systems are in terms of features, you simply don't understand the concept of differentiation. For example, the number of applications an OS can run is an incredibly important and valuable feature. How well it runs those applications is also an important and valuable feature. There is a reason why Excel users usually pick Windows, and Photoshop users often pick MacOS. So Redhat. How well does it run Excel and Photoshop?
- anjc 9y ago
  How exactly did Apple and Microsoft create a product which they knew ahead of time would attract specific software developers? Or are you suggesting that third party suppliers turned Microsoft/Apple's offerings into differentiated products over time? And Redhat, one of the main software offerings of a 2 billion dollar public company, can't run the software that 98% of computers can, but they aren't an example of differentiation? It sounds like you don't understand differentiation and are using the term literally, as if it just means 'different'.
  - valuearb 9y ago
    Apple's developer program for the Mac started pretty much at launch. They gave out free software, documentation, and equipment to some, and substantial discounts to others. They recruited MSFT from the start. MSFT's developer arm has always been central to providing tools and support to developers wanting to build applications for it's operating systems. You don't think both companies realized that an operating system with many available applications was far more valuable than one without?

by anjc 9y ago

valuearb 9y ago

If you don't understand how massively differentiated operating systems are in terms of features, you simply don't understand the concept of differentiation. For example, the number of applications an OS can run is an incredibly important and valuable feature. How well it runs those applications is also an important and valuable feature. There is a reason why Excel users usually pick Windows, and Photoshop users often pick MacOS. So Redhat. How well does it run Excel and Photoshop?

anjc 9y ago
How exactly did Apple and Microsoft create a product which they knew ahead of time would attract specific software developers? Or are you suggesting that third party suppliers turned Microsoft/Apple's offerings into differentiated products over time? And Redhat, one of the main software offerings of a 2 billion dollar public company, can't run the software that 98% of computers can, but they aren't an example of differentiation? It sounds like you don't understand differentiation and are using the term literally, as if it just means 'different'.
- valuearb 9y ago
  Apple's developer program for the Mac started pretty much at launch. They gave out free software, documentation, and equipment to some, and substantial discounts to others. They recruited MSFT from the start. MSFT's developer arm has always been central to providing tools and support to developers wanting to build applications for it's operating systems. You don't think both companies realized that an operating system with many available applications was far more valuable than one without?