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Most of these jobs and companies would still exist without Microsoft. They would just be using and/or building around someone else's software and/or platform.
by rbranson 16y ago
Most of these jobs and companies would still exist without Microsoft. They would just be using and/or building around someone else's software and/or platform.
- prodigal_erik 16y agoI have to wonder how this compares to what many other companies would have made, had Microsoft not cut off their air supply.
- cturner 16y agoWhatever it was, I expect it would have been unix underneath.
- rbanffy 16y agoOr something more modern, like Plan 9. Let's not forget Unix is, however versatile, an old OS. I would prefer a very diverse ecosystem, with many competing OSs and architectures. Right now, it seems even more viable, with the popularity of web applications. It's quite shameful we are still managing disks, files and programs...
- rudiger 16y agoNot necessarily. I say this because Microsoft and their ecosystem are exceedingly good at making money from selling software. If Microsoft didn't exist, the ecosystem might be built around many more fragmented platforms. They make $8.70 for every $1 that Microsoft makes; they might be making $100 dollars for every $1 in some parallel universe, and still making far less money (because their platforms will be making far less than Microsoft does in ours). And maybe people in that parallel universe don't pay for software; they only pay for support ;)
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- rbanffy 16y agoOTOH, paying less for software would allow that parallel universe to be even more efficient in their use of computers than we are on ours, spending less money and getting more done with it. Plus, by not having "Wintel" they would be less constrained to innovate in hardware and software.