3 ms·

Cheaper servers = companies buy more servers = more Windows Server / MSSQL / sharepoint licenses.

• arethuza 13y ago
  Joel Spolsky wrote a good article on this approach: "Smart companies try to commoditize their products' complements." http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/StrategyLetterV.html http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/StrategyLetterV.html [NB Yes it's from 2002 but the basic rules of the game stay pretty constant]
  • raving-richard 13y ago
    Yes. Software company works to commoditize hardware, news at 11. (This has been MS's strategy since MS DOS days, as outlined in Spolsky's piece.)
    • rbanffy 13y ago
      Actually, it can be traced back to the Microsoft SoftCard. They made compilers and interpreters for CP/M, but they'd have to port them to run on Apple II's, which would be an enormous undertaking. Instead, they sold a Z-80 coprocessor for Apple II computers that allowed Apple IIs to run CP/M and, therefore, to run Microsoft software. They tried that too with MSX, which made the front-page a couple days back. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7367544 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7367544