“Only the paranoiacs survive,” a phrase constantly repeated by Emperor Silicon 1st (1). In following this motto, the young emperor Gates launched numerous battles around the world: mobile telephones, game consoles … he managed to push back the frontiers of the empire to protect the heart of the system.
Programmers, lawyers, lobbies – Bill financed the best and didn’t pay attention to the cost. The very idea of taking on his armies discouraged even the noblest of us. Surrender or die; for many, rage turned into allegiance.
But today Rome is under siege. Barbarians are at the gate: viral attacks, browser wars, desktop wars. Will we see the fall of the empire?
The coronation of Firefox
Today Firefox is coming out in Version 1.0. It’s a success on all accounts: technical, ergonomical, marketing (2). It’s to my knowledge one of the rare open-source software programs intended for end users that is polished. In addition to being an excellent product, the trademark strategy is well thought-out and the communication a success (3).
Once adopted, we won’t be able to live without it. The progressive replacement of Internet Explorer is foreseeable. Its deployment is taking place in a “viral” way, like Kazaa or Skype.
This time, Microsoft can’t make bankrupt or buy out its adversary because we can all consider ourselves owners of FireFox.
Internet Explorer, a free product, didn’t have another reason for being other than to link the usage of the Internet to Windows. With the replacement of Explorer, an essential player in the defense of Microsoft will disappear.
The Google empire
We must remember that Windows office is a graphic metaphor for the hard drive. Up until now, it’s the main tool that allows access to personal information.
Recently, the “Google desktop” allows access to local data (4) without quitting your browser. This name isn’t innocent. It represents an alternative to “Microsoft Desktop”: the objective of Google is to become a unique interface to global (on the Internet) or local (personal) information.
Even if this product has several concealed weaknesses, it’s nonetheless proof that we can live (almost entirely) without Windows Office.
Netscape was right
Finally, the prophecy of Netscape’s CEO (5) has become reality: “the web browser is the new desktop” (6).
In one day, I pass much more time in front of my Internet browser than Windows office:
- I pull up my e-mail on Yahoo
- I consult blogs and newspapers on line
- I use Google to find information (on the net)
Conclusion
Windows essentially offers 4 things:
- a trademark and a standard recognized world-wide, which assures the consumer
- a system of accessing and managing information
- a (graphic) API that allows programmers to think up other software
- an entire system of drivers that allows communication with different peripheral devices (printers, graphic cards, …)
On the first two points, Google, Firefox (and Yahoo) offer credible alternatives.
An API will begin, because in addition to being a very good browser, Firefox offers an API completely independent from Windows, allowing the programmer to conceive of high-level applications.
The hardware war is on its way, because the new material standards will be decided in China. The next appearance of Asialinux, perhaps a product of the beautiful battles to come …
I haven’t seen the end of the film, but it seems as though the nice guys will win in the end …
(1) Famous phrase of Andy Groove, PDG of Intel
(2) the principle weaknesses of open source software concerns ergonomy and trademark management
(3) Tristan Nitot and many others are participating in this success.
(4) We have a diminishing need for the hard drive: we stock more and more data on the Net and USB keys, which are becoming the hard disk of nomads
(5) Firefox is the “little brother of Netscape.” Netscape becoming Mozilla gave birth to Firefox.
(6) Famous phrase attributed to Jim Clark, CEO of Netscape: “The web browser is the new desktop”
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