SCI/TECH: Internet Prodigy to Topple Microsoft?

Originally posted by Ambient Sound
Topple Microsoft? Yeah right...

Geez, why? The only reason the Internet and Personal Computing in general is even possible on the scale we have become accustomed to is because it's STANDARDIZED and Microsoft has almost singlehandedly done this.

Rubbish. Microsoft had nothing to do with the Internet, hell they even ignored it until late 1995, early 1996 when they suddenly woke up and realised it wasnt a fad that was going to go away. Standards made the internet, not MS. Standards set by independant bodies, such as the W3C (html, xhtml, css), ISO standards, RFCs. All open standards, anyone can take a copy of the standards documentation and implement it in such a fashion that it would work with someone elses implementation.

You do realise that the Internet dates all the way back to the late 1960s? Like way before Microsoft existed? And it was a huge success even then?

I repeat, MS had nothing to do with the Internets success. The Internet was massive before MS came along. Oh, and for MS first attempt, they used a TCP/IP stack that was taken directly from BSD4.4Lite, and a browser that was purchased from someone else. No effort required, and it shows. They tacked on the web browser onto an operating system that wasnt designed to handle remote access. People were on the internet before MS got their thumb out, and they would have continued to get on it regardless.

As for desktop computers, sure they standardised there. And look how they did it, using illegal means, as proven in multiple courts of law. They didnt compete, they crushed, unfairly. They became the defacto monopoly by destroying their competition or buying it out.

Oh, and Desktop standardisation would have happened anyway, OS/2 wasnt exactly a rubbish OS.

Microsoft is just the United States of the Computer World. They have done it better and been more successful than anyone so everyone else hates them. Guess computer users are just as petty and jealousy-prone as govenments are.

No pettyness required. MS are huge corporate bullies that have used their monopolistic powers illegal on a number of occassions (DriveStac, Netscape, OS/2, plenty of examples). Their operating system is the biggest security nightmare that ever existed. A collander leaks less than a windows system. We dont hate MS because they are successful, we hate them because of their buggy, crap products. Oh, and Im typing this from an Apple iBook.

Likelyhood of MS completely being upstaged: 0

It just willnot happen, they have more experience in making desktop opearting systems than any other company out there, bar none. Where they are and will continue to feel the heat is the server market and as mentioned the browser field. Linux is showing itself to be growing each year by leeps and bounds, and eventually we may have a day when the IT field is level and there are more than just a few choices when you need to implement a server.

Richard, you are absolutely correct. My point is, before the Windows OS, although the Internet certainly existed and was used, the average Joe or Jane Citizen didn't have a computer at their home or access to the Internet on a regular basis. It's widespread use by the common person for purely personal endevors or entertainment was made possible by the fact that Windows is targeted toward the idiot user.

I wasn't talking about the technical sphere (where there are many who can do better in that area than MS), but about social impact and importance in the evolution of the Computer Age.

The article talks about possibly toppling Microsoft's "virtual monopoly on web surfing". The title is misleading, but I don't think they meant a challenge to the entire Microsoft corporation in general. Maybe IE and OE, but not Microsoft themselves.

Apple was the first company to even introduce the idea of personal computing. Windows became a player soon after and due to a variety of reasons have gained a near monopoly we see today. They have done nothing innovative in my eyes and instead just made shrewd business moves mostly consisting of buying and ripping works from others.

DOS is a poor copy of Unix and Windows is a poor copy of a Mac slapped on top of it. (read a quote similar to that, forget where)

Anyone remember when there was a war between Microsoft and Netscape. Many predicted that Netscape will do the same thing people are predicting friefox will do. In Netscape's case it didn't happen. Let us wait and see about firefox.

I doubt it will win. Over 90% of the world uses IE.

Surf

Originally posted by RichardPrice

Rubbish. Microsoft had nothing to do with the Internet, hell they even ignored it until late 1995, early 1996 when they suddenly woke up and realised it wasnt a fad that was going to go away.
You do realise that the Internet dates all the way back to the late 1960s? Like way before Microsoft existed? And it was a huge success even then?

I repeat, MS had nothing to do with the Internets success. The Internet was massive before MS came along. .

you are so biased it is unreal. how many people used the internet before 1996 and how many use it now? how many people access the internet w/o using any microsoft at all, including whats on the other end, not just their pc? yeah i was on the internet in the early 90's also, guess what, it was on windows 3.1.

december of 1996 inet usage worldwide 61 million
present inet usage estimated at over 800million.

just because you hate a company you shouldnt make things up.

Originally posted by jprophet420

yeah i was on the internet in the early 90's also, guess what, it was on windows 3.1.

Sure but what web browser did you use? I'm sure it wasn't IE because it wasn't invented until 1995. The whole concept of the internet changed when Mosaic first came out which was the precursor to Netscape. Netscape was the originator of the web browser. MS/IE was the challenger to Netscape in the browser market and eventually won by producing a better product at the time. Subsequent rise in internet usage can be attributed to a variety of factors including a heightened awareness of computers and the internet. Remember when Al Gore talked about closing the Digital Divide?

Certainly cheap PC prices had alot to do with that too. I give MS credit for this because they allowed anyone to make hardware for Windows unlike Apple. Market competition drastically reduced the price for PC hardware while Macs continue to be more expensive due to the fact that Apple also controls their hardware. Giving MS all the credit for the spread of personal computers seems dubious too. If it also weren't for Intel, IBM, Dell etc. none of this would have been possible.

A lot of people use IE because it comes with Windows. MS embedded the crappy browser into their OS! This is one of the points brought up against them in the anti-trust case. 90% of people might use IE, but I would say 80% of them aren't savvy enough to understand that other options or available. Some people still use IE 4.0 because they don't even know how to upgrade.

I can really care less if Firefox wins or not because its clear to me Firefox is the superior browser at the moment. I mean IE still doesn't have tabbed browsing. What's up MS?