[REBOL] Re: Microsoft to buy Macromedia?
From: chalz:earthlink at: 26-Dec-2002 15:38
> What it DOES do, is make it possible for Flash content to become
> FLash/IE content.
>
> It makes it possible for even MORE security holes (imagine a FLash
> MX/ActiveX security hole).
Flash trojans, worms and holes already exist. Nothing new, though I'm sure
once it comes under the MS title, it will suddenly be re-discovered and touted
about, even if MS engineers did nothing to it.
A note on "If MS could do anything like Flash, they would have." Not
necessarily true. Possibilities:
1> They already had a strategic alliance with Macromedia, and didn't want to
step on their toes.
2> Copyright and patent infringement. Lots of people would let small things
go, but when someone big, hefty and rich like MS does it, they'll look to get
every penny they can. (Partially, I feel, because MS is rich, and partially as
retribution coz MS has done it before.)
3> Because it's MS, lots of people didn't want to use it.
(I doubt #3; however, there've been depressing number of people who WILL
avoid a good technology, simply because it has the flying window logo. These
are people who have no idea about the tech, but are prejudiced against MS in
general.)
> Overall, a purchase of the rights to Flash technology by M$ is a bad
> thing. I believe that in any instance a large company absorbs a smaller
> company. Less companies = more problems = less choice.
Not necessarily. It actually can spawn competition. If you have a large
share of a technology, but provide and service it poorly, others will try to
come along. Around here, some people fed up with Nynex (now Verizon) started a
localized phone company. Even with DSL service (Verizon and AT&T still haven't
upgraded their hardware around here for it). Of course, it was hard and
expensive for them to spread, so they've stayed small. A similar story for a
local power provider against Niagra-Mohawk.
It can be tough, though, as Linuxlovers have seen. It needs to offer an
ease-of-use and compatibility that the megacorp offers. Linux's ease-of-use is
still lacking, general support by the company is lacking. Compatibility with
software and hardware is still lacking. I don't want a religious war. Yes,
you can write your own drivers, you get community support, yadda yadda.
However, that's not always practical. Community support never solved my
'circular forwarding' problem in REBOL - that only came about in a fix from the
company itself. I'm also a software type; I don't do hardware. Someone else
should write the hardware interface and drivers, and just let me do my thing.
In any event, getting way off topic.
