Stefan Nobis wrote:
>
> Dave McFadden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
> > If MS is successful at 'embracing and extending' Java, then HTML, TCP/IP
> > and the OSS world will soon feel the suffocating arms of MS wrapped around
> > them.
How does HTML and TCP/IP depends on Java? Java will only be relevant
to us when good GPLd virtual machines, classes, JITs *and* compilers are
available; but never HTML, TCP/IP will depend on it.
> Hey, don't forget some people even managed to decode SMB for NT in the
> SAMBA project. If MS really managed to decommoditize open standards -
> don't you think there are enough developers which are able to copy
> these new properitary protocols?
>
> And when MS makes first tries in this direction and when they see, the
> OSS comunity will just fake what they are developing, i'm not sure if
> MS will continue on this way.
The problem with efforts like Samba and Wine is that they are necessary
evils. They are necessary because so much users depend on M$ clients,
we have to support them; and M$ wants a protocol lock-in, so it won't
provide good NFS clients or POSIX layers on Windows. We have then to
provide the compatibility.
But to provide M$ protocols we dedicate efforts which we would rather
use in open standards, like a good NFS v3 implementation, NIS+ and
X.500/LDAP.
If it was possible to M$ to make the world dependent on the latest
version of its incompatible, proprietary protocols, the free s/w
community efforts on M$-compatible implementations would be always
playing catch-up, never able to present a finished, well-polished tool.
--
Leandro Guimaraens Faria Corcete Dutra
Amdocs Brasil Ltda
