Not dead yet...

Steve Lamb pmmail@rpglink.com
Thu, 26 Aug 1999 08:39:19 -0700


Thursday, August 26, 1999, 8:03:55 AM, David wrote:
> Like many other people for whom a computer is essential in their work I
> need to have access to industry standard applications such as MS Word, 
> Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Director etc.

    This, however, is the problem.  You do realized that MSWord was not the
"industry standard" until a few years ago?  Before that was Word Perfect,
before that WordStar.  I can find quite a few people who find Word utterly
lacking compared to the previous two.

    Same with Photoshop and others.

    One doesn't *need* those applications to be productive.  If we did, then
why aren't we all using the industry standard email client(s) of Outlook and
Netscape?  :P

> Unless an operating system other than Windows or Macintosh achieves a
> significant market penetration then it simply isn't going to be economic for
> the manufacturers of these applications to produce versions for it.

    Linux.  Borland is porting Delphi to it with an eye of porting their C++
platform to it as well.

> Problem is that an operating system is unlikely to achieve  significant 
> market penetration without the major applications being available for it ... 

    Which ignores the other route to the desktop, through the servers.  ;)

-- 
         Steve C. Lamb         | I'm your priest, I'm your shrink, I'm your
         ICQ: 5107343          | main connection to the switchboard of souls.
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