Why Microsoft will not open the door — yet! #

24. August 2000 00:00

**** ZDNet News reader Oliver Drobnik believes Microsoft will go open source, but not for at least another 3-4 years. Read Oliver’s opinion below. ****

Much has been said and heard about the ins and outs of making Windows open source. There are a few factors that make it quite clear why Microsoft will be stepping on the breaks to delay such an opening for at least 3-4 years.

Microsoft’s current most prevalent problem is the fragmentation of its operating systems. With two different main code bases (also two different main driver APIs) it is unthinkable to have one big open source OS. But wouldn’t an open source Windows be what the industry needs? Yes, nice idea Johnny, sit down.

The main reason and the main driving factors behind Microsoft’s current strategy are these:
* See how the lawsuit turns out
* Unify the OS tree. Whistler to the rescue!
* Leverage on current investments and latest technology (see research.microsoft.com) advances to…
* …make money from the core OS as long as possible.
* Make the Windows promise to developers and system admins the most compelling possible.
* Make Windows the best platform for ALL systems.

Has anyone noticed the kind of improvements seen in Win2K and SQL Server 2000 that illustrate the last point? Man, Windows and SQL learned to SCALE!!! This new duo can cluster and perform like nothing before! This is what those who bet on Windows wanted and at a relatively low cost. (Buzzword: Total Cost of Ownership)

Windows.NET Version 1 (formerly known as Whistler) and Office 10 (currently BETA) will show some important steps on the way to open source:
* It will have a subscription type variant where you would get the software more or less for free but would pay small monthly fees to get new patches and upgrades automatically.
* It will be a much more open platform due to the goals and requirements of the general .NET initiative. Microsoft’s SOAP, XML and biztalk will take over some core functionality.
* “Software as a service” is basically what the Linux distributors see themselves doing already. Now think that instead of buying a box you could get a constantly polished Windows automatically streamed to your PC. How does that sound in relation to having to buy new SUSE CDs every now and then or constantly download patches?
* Microsoft is trying to get a good base of application servers (ASPs) worldwide that would take care of the above-mentioned subscriptions.
* Win.NET will be one core system as a replacement for the current two branches.

Having said all of the above we still know that open source will be a viable path, but we all know Microsoft well enough that we can see them pursue such a way only if they have maneuvered themselves into the most favorable starting position.

Once Microsoft has become the main PROVIDER of Windows (which will be a “service” by then) then it will care much less about who puts what into the OS, because they will still be the ones to earn the money on the OS subscriptions. This will be the time when the open source movement will have conquered Windows … at a bitter cost: it will make Microsoft even richer.

As you can see: Microsoft’s future looks bright.

Oliver Drobnik is a 26-year system administrator and developer at an Austrian cellular network provider.

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Almost Forgotten “childhood Memories” #

21. August 2000 00:00

Almost forgotten “childhood memories” come back to consciousness: I found that my favorite Laserdisc games by Don Bluth are available for regular DVD-players retaining the original interactivity! “[Digital Leisure] acquires and Almost Forgotten "childhood Memories"remasters existing video-intensive titles that would benefit from the superior video and audio quality of DVD.” I ordered my copies of Dragon’s Lair, Dragon’s Lair 2: Time Warp and Space Ace right away at DVD Direct UK. I am excited!

Also a great site to refresh those Laserdisc game memories is the Dragon’s Lair Project site that describes itself as “the one source for all laser disc games. I did remember loving Super Don Quixote, but I had forgotten about Time Traveler and Mad Dog McCree. 

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Star Trek Fans Worldwide are Petitioning #

17. August 2000 00:00

Star Trek Fans worldwide are petitioning that Paramount makes available all episodes for on-demand viewing. Read the petition and join them!

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Open Letter to Paramount Pictures #

16. August 2000 02:16

Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2000 2:16 AM
To: ’stctech@pde.paramount.com’; ‘info@pde.paramount.com’; ‘television@pde.paramount.com’
Subject: demanding ST:on-demand

 

Open Letter to Paramount Pictures

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am a loyal Star Trek Fan since the original Series aired here in Austria, Europe. I continue to be one as Voyager nears its conclusion and I still live in Austria.

There’s one thing though that changed for my with the beginning of the 6th season of Voyager. I have a complete collection of all Star Trek video tapes (from CIC Video UK) and before the 6th season arrived I was anxiously awaiting every release of every tape. You ask “What changed?” and my answer is the i-word: The Internet made it possible for people like me (non-US resident) to get and watch Star Trek episodes that aired in the U.S. only a few days later with near-VHS quality. The technical ingredients that are required are: 1) internet connectivity that allows you to download approx. 200 MB per show, 2) DivX ;-) (see http://www.divx-digest.com/ or http://divx.ctw.cc/)  codec and 3) a player (I use MS Media Player 7)

This proves that it is technically possible and feasible to digitally provide the latest shows to fans worldwide. Technically speaking there is not one obstacle left. Like me there are hundred of like-minded Star Trek fans who use the same shortcut to get to watch the latest shows. The quality by the way really is great, I can provide some samples if you doubt that. Obviously this is not great from your perspective… thus hear my plea.

My plea is this: I believe that you – StarTrek.com – should be the one making all those episodes available on-demand. (maybe 56kbit, 100kbit and 400kbit for streaming, 700kbit and 2Mbit for download) By doing so you will be able to control the quality and distribution and earn something of it. Pick a popular format, like Windows Media (has a great licensing scheme), encode all episodes and start earning. Certainly most online-Trekkers will pay $1-$5 per episode if it means that they can watch it when it airs not a year later when it finally debuts on video. Maybe $1 for viewing it twice and $5 to download and keep. Since licenses are bound to PCs people still can copy episodes but in order to view them they have to purchase new licenses for other PCs. So you will be able to face the Napster-revolution without having to become nervous.

VHS is obsolete. So will be DVD (the content scrambling system CSS has been outmaneuvered). In case you are not aware of this: DivX ;-)   allows to compress the content of a DVD to be burned on a regular CD-ROM. You’re only chance will be to protect the digital content itself with a good format (I mentioned Windows Media which has a very strong security) and by making all episodes available online you will take 100% out of the momentum that the underground movement for on-demand episodes currently has. Said momentum is steadily building for maybe 3 years now and some voices already say that you have missed your chance. Not me. I still think that you can make it, if you start NOW.

I can vividly imagine tons of Latinum materializing in you pockets the instant you debut Star Trek: on-demand. And I see thousands of happy fans as a result. Please switch to world-wide media mode. If you like syndication, well, there’s lots of ways to do that on the Internet, too. But make it so!

Yours sincerely boldly goingly

Please dare go where no one has gone before

Oliver Drobnik

http://www.drobnik.com/

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