> "Replacing" is a very optimistic word in this context.
Not really. I was referring to the software techies use and to a lesser extent regular users. Adoption of FOSS software is slower among regular users, but the trend is in favor of FOSS software such as OpenOffice and Firefox. Microsoft does not control the "killer app" market anymore, which is why they are so worried about Google pulling a stunt such as offering an Office suite on their service.
> There has always been a large and well lit space for
> high performance computing objects (apps and hardware)
> that exists outside of the MSFT and other commercial
> fiefdoms' force dome.
Right. That's mostly what I'm thinking about.
> But MSFT and company are not being replaced by FOSS;
> they are, in some cases employing it and others
> denying it using FUD as psyops.
FUD doesn't have the effect it used to have because the mediascpae is so balkanized. What helps Microsoft is the inherent laziness of all computer users. The personal computer industry was founded by people who wanted to empower users, but it turns out that American users are pretty much passive dolts. It's kind of like the way they passively accept what Fox News tells them.
A geek friend of mine gave me an illustration about this lately when I told hom about the number of Infoshop users using Firefox. Infoshop's main demographic is young people who are anti-authoritarian and comupter-savvy. My friend fixes computers and he related that people bring in computers with the most backward software on them. He says that people don't even use Internet Explorer--they are using AOL's browser or some crap that came installed on the computer.
> For example...
>
> There is JBOSS, the OSS middleware product. It's
> chief competition in the commercial world is BEA
> Weblogic.
>
> JBOSS is not replacing Weblogic, it has found a
> respectable place, its use will no doubt grow due to
> its quality and robustness.
>
> Still a declaration of the death of Weblogic would be
> severely premature.
>
> Nessus is the premier OSS security assessment tool.
> Even so, commercial products that duplicate (less
> successfully) its power are not going away.
>
> Many other such examples can be conjured.
I don't know anything about JBOSS, but I've read that enterprises are moving towards the use of MySQL and PHP more. I've been wondering if I should learn Java and MSFT-related tech, if more companies are going towards LAMP.
> The point is that quality is not the only arbiter of
> what will win in the market. There are other factors
> - propaganda being a nontrivial one.
Right. And ease-of-use, which is important to geeks like myself who don't want to spend hours figuring out code. There were some comments on Slashdot earlier this week about why CMS software (such as PostPuke) should automatically install with little tweaking from the human.
> Also, regarding the international market...
>
> It's true Linux and other OSS artifacts are making
> strong inroads. Even so, I can tell you from direct
> observation that in places like S. Korea the default
> OS is Windows (bootleg preferred) followed some
> distance behind by Linux et. al.
I'm not surprised to hear that about South Korea, but Linux has been making big inroads in other countries.
I'd like to see people who support FOSS software and who hate Microsoft do a better job of making quality software. I understand geeks who argue that people should understand their tools, but you ain't going to win against Microsoft until you make your free software as simple as possible.
Chuck