> On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:43:00 -0300
> Fernando Cassia <fcassia at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Without Sun Microsystems, OpenOffice.org wouldn´t exist, and
> > Stardivision Gmbh would be another "me too" developer of a closed
> > source, Office wannabe
>
> Ah, the power of the subjunctive mood. But two can play at that
> game. If StarDivision hadn't been acquired by Sun -- and hadn't taken
> off on its own -- and and and -- something else would have come along.
>
> > Without Sun Microsystems opposing Microsoft Passport, all our site
> > passwords would be hosted at Microsoft´s servers by now.
>
> When thieves fall out...
>
> > I use Java apps on a daily basis, on my phone (GMail Mobile, Google
> > Maps for Mobile), Azureus / Vuze P2P on my desktop, Java image Editor
> > for bitmaps, etc.
>
> All of which could have been implemented better and more quickly
> in Python or Ruby or, hell, C++. Java didn't make the apps possible;
> it just bought enough corporate mindshare to become the default
> implementation platform.
>
> > Yes, I hold Sun in very high regard, unlike IBM which turned itself
> > in just a services firm without anything resembling a software
> > strategy.
>
> Remind me: what exactly was Sun's "software strategy", apart from
> getting everybody to use their software
Open standards (http. html, imap, etc).... open source (Sun, unlike Google, released plenty of software under a GPL license, OpenOffice and Java, two of its crown jewels, something that neither IBM nor anyone else did).
Remember not too long ago IBM was peddling Notes as the definitive solution for corporate messaging, Microsoft peddling its Active-X "solution" for the Web (windows-only), and its proprietary Outlook protocols, and "walled gardens" were seen as the future.(do I need to remind you of MSN, the on-line service).
In short: if anything saved us from a total Windows monopoly, it was Sun´s software strategy to counter Microsoft and promote open standards, Certainly not Apple, not IBM.
Just my $0.02
FC