A call to arms: it's up to the IS community to help dethrone Microsoft.
Douglas E. Welch.
InfoWorld, Oct 10, 1994 v16 n41 p59(1)
COPYRIGHT InfoWorld Publishing Company 1994
Don't put all your eggs in one basket. The wisdom in an old country
saying like this one is timeless. Take, for instance, the overwhelming
success of Microsoft Corp. Although no one can dispute that Microsoft
has created some of the most useful software on the market, is
it wise for companies to put all their eggs in one basket and
buy all Microsoft products?
I don't think so.
The computer industry is a tough business environment where everyone
is scrambling to get a piece of the action. Capitalism is at work
in its purist state. Customers must stay on their toes and look
out for their own best interests because often, no one else will.
Those best interests may not always be buying the standard products
from the largest companies. In fact, the best computer products
don't necessarily come from the largest companies. Yet, computer
users and IS organizations themselves have placed Microsoft in
the lead position it occupies, a position marked this year by
a U.S. Justice Department inquiry into charges of unfair trade.
Do those IS directors who have placed their companies in the hands
of Microsoft really understand the ramifications of their actions?
Their exclusive use of Microsoft products might actually prevent
them from finding computer solutions in the coming years. And
that might result in Microsoft making companies' computing decisions
for them.
Look at it this way: Microsoft's size and control over the software
market is growing with each passing quarter. Smaller companies
and, yes, even some of the larger ones, are finding it difficult
to develop a niche for their products. It's not that they have
inferior products. Some are actually better than Microsoft's products,
but due to the buying momentum, low-priced bundling and brand
loyalty, these products barely see the light of day.
These practices have resulted in fewer and fewer companies producing
products to compete with Microsoft, fewer choices in the software
market and more power for Microsoft.
Imagine a future when Microsoft computers with Microsoft mice
run Microsoft software on Microsoft networks with Microsoft servers
and Microsoft gateways. It isn't that far away. Who will computer
users turn to when Microsoft stops providing a service they need?
Where will the software choices come from when Microsoft, through
its customers' actions, swallows up the computer industry?
Companies should seek outside solutions to ensure their stability
if Microsoft decides to move in a different direction. Otherwise,
they might find themselves abdicating their technology decisions
to Microsoft employees. What if the next version of Windows only
works with a Windows NT server? Will companies throw out Windows
or all of their Novell servers? What happens when there is no
other choice? It might sound far-fetched, but it could happen.
Small companies that depend on using specific hardware and software
for their livelihood have even more to lose. Nothing could be
more damaging than to find that a software vendor has stopped
producing the one product that keeps a company running. One decision
by Microsoft, if sweeping enough, could close small businesses
everywhere unless other solutions are available.
Although Microsoft is indeed the king of the computer industry
hill, it remains to be seen if this is healthy in the long run.
Computer users who continue to put all their eggs in one basket
may find that it wasn't the wisest decision after all. Without
viable competitors forcing Microsoft to stay on top of the technology
game, computer users could find themselves burdened with a slow
moving, stagnant software monopoly of their own making.
A basket of rotten eggs, indeed.
Douglas E. Welch is a systems manager for a major California entertainment
company and a member of InfoWorld's corporate advisory board |