The reason Microsoft is in the market ownership position it's in is that it owns two thing:
- The only dependable way to run Win32 ABI applications
- The MS Office formats (.doc/.xls) and even the new Office OpenXML formats (.docx/.xlsx) which are non-validating XML wrappers around their proprietary binary data blobs.
While we do have Wine/OpenOffice that can do a percentage of these job, people get roped into Windows/Office because they need one app, aren't aware of alternatives, don't want an interoperability hassle, and thus the cycle becomes self perpetuating.
Compare/contrast with other more open formats like HTML, PDF, etc. and the innovation and flexibility surrounding them.
Supporting closed formats = giving one company a cash cow.
Supporting open formats = supporting innovation and competition.
Say what you want about the GPL and other licensing - open formats are the only sure-fire way to ensure open marketplaces.
BSA is smart. It's targeting the actual competitors, not the pirates.
The record labels are mostly targeting the pirates, not competitors. They are stupid.
However, it does not bodes well for the BSA to act smart when lobbying. I wish they tighten their grip on pirates while leaving open source alone. That would spell death for the BSA.
The reason Microsoft is in the market ownership position it's in is that it owns two thing:
- The only dependable way to run Win32 ABI applications
- The MS Office formats (.doc/.xls) and even the new Office OpenXML formats (.docx/.xlsx) which are non-validating XML wrappers around their proprietary binary data blobs.
While we do have Wine/OpenOffice that can do a percentage of these job, people get roped into Windows/Office because they need one app, aren't aware of alternatives, don't want an interoperability hassle, and thus the cycle becomes self perpetuating.
Compare/contrast with other more open formats like HTML, PDF, etc. and the innovation and flexibility surrounding them.
Supporting closed formats = giving one company a cash cow.
Supporting open formats = supporting innovation and competition.
Say what you want about the GPL and other licensing - open formats are the only sure-fire way to ensure open marketplaces.