MS heads for H.C.

[Brian Kelsay]

Unfortunately GroupWise doesn't quote like other mailclients so I can't quote inline or bottom 
post.  I'm not anything but MS, I just think it is laughable for them to be in HPC or in networked 
appliances.  Initial cost not withstanding, their is likely to be a higher long-term cost in 
maintenance.  I've use briefly the Windows CE on iPaq and it was not intuitive nor better than 
Palm.  Palm is light weight and agile and damn fast.  Both could communicate with the same PC, but 
the Windows powered device required more resources.

I've used MS-Dos through XP and there are items I like about some of them, but the stability of any 
of them has always worried me.  2000 was doing better than all prior versions, but my install is 
starting to show it's limitations.  XP has it's good points, but still feels like a conglomeration 
of hacks.  I still get cryptic errors and tons of critical updates required.  There is more, but 
I'm tired.  If anything is improved between versions of Windows, it is the number of features, not 
their quality.

I could care less if the MS folks work hard or market well, the fact remains that they often miss 
bugs of a critical nature.  Many of the bugs I've seen for Linux recently refer to exploits only 
possible if you are sitting in front of the PC or server.  Hell if I have physical access to any 
box, then security is out the window.  Floppies and CDs often contain enough tools to crack a 
machine.  You want to talk about uptime, my firewall has only come down due to power outage and 
schedule updates.  I  don't have anything critical in my network or the dead UPS I have would be 
fixed and on there already.  And when the firewall comes up after a power outage it may take an 
extra 20-30 seconds for and fsck.  The Linux desktops have been just as resilient.  The only lock 
ups on a Linux machine I've had, were my fault, mucking with stuff I didn't fully understand yet or 
when I spilled the coke on my laptop.  Any process  that locks the current desktop can normally be 
disabled from another terminal, without rebooting, unless I'm just too impatient.

I still don't get the EULA.  They can disclaim any responsibility for what their product may do or 
that it has the ability to do work for it's stated purpose, but yet people think that they can sue 
MS or hold them responsible after agreeing to a contract like that.

The XBOX is a classic pump and dump scheme.  Sell the box at a loss in order to sell games.  The 
other game console makers do the same.  Sure the Xbox is a success.  It rides on top of proven PC 
technology.  Yet they want to lock users out of it and prevent them from using it as a cheap PC.  
$150 for a PC of it's specs is a steal.  At least the Sony guys let you buy an add-on pack that 
includes a keyboard, mouse and Linux disk to turn it into one.

You go on about Winders on the desktop.  If anything has helped standardization of windows on the 
desktop it has been Ghost and sysprep.  If some things were easier about sysprep installs, it would 
be a great tool, instead, as with all things MS, it's just good enough.  Let's settle for 
mediocrity.  Oh, Redhat has had auto install for standardization for several years in the form of 
Kickstart and now I think Anaconda does some of this.  Other distros have scripting avail. for auto 
install.  Ghost works with ext2 partitions and I've really meant to try this out, but I keep having 
to fix broken Windows boxes.

The few times I have not understood documentation for Linux I have found online, a further search 
turned up docs rewritten by users or an email to a contact person listed quickly solved the 
problem.  I really should have done the email thing on my laptop sound problem, but after the coke 
incident, it's moot.  I may try on another used laptop with the same chip.  You are right, the docs 
could and should improve.  That is one thing I do since I cannot program.  I write docs, edit docs 
and submit changes when I find errors and I help users.  This sense of community and helping other 
users does not exist in the Windows world.

The reason I don't like McDonald's is because the food is bland and it's the same everywhere you 
go.  Bad, greasy, dry and too expensive for what you get.

Brian Kelsay

>>> Garrett Goebel <> 05/25/04 02:20PM >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
<rant>

Are you sure your "Anything-but-Microsoft" brand loyalty isn't clouding your
judgement?

I've used Windows from 3.0 through to 2K3. The Windows OS's have been
getting slowly and steadily better. This despite the fact that they carry a
tremendous amount of historical baggage. The move with Longhorn to managed
code, CLR, DRM, focus on security, resolution independent display, etc...
will cut some of this baggage and help Microsoft continue to improve their
offering.

Microsoft employs a lot of smart hardworking people. They market themselves
effectively and communicate efficiently with businesses. Sure, they serve
their own interest first, and then your's (where it benefits their's.) -No
one has ever accused Microsoft of failing to test the legal limits of
competitive practices. But, they do provide boilerplate api's, code, and
documentation that allows run-of-the mill programmers to clock-in, throw
something together that'll get the job done, file the TPS report, clock-out,
and head home...

If Microsoft focuses on a problem, they're more than adequate to the task.
Take the Xbox as an example: Microsoft has displaced Nintendo and continues
to make gains in market share while Sony slides. It's more a question of
whether or not they were listening to the customer, and whether or not it'll
contribute to the bottom line. Neither of which are much of a problem for
open source. -Except where open source faces a problem that doesn't scratch
enough of an itch to reach critical mass. Things like centralized machine
configuration, inventory, and security management...

The HPC problem is actually a simpler problem than the desktop: fewer users,
less hardware to support, and a less diffuse problem domain. All of which
are reasons why Linux has done well at HPC. The fact that Linux is making
in-roads via HPC is probably more critical to explaining Microsoft's
interest... The reality is that Microsoft dominates the harder problem: the
desktop. Check out google.com/zeitgeist.html. 92% of all google queries come
from Windows machines. And seeing as how Microsoft has been mopping the
floor with desktop competitors for years, there's a good chance they'll make
significant in-roads into HPC.

Linux has also been getting better. And its been getting better faster. But
try finding an open source equivalent to MSDN. The LDP doesn't come close.
-Looking for a Linux/FOSS application or solution is like going on a
scavenger hunt through a mob of projects. Is it actively maintained? Is it
any good? Is it documented? Is it easy to install and maintain? Does it have
reasonable defaults? Is the user interface coherent, intuitive, usable?

And no, the magic pixie dust from one Sun sponsored usability study does not
bring Gnome anywhere close to Microsoft on usability. Strides are being
made, but Gnome can only be considered a forerunner if you're willing to
recognize how few people are in the race.

The question is whether the "proprietary" development model with effectively
unlimited financial resources can outcompete "open source". Intellectual
property rights vs. free as in speech. Vendor lock-in vs. open standards,
formats, and choice. Monolithic solutions that perform many things
adequately vs. combining many individual solutions which do a single thing
well. One focused voice with deep pockets vs. an incoherent mob.

They say people like McDonald's because they can go pretty much anywhere,
order a burger, and get what they expect. I believe much the same thing goes
for Microsoft. Unlike mechanics and coders, most people are content never to
look under the hood. They don't want to think, they just want to get through
the day. But bringing it back to HPC...

Microsoft hasn't gone after HPC because they expect it to fatten their
margins. If anything, it'll be a loss leader. They're trying to crush the
competition before it can rally any more partisans to its cause.

</rant>

--
Garrett Goebel
IS Development Specialist