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I can't understand why we have to choose between companies. I think all who came here ,at code project , are developers. So why to care about stocks & shares , when it comes about OS platforms ??  Why should we care ? I think the poll should be about what platforms we see succeeding : from unix family or from windows family?
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Yeah, all costing $1000 for each application.
I really wonder how many of you remember what it was like prior to the 'IBM revolution'.
***Ring Ring Ring****
THEM: Hello, Lifeboat software!
ME: I would like to purchase PEDIT.
THEM: What computer do you have?
ME: I have the KAI-2000 Premium.
THEM: Hmm, we don't have that listed. What is the operating system?
ME: KAI-DOS.
THEM: Never heard of that. Is that based on anything?
ME: What do you mean, 'based on anything'?
THEM: Well, is it a bran new operating system or an OEM version of an existing operating system.
ME: Well, it looks a lot like my old OS which was CP/M, so I guess maybe CP/M?
THEM: We can probably support that. What CPU?
ME: I am not sure, where can I find that information?
THEM: Your owners manual should have it.
ME: Hold on while I get that.
..... PAUSE .....
ME: Ok, I am back. Looking...
..... PAUSE .....
ME: Here is it, it is using an Z-80.
THEM: Good, we can support that. What type of floppy drive.
ME: 5 1/4?
THEM: Hard or soft sector?
ME: What is a sector?
THEM: That is just how they store the information on the disk. If you look at a floppy disk, as you turn it you can see little holes in the disk. If you see a lot of little holes, it is a hard sector floppy.
ME: I see a lot of holes.
THEM: Great, how many?
ME: You want me the count them?
THEM: No, but we do need to know how many. Check your uses manual.
.... PAUSE ....
ME: Ah, here it is, hard sectors, 14 sectors per track.
THEM: Great. We can send this out to you ASAP.
ME: Great! Since only I will be using this system, can I also use this program on my KAPRO?
THEM: Sorry, the KAPRO uses soft sectors. We can ship you a soft sector disk to, but there will be a surcharge.
ME: ... sigh ...., ok.
You guys don't have a bloody clue what it was like before the IBM revolution and Microsoft. Hell, I remember paying $400 for an editor, $400 for a spreadsheet, $600 for a database. Now, I can get all of that and more for the MS evil empire for just $500-$600. Hell, when I started programming for the PC, IBM (the good guys) sold their SDK for 2k. Microsoft (the evil bad men) sold their SDK for $699.
Tim Smith
Descartes Systems Sciences, Inc.
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I like the last option "I'd prefer there were many different desktop OS's all with equal market share."! That option would be the worse from all (from developers point of view) as he would have to program from variety od different OSes (like in good OLD days; c64, spectrum, amiga, atari,...). Anyone is programing something for hardware? As i have noticed there was quite a few of problems jumping from w95, w98 to w32 WITHIN same company and, lets say ,"the same OS". Anyone could even think about programing drivers for 10 diferent OSes? For me (and i allso thing other programers) far best is what is happening now; one firm is setting standards (even if its system is not what some people would need; some, are not ready for GUI - they need command line  )). Word for todays software world is compartibility!
Someone would say; "Why M$? What about Linux"...
Following lines could offend someone, so please, if you think you are not described here, dont feel offended as i didnt think about you;
As far as i have seen, Linux entusiasts are some special kind of people that in the most cases are far from reality (that could sound something like "Use tool that best suits the job") and are promoting Linux as best solution for you office (i would give such a fan to administer 40 computers in a non computer firm with different hardware configurations ), home,... Oh really? Quite interesting will be, when different distributions of linux wont be compartible with one another (what will happen for sure). Allso there is a another problem and that is documentation (M$ has another problem... it floods you with documentation (slap for irc; "X slaps Y with printed MSDN")). Linux have little too big problems with its chaotic development concept and i think it has allready missed the chance to be a "top OS".
Best solution?? Hmm hard one... M$ with all that monopol is certanly not the best solution, but it has best supported OS... Linux? Hardly as its users shall kill themself fighting over which distribution is best ... Other OSes? Not in my lifetime...
Like it or not, if M$ doesnt do some REALLY big stupidity, than it is here to stay. If we look at w2k we can see that it is quite stable OS and if they are heading "w2k" way, for now, nothing can stop them (there is a little problem in whole thing; "Why should I buy new version of OS if current version suits me perfectly?", but they will find a solution).
Thx for reading this and sorry for my "broken" english 
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I think I misunderstood the point of the question. I
didn't realize that it was a choice between the different
companies. I think that a more interesting question is:
Would you prefer that any one (but not a specific one)
company ruled the desktop, or should the market share
be divided (more or less evenly) between several different
companies. How would all of you answer that question?
"das leid schlaft in der maschine" -Einstürzende Neubauten
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I would choose one company. Consistency is better for devlopers, and better for the users. Using the car analogy someone else menioned, imagine being able to build a spark plug that worked in every car. Much better for all then having hundreds of incompatible variations, no?
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Actually I posted the car analogy. The point of the car
analogy is that having one system is simpler but, you have
to be careful how and where you apply it. If it is applied
to things such as government, religion, language, fashion
(and hey, why not thought too?) then you have something like
communism or George Orwell's 1984.
I think it can have the same effect in the computer industry
because the monopoly can make any choices it wants and the
consumers and developers have no choice but to accept it.
Essentially the 'simpler' things get, the less freedom people
have.
Imagine an internet where each company designed a proprietary
version of HTML, image formats, media formats, scripting
languages, instant messengers and so on. Then they would set
up information superhighway equivalent of tollbooths. Of course
they would need a short catchy name to brand it with. AOL is
already taken, hmmm... what about .NET? Yeah, that sounds good.
Being ruled by a dictator or a monopoly are not the only way
to have a workable standard though. Here as a quote from
http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Points/ that illustrates my point:
Twenty years ago, people bought software that only worked with
other software from the same vendor. Today, people have more
freedom to choose, and they rightly expect software components
to be interchangeable. They also expect to be able to view Web
content with their preferred software (graphical desktop
browser, speech synthesizer, braille display, car phone...).
W3C, a vendor-neutral organization, promotes interoperability
by designing and promoting open (non-proprietary) computer
languages and protocols that avoid the market fragmentation
of the past. This is achieved through industry consensus and
encouraging an open forum for discussion.
"das leid schlaft in der maschine" -Einstürzende Neubauten
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LOL, w3 talking about standards, that is a joke.
"This site best viewed with Netscape"
I rest my case.
Tim Smith
Descartes Systems Sciences, Inc.
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Chris, you made "RedHat" a choice and not "Linux". This will obviously eliminate the people who don't like the "RedHat" distrubution but like other Linux distrubutions such as Suse or Corel Linux which will give Linux a low vote.
On the other hand, you made a choice "Windows" which will obviously include people who like any kind of windows whether it is Windows 95, 2000, etc.
This will give Windows a higher vote than Linux not because more people favour Linux but because of the nature of the choices.
You should have made a choice for "Linux" and a choice for "Windows" instead of "RedHat" and "Windows".
You could have at lease made "Other" a choice.
Just my 2 cents.
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Read the rest of the messages before you post, next time, as this has already been discussed. The aim of this poll is not which OS you prefer, but which company/s you want to control the desktop market.
you made a choice "Windows"
No he didn't.
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Yeah, right - THAT'S why Windows got more votes than Linux...
Christian
As I learn the innermost secrets of the around me, they reward me in many ways to keep quiet.
Men with pierced ears are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought Jewellery.
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But Linux was not something I could vote for. 
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Yeah, I could never bring myself to vote for Linux either... 
Christian
As I learn the innermost secrets of the around me, they reward me in many ways to keep quiet.
Men with pierced ears are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought Jewellery.
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I think a better way of asking the question would have been Microsoft or the
Free Software Foundation. After all RedHat themselves can't really control the Linux Desktop. 
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Ok, lets see - votes for Windows - none. Windows is not a choice in the poll. Then, votes for Linux - none either. It's also not in the poll. Yet, I assume that you mean that zero for windows makes more than zero for Linux anyway
OK, that's your interpretation... 
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You're right - the 52% of people who voted for M$ ( I didn't ) all want the desktop to be controlled by MSDOS 6.11 - how stupid of me.
Christian
As I learn the innermost secrets of the around me, they reward me in many ways to keep quiet.
Men with pierced ears are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought Jewellery.
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No, of course not - they want a good, bug-free and stable OS that is affordable for everyone, and they want the market to be dominated by a company with perfect reputation. Simply put - Microsoft
In general, you seem to be missing the poll's purpose - not only you are talking about non-existing choices but also you are forgetting that the poll is anonymous - I don't care who did you vote for
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Oh no! I am more stupid than you, it took me longer to realise they all wanted MSDOS 6.11 (I wanted to!).. damn!
*rolling on the floor laughing my ass off as i reinstall 6.11*
heh, thanks for the laugh Christian!
regards,
Paul Watson
Cape Town, South Africa
e: paulmwatson@email.com
w: vergen.org
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Hey Hassan, are the same guy from the bugs bunny cartoon?
Anyway, I was also reading the poll the wrong way. This poll is for what *company* you'd like to see run the industry, not which operating system should dominate.
The only valid choice is the last one.
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*grin* I have a friend called Hassan and whenever he sees me now, he says 'CHOP', because he knows I'm going to.
Alex
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Take a look at their stocks.
I vote pro drink 
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stock != quality
------------------------------
Smaller Animals Software, Inc.
http://www.smalleranimals.com
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stock == future
Anyway, Linux sucks.
I vote pro drink
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BFD. Linux is free. "the market" is irrelevant.
------------------------------
Smaller Animals Software, Inc.
http://www.smalleranimals.com
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I paid 40$ for my Mandrake distribution  , and 130$ (I think) for W2k OEM. Win2k is at least 4 times better.
I vote pro drink
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