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From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.development.apps,comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.os.linux.x,comp.os.linux.hardware,comp.os.linux.setup,comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Why to not buy Matrox Millennium
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 1996 15:33:04 -0700
Organization: Me
Lines: 68
Message-ID: <31702BA0.58F7B46@lambert.org>
References: <4jv7of$m5t@park.uvsc.edu> <stephenkDpCt4A.LxJ@netcom.com> <4kfk15$dgs@coyote.Artisoft.COM> <stephenkDpnHM8.864@netcom.com>
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Stephen Knilans wrote:
] >] >You are a developer. You represent zero market segment (I can say
] >] >this; I am also a developer).
] >]
] >] If they TRULY believe this, then I ***DARE*** them to remove
] >] Windows drivers, and tell bill gates they won't support his
] >] companies products! He IS just a developer!
] >
] >He is not a developer, he is a monopolist. He wields monopolistic
] >power in the market place -- or rather, his company does... he
] >represents (possibly) millions of developers, actually.
]
] He is STILL a developer!
He is not JUST a developer.
If you want to argue "fish" vs. "trout", then fine. Bill Gates
is a *successful* developer, whereas you (and I) not having at
least $4Billion to our names, are *not* successful.
Only a *successful* developer can tell a market "jump!" and
get "how high?" for a response (as opposed to "aw, screw you").
] >] >Now if you were a VP at Ingram or Egghead, they would care.
] >]
] >] WHY? Egghead and Ingram do NOTHING to generate sales! They are
] >] market driuen. Their WHOLE job is buying what they THINK the
] >] customer will, and then selling at a markup! The customer buys
] >] what they think will best run that "zero market" developers
] >] software!
] >
] >I think that most developers are running MS OS's.. but even so,
] >by your logic, all they have to do is convince Egghead and
] >Ingram that customers will buy their cards, and Egghead and
] >Ingram will buy their cards. They could care less if end
] >users buy their cards.
]
] RIGHT!
]
]
] >And you as a developer have to support what the customers *do*
] >buy, not what they *should* buy if they were in possesion of
] >all the facts.
]
] RIGHT!
]
] It IS hard to support cards that are made by someone like
] Matrox though!
No it's not. Sign the non-disclosure and limit yourself to
distributing binaries.
That may be *politically* hard for you, but it sure as hell
isn't *technically* hard. Developers solve *technical*
problems. If you want a *political* problem solved, consult
a politician (or better, a statesman).
One way of solving a *political* problem is to have *political*
clout, like Bill Gates (which he derives from being a monopolist,
not from being a developer).
Terry Lambert
terry@lambert.org
---
Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present
or previous employers.