The New York Times is reporting what many computer users already know: freeware and free software have grown to become a real competitor for Microsoft's products. But the Times goes one step further, and states that it now appears that M'soft is taking notice, though analysts debate how much notice M'soft is actually taking. It's about time.
I say this for a few reasons. First, if M'soft is recognizing that it has real competition, it might pay more attention to quality control. Second, this suggests that Microsoft's monopoly may be starting to crumble, which would be good for competition. I expect there are many programmers who have hitherto refrained from creating or releasing their products because they doubt that they can prise any customers away from M'soft. Third, this also proposes that off-site data holding is becoming increasingly available. Where previously I had to have my floppy disk, Zip disk, laptop or thumb drive with me if I wanted to work on my [insert name of paper or project here], now I merely need an internet connection; the paper is saved on someone else's computer, and I access it through the 'net. Fourth, though I recognize the right of a software developer to charge for his software, I don't enjoy paying for software any more than anyone else. Perhaps even less so than some people, my finances being what they are.
More on this later. I have to go teach cell bio.
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