Tuesday December 21, 2004 Discussion Group
Haven't said it here before, but I have a discussion group over on Yahoo Groups where SunMink readers would be welcome to drop by to discuss postings.
Posted by webmink
( Dec 21 2004, 12:40:51 AM PST )
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The Canyons and The Plains
Dare's analysis of Scoble's open letter to Gates about Windows Media makes for interesting reading, especially the comment:
One reaction which is obvious in hindsight is the assumption in this post that Microsoft shouldn't abide the fact that Apple is dominating a market it isn't directly engaged in. This is such a natural way of thinking of for Microsoft people ("we should be number 1 in every software/hardware/technology related market") that it is often surprising for non-Microserfs when they first encounter the mentality.
I sometimes speak of "canyon-dwellers" and "plains-dwellers" as a model for understanding the radically different worlds Sun and Microsoft inhabit. Canyon-dwellers have limited space to live in - there's only so much room in the canyon, and they assume it's all theirs so try to assimilate, eat or annihilate anything or anyone moving in. In a "canyon market", you can only survive by dominance and control. Canyon-dwellers "win".
Plains-dwellers see the endless level horizons and learn to keep a (possibly uneasy) peace with the others on the plains - typically more herds grazing doesn't harm anyone and can help. Plains-dwellers only fear the raiding parties of canyon-dwellers (and the occasional sociopath). In a "plains market" you survive by synergy and mutual respect. Plains-dwellers "grow".
The worlds are so different that it puts the relationship between Sun and Microsoft into perspective for me. It's not a meeting of minds so much as a decision to (tensely) respect differences. Even this limited truce will have huge benefits for customers, through interoperability and through Sun's ability to influence the web services standards process for good (respecting openness and avoiding patents, for example). But ultimately the fears of 'sell-out' expressed in the radical wing of the open source movement are misplaced; canyon-dwellers and plains-dwellers are ultimately too different to blend.
Posted by webmink
( Dec 21 2004, 12:24:24 AM PST )
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