The Microsoft monopoly that really matters
"Ordinary people don’t pay too much attention to software-development tools. And this is just the way Microsoft likes it. Why? Because while the world argues, debates, and even sues over Microsoft’s dominance over things like Web browsers and operating systems, it’s able to quietly control the hearts, minds, and digital tool chests of the people who create the software we use every day."
I’m not a big fan of Microsoft. They make products with great interfaces, but flaky guts. On top of that, their business practices are monopolistic. Everybody knows that, right? Of course they do. So when my university struck a deal with the devil to offer free Microsoft products to students (read as “indoctrinate young programmers into M$ dogma”), I wasn’t thilled.
I changed my tune, however, when I yoinked free coppies of Win98, WinXP, OfficeXP, and Visual Studio. I still didn’t like M$, but who can turn down free software, especially enterprise level? I certainly can’t.
Anyhow, all was groovy until I wanted a better Java development environment than Forte. I soon discovered that Visual J++ 6.0 is woefully out of date and Visual Studio .NET doesn’t support Java (don’t get me started on the bastardizations of Java, C# and J#). So now I need to drop a load of cash to get a decent IDE, since my school only supports M$. I am not a happy camper.
Excuse me. I’m feeling all faclempt. Discuss amongst yourselves: Bill Gates bears the mark of the Beast or Bill Gates IS the Beast…