Microsoft gives way on licensing terms

Dom · Jul 26, 2003, 05:29 AM

SOFTWARE FIRM Microsoft is to make it easier for the competitors it's still got left to license its software, according to a story in today's Wall Street Journal.

A few weeks ago, judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly had signalled her disapproval that only four firms have so far licensed server middleware programs.

But now, the Journal reports, Microsoft has agreed to change its licences to all operating systems and not just Windows XP and Microsoft 2000.

Meanwhile, the same article quotes chairman Bill Gates saying that Microsoft was "just at the beginning of what we can do with software".

But he didn't really expand on what he meant by that.

The whole industry is now so packed with GHz, cheap memory, huge storage that what it desperately needs is for someone to come up with an old fashioned "killer application".

So far there appear to be few candidates for that title, and it's fair to say that Microsoft has never really – as it would say, "innovated" in software.

Some of its best ideas were competitors' ideas, although Microsoft Excel when it was introduced back in the 1980s definitely showed the PC competition – in those days the horrendous Lotus 1-2-3 – what could be done if you really, really try.

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Source: TheInquirer

Jul 26, 2003, 05:29 AM	#1
Dom DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 12,940 Rep Power: 0	Microsoft gives way on licensing terms SOFTWARE FIRM Microsoft is to make it easier for the competitors it's still got left to license its software, according to a story in today's Wall Street Journal. A few weeks ago, judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly had signalled her disapproval that only four firms have so far licensed server middleware programs. But now, the Journal reports, Microsoft has agreed to change its licences to all operating systems and not just Windows XP and Microsoft 2000. Meanwhile, the same article quotes chairman Bill Gates saying that Microsoft was "just at the beginning of what we can do with software". But he didn't really expand on what he meant by that. The whole industry is now so packed with GHz, cheap memory, huge storage that what it desperately needs is for someone to come up with an old fashioned "killer application". So far there appear to be few candidates for that title, and it's fair to say that Microsoft has never really – as it would say, "innovated" in software. Some of its best ideas were competitors' ideas, although Microsoft Excel when it was introduced back in the 1980s definitely showed the PC competition – in those days the horrendous Lotus 1-2-3 – what could be done if you really, really try. _______________________ Source: TheInquirer