Opera's Acid2 challenge to Microsoft

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You raise a worthwhile point.

Not ActiveX, the one about the many devices used to browse.

You've heard of the network effect. As recorded in the anti-trust case and elsewhere, it's the idea that a single standard is needed for an industryu like computing to grow. On pc's, it was Windows. Because everyone had Windows, people doing applications could write for a specific and growing set of capabilities. Saved time, trouble, expense.

Now, if the network effect is to continue into these new devices, the issue becomes, can the netwrok effect arise from a committee, any committee, or does it require a single dominant agent, as Microsoft was the dominant agent earlier?

Because I am familiar with committees, I tend to believe the standard will be set by a company. That company might not be Microsoft. But one of the ways to identify the eventual winner, committee or competitor, is speed and flexibility of response to other technological changes. Microsoft has done well in this type of situation before, so I definitely would not count them out in this situation.

Posted by: Anton Philidor   Posted on: 03/17/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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