Another grey "Grey Eagle (or is it gray?), Jean-Louis Gassee says he's concerned about Steve Ballmer's getting distracted on his ride to work. He shouldn't be. The issue Jean-Louis mentions is the competition with free software. But the numbers don't back up the concern.
Every time we look at the issue, Windows is gaining by taking share away from "other" and Linux is gaining by taking share away from its predecessor, UNIX. (Also see here.) The past is not a predicter of the future but there does not seem to be anything to change that trend in the server operating software world.
Jean-Louis' concerns about how Windows might do on appliances vis a vis Linux (or some other free/open source software-FOSS) is legitimate. But as for the desktop, that ship has sailed.
And Ballmer isn't really the guy that has to worry about such things any more on the drive in, Jean-Louis. it's another grey Grey (or Gray) Eagle, Ray Ozzie (see February 21 post in February 2008 archive). As Gassee hints at, by the time FOSS could be doing anything to Microsoft in the market, Microsoft (MSFT) will be in a different market.
But I'm sure Steve appreciates Jean-Louis' concern.
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