Michael's Minutes: The Desk Theory

From: Russell McOrmond <russell _-at-_ flora.ca>
To: No DMCA in Canada <canada-dmca-opponents (at) flora.org>, CanOpenER <tba-discuss (at) canopener.ca>
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 21:46:04 -0500 (EST)

Interesting viewpoint:
  http://www.lindows.com/lindows_michaelsminutes.php


P.S.  For the "Canadian Connection", see:
   http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,81783,00.asp
   http://www.xandros.com/



Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 17:12:20 -0800
From: Michael Robertson <michaelr@lindows.com>
To: Lindows.com Friends <lfp@lists.lindows.com>
Subject: Michael's Minutes: The Desk Theory

Remember when every house had just one television? Today, it's not uncommon
for families to have multiple televisions. The personal computer is poised
to experience the same phenomenon. The tipping point will be when a personal
computer is cheaper than the desk it sits on. Then we'll see PCs appearing
in every room of every house and employees will have more than one computer
on their desk.

As prices fall, PCs are moving from one per person (or per family)
big-ticket items to common appliances. They're becoming commodities that can
be dedicated to a task or a location. Tomorrow's teenager will be asking for
a "chat computer" to do instant messaging in their bedroom, just as the
generation before them pled for a telephone. Every major electronic
manufacturer sells a capable $500 computer and there's no indication that
the low-end price will stop there. This downward price trend will trigger an
explosion of computer ownership and ultimately close the digital divide.

Artificially high-prices for software is the one obstacle preventing this
trend from truly exploding. While Microsoft contends that no consumers (or
companies for that matter) have been hurt by their illegal practices over
the last decade, that's simply not true. With no competitors keeping
Microsoft's prices in check, they have consistently raised prices of their
software and instituted onerous licensing terms. Billions of dollars are
being transferred from consumer's wallets to Microsoft's coffers. More
importantly, these tactics have prevented computing from reaching the
digitally disadvantaged as well as slowed the growth of the multi-computer
family and business.


[snip - read full article on Lindows website]

  http://www.lindows.com/lindows_michaelsminutes_archives.php?id=8

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