A Tale of Three Tech Industry Warriors
Linked by David Adams on Mon 4th Apr 2011 02:19 UTC
Editorial Rob Enderle wrote an intriguing editorial for Digital Trends entitled "You can't call 'time out' in Silicon Valley," which examines the current battle between Apple, Google and Microsoft over the future of computing. In it, he draws some interesting parallels from the history of warfare, and notes that Microsoft and Google have made some of the classic blunders that have caused great armies to fail dramatically.
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Johnny
Member since:
2009-08-15

Thom,
I'm familiar with Rob Enderle's opinions, in particular, his open hostility to FOSS. From the wikipedia entry on him
<quote>
Enderle's analysis of free and open source software, Linux in particular, is disputed by the FOSS community.[19][20] Speaking publicly in 2004 in a talk announced under the title "Free Software and the Fools Who Use it"[21] and presented under the title "Free Software and the Idiots who Buy It" Enderle explained his "position on Linux as a Free software scam" claiming that "it doesn't contribute to anything" (i.e. neither any common good nor any private good) and that "it may not even be sustainable on a large scale". He went on to state that those who doubt SCO's right to extract revenue from Linux users "are attacking because they disagree with the legal rights of these companies" without mention that the Linux community believes that SCO is infringing on the rights of Linux's authors.[22][23] Enderle has consistently and repeatedly recommended against Linux and intimated its failure writing such things as: "Moving away from Red Hat is the better of the two options..."[24] (2004); "... the PC OEMs don't, and probably never will, fully support Linux on the desktop"[25] (2006); "Linux exists in an environment where ... the opportunity for traditional, old style, data breach is immeasurable."[26] (2007).
</quote>

I don't see how it's more possible to be inflammatory than that quote. After reading the Google vs. Apple part I can't help but wonder if this is not just yet another tired astroturf ploy.

Here are two articles you might find interesting concerning the relationship between Enderle and Microsoft:
<quote>
http://techrights.org/2008/12/11/rob-enderle-amazing-numbers/
</quote>
And
<quote>
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DE1DC1F3FF933A257...
</quote>

Edited 2011-04-04 03:11 UTC

Reply Score: 10

Soulbender Member since:
2005-08-18

Linux is for a very minor sector of nerds and IT guys. If you don't realize that, you are clueless.


Not in the server sector, it isn't. If you don't realize that, you are clueless.

Reply Parent Score: 7

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bilu Member since:
2007-09-19

What does that have to do with anything? Linux is for a very minor sector of nerds and IT guys. If you don't realize that, you are clueless.


If you're using a Bada, WebOS or Android phone or tablet then you're running a consumer product on top of a Linux kernel.

Smartphones, tablets, media players, set-top boxes and cloud solutions. Linux is all there, pervasively invading the consuming industry. Only a minor sector cares as you said, but a major part of clueless consumers is using it.

Reply Parent Score: 8

Soulbender Member since:
2005-08-18

What does that have to do with anything?


It shows that Enderle is a paid shill whose opinions carries 0 credibility.

Reply Parent Score: 7

Tuishimi Member since:
2005-07-06

All our servers run linux at work.

Reply Parent Score: 2

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RichterKuato Member since:
2010-05-14

Thom didn't write this it was David Adams. Also HTML isn't supported in comments try using BBCode.

Reply Parent Score: 1

bloodline Member since:
2008-07-28

While Rob Enderle may have the credibility of a Catholic Preist at a child's birthday party, I think David's article has abstracted some good points that are worth keeping in mind. Full credit to David for his efforts ;)

Reply Parent Score: 1

No it isnt Member since:
2005-11-14

Oh, did he? Enderle is making things up, as always.

Apple survived to become the juggernaut is is now, not by retrencing to work on its next big thing, but by focusing on making the best of the lineup it had, and using that momentum to make better products. To use a military slogan that was all too overused during the time of Apple's renaissance, "you have to fight with the army you have."
In actual fact, it's absolute hogwash. Apple survived by dumping everything they had: first MacOS Classic, then the PPC. Along with that (and somewhat earlier), they entered a new era of industrial design, with more colourful products like the iMac and the original iBook, which surely has been a big part of their recipe for success. But imagine selling a MacBook to run OS 9.x today? Or an updated Powerbook in the same price range, with CPU power comparable to entry level Intel laptops? Not even the RDF and a dozen new primary colours could help Apple with that.

Reply Parent Score: 4

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