Does Microsoft have any real competition?

Does Microsoft Have any Real Competition? Copyright (c) 2003 Gregory S. Diehl In a word, yes.

And I think they are about to get more.

Microsoft primarily dominates in operating systems and office productivity software.

Windows is going to be the dominant OS for some time. But I think things will get much more interesting with the Novell/SuSE merger. The giant IBM was already behind Linux. (People forget that if IBM's software division were a separate company, it would be number two only to Microsoft.) Now, they face the challenge from a company that knows how to market to the enterprise, which Red Hat does not. SuSE gets the channels and business partners it needs worldwide; Novell can assure its survival beyond NetWare as a competitor to the hated Microsoft. (Novell feels about as strongly about the folks from the Northwest as Sun does.)

And speaking of Sun, they are aggressively pushing StarOffice as an alternative to Microsoft Office. It offers file compatibility, so anyone on a budget may want to at least consider it. Corel is also hanging in there with WordPerfect and other products, and Novell has GroupWise. So there is at least a little competition in office productivity, although admittedly not much. StarOffice is now available in the retail channel, so that may change.

With Sun and IBM pushing Java/J2EE as the platform for Web services, .NET is getting all the competition it can handle. For dynamic Web publishing (updating from a database) I seem to see at least as many pages with .jsp (Java Server Pages) or .php (Hypertext Preprocessor) as I do .asp (Active Server Pages, from Microsoft) on the file name. (If you've ever wondered what those strange things were that were not .htm or .html, that's it!)

There are two areas where Microsoft is not even close to first place.

Most Web servers are Apache running under Linux, not Microsoft's Internet Information Server on a Windows box.

In the database arena, Microsoft really faces stiff competition. IBM is still number one with DB2, and Oracle is close behind. While SQL Server 2000 is much more robust and enterprise-ready than its predecessors, it is still in third place. (Albeit a tighter third place with the scalability and other features of SQL Server 2000.) On the charts with a bullet is MySQL, the Linux of the database world that is gaining more market share in enterprises not needing the features of a DB2 or Oracle.

So, does Microsoft have competition? Yes, even in areas of near-monopoly, there is at least some competition.

About the author: Gregory S. Diehl has almost 35 years experience in applying technology to solve business problems and expand opportunities. He has worked as a systems analyst, programmer, technical writer, Web developer and numerous other roles. A Master CIW Designer, he is currently starting a Web design and development firm in Las Vegas. http://www.gsdweb.net http://www.lonewolfreviews.com webmaster@gsdweb.net

---

What to Do if All Screensavers Fun is Grayed Out?

Finally, you have some time to personalize your desktop with... Read More

Professional Software Icons For Your Standalone Application

User interfaces and accessibility are some of the most important... Read More

Is Your Computer Sick?

Viruses and spyware usually show up on your computer one... Read More

Seven Reasons Why a Hosted Inventory Management Solution Might Be Right For Your Organization

Upgrading. Downtime. Maintenance. Hardware obsolescence. Implementation issues. The litany of... Read More

A Simple Guide To Wikis

A wiki is an editable text-based website. But you don't... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Furniture & Fixtures ? Implementation & Customization Highlights

Microsoft Great Plains, former Great Plains Software Dynamics / eEnterprise... Read More

Software Review: Xsitepro Total Site Management Software

It's not very often I get excited about a software... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains GL: General Ledger ? Overview For Consultant

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is marketed for mid-size companies... Read More

The Dreaded Paper Label - Should it be Used?

While paper labeling CDs and DVDs may appear to be... Read More

Spyware, What is it?

Spyware, what it is and what it does. Basically, spyware... Read More

SpyBot - Search and Destroy versus Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta).... My personal experiences...

Ok... Where to start?Well, I guess I will start at... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains eCommerce: overview for developer

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains was designed back in the... Read More

A Simple Computer Software Definition

What is Software?Software is a set of instruction written to... Read More

Microsoft CRM USA Nationwide Remote Support

Remember old good days when your company probably had Great... Read More

Getting Patched with Windows Service Pack

Are you one of those people that keeps track of... Read More

Groupware as a Document Manager: Collaboration Series #3

This article is the third of a series of articles... Read More

Explore the Internet in a Whole New Way

For a long time now Microsoft's Internet Explorer has ruled... Read More

What You Should Know About Installing Screensavers

Do you remember that frustrating feeling when you find an... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Nationwide Remote Support

ERP Consulting industry is on the way to serve clients... Read More

Software: What Suits Me?

Almost all new and major brand of PCs come with... Read More

Information Products: A Business Owners Best Friend

We live in a post-industrial age where information is the... Read More

Software Companies: Generate New Revenue Streams and Decrease Costs with Custom e-Learning Content

It's no secret that software companies operate in a very... Read More

Beware of Spyware

One day, you suddenly realize that your computer started to... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Distribution, Barcoding, Consignment ? overview for consultant

Microsoft Great Plains ? ERM from Microsoft Business Solutions and... Read More

Protect Your Most Vital Business Asset with Security Software

Homeland security, airport security, Internet security â?" these days weâ??re... Read More

Open Source Concepts: Dual Licensing Explained

We were recently faced with a decision: either to let... Read More

Are You Waiting for Microsoft Longhorn Operating System

I love new technology. I am still ready to wait... Read More

How to Upgrade Dexterity Customization ? Tips for IT Manager

If you have Microsoft Great Plains and support it... Read More

Spyware Definitions List

The adware and spyware definitions list is very long. But... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Remote Support - Overview

Microsoft Great Plains is now standard mid-market ERP application, serving... Read More

Navision Attain C/ODBC Crystal Report ? Customization Example

Microsoft Business Solutions Navision is main ERP application for European,... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains BR: Bank Reconciliation

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is marketed for mid-size companies... Read More

Groove Network. Are you in it?

If you are in a business that passes documents around... Read More