Aardvark Daily aardvark (ard'-vark) a controversial animal with a long probing nose used for sniffing out the facts and stimulating thought and discussion.

NZ's leading source of Net-Industry news and commentary since 1995
Australasia's "New Economy" News And Commentary Site
Headlines | XML feed | Contact | New Sites | Press Bin | Job Centre | MARKETPLACE | For Sale
Note: This column represents the opinions of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
Please Don't Pick On Microsoft 8 April 2002 Edition
Previous Edition

Million $ Ideas
At last, the contents of Aardvark's "million-dollar ideas" notebook are revealed for all to see!
Click To See
According to IDG, a local company (Infraserv) has lashed out at Microsoft's "Software Assurance" programme by filing a complaint with the Commerce Commission alleging anticompetitive behaviour.

My first thoughts on hearing this were "good on ya, it's about time Microsoft's high-handed attitude to the market was reigned in" -- but then I changed my mind.

Come on folks -- Microsoft isn't the only circus in town.

If companies think Microsoft's "Software Assurance" or any other product/service offered by the company for that matter, is poor value -- then don't buy it!

Instead of filling Billy-boy's wallet with chump-change and lining the pockets of lawyers, why not bite the bullet and shift platforms?

Aardvark's Web-site Survey Service
If you're launching a new website, upgrading an existing one, or just frustrated that your web-presence isn't performing as it should then maybe you need an Aardvark Site Survey. Read more...

Let's face it, Microsoft has more than enough skilled sharks and effectively bottomless pockets so battling them in the courts will, at best, produce just a moral victory.

Even if the Commerce Commission rules against Microsoft, odds are that the company will simple do something equally as tricky to squeeze money from its corporate customers -- and then everyone's back where they started (except the taxpayer and Infraserve who will still be out of pocket). Why not just move to a new OS and/or office-productivity suite AND free yourself from Microsoft's shackles forever.

Readers Say
(updated hourly)
  • K12LTSP... - Drew
  • Complaint against MS... - Grant
  • Have Your Say

    Microsoft is very much aware of the threat that alternatives such as Linux, Lindows, Open Office, and other alternatives represent to its dominance -- and that's probably one reason for the existence of the "Software Assurance" programme.

    It appears that the software giant fully expects competition to bite into its market and the SA strategy is simply a way of giving them two year's breathing space before they have to come up with an effective countermeasure.

    Here are some of *my* recommendations for checking Microsoft's overzealous (ab)use of its virtual monopoly:

    • Smart IT managers should right now (if they haven't already) be transitioning their users away from MS Outlook. There are plenty of fine alternatives on the market and some (like the home-grown Pegasus Email) are even free.

      The costs associated with staff learning a new tool will likely be more than offset by the significantly reduced exposure to the endless stream of opportunities (which are still coming) that Outlook represents to your friendly cracker and virus writer. Remember -- just because it comes as part of the Windows package doesn't mean it's the best tool for the job!

    • Someone in your organisation should at least be learning about Linux and evaluating it as an alternative to Windows for some (if not all) applications. Linux has proven itself to be a great platform for implementing intranets and other server systems -- with the added bonus that (just as in the previous example) you'll be freed from the endless stream of bugs and vulnerabilities that are included as a standard feature of Microsoft's IIS.

    • Someone should also be looking closely at the various alternatives to MS Office. There are a few and some are very, very good.
    In short -- stop ya whining and use your initiative.

    Sure, in the case of a large company with many workstations and many staff, the costs will be high -- but do you really think that Microsoft are going to do anything other than continue to hike their prices in coming years?

    Bite the bullet now, while you can still afford to!

    And stop feeding the damned sharks :-)

    Have your say.

    Aardvark's Garage Sale
    It's time to clear out the closet here at Aardvark's country residence so I'm having a bit of a garage sale. I need to spend a whole lot more time and money on my jet engine R&D activities (now that the defense industry has shown a very real interest) -- so I'm trying to scrape up some more cash.

    I'm selling my pulsejet manufacturing business. This would be perfect for either a semi-retired engineer/machinist who wants to earn some pretty good money building these things and exporting them to the world -- or an established engineering shop who want to break into a new (very export oriented) market. I can provide an ongoing stream of orders through my website and since I've run out of time to meet the demand, the sale will include a growing "waiting list" of new customers ready to place their orders.

    Anyone interested in any of these things should drop me a line.

    Add Aardvark To Your Own Website!
    Got a moment? Want a little extra fresh content for your own website or page?

    Just add a couple of lines of JavaScript to your pages and you can get a free summary of Aardvark's daily commentary -- automatically updated each and every week-day.

    Aardvark also makes a summary of this daily column available via XML using the RSS format. More details can be found here.

    Contact me if you decide to use either of these feeds and have any problems.

    Did you tell someone else about Aardvark today? If not then do it now!

    Latest
    Security Alerts
    Two new "critical" bugs patched in IE (ZDNet - 01/04/2002)

    Second Java hole poses Windows risk (CNet - 20/03/2002)

    Microsoft offers patch for Java software (CNet - 06/03/2002)

    CERT Warns of Flaws In RADIUS Implementations (InternetNews - 6/03/2002)

    Webmasters Urged To Plug PHP Security Hole NewsBytes - 27/02/2002)

    Latest
    Virus Alerts
    'Bill Clinton' Worm Gets Around (NewsBytes - 22/03/2002)

    Gibe worm poses as a Microsoft update (ZDNet - 6/03/2002)

    German worm makes PCs kaput (The Reg - 20/02/2002)

    Bookmark This Page Now!

     

    MORE NEWS
    NZL Sites
    IDG.Net.nz
    NZ Netguide
    NZ Herald Tech
    PC World NZ
    Scoop
    NZOOM Technology WordWorx

    AUS Sites
    ZDNet
    Fairfax IT
    Australian IT
    AUS Netguide
    NineMSN Tech
    APC Magazine

    USA Sites
    Wired.com
    CNet
    CNNfn Tech
    TechWeb
    Yahoo Tech
    ZDNet Tech
    USA Today Tech
    7am.com SciTech

    UK Sites
    The Register
    BBC SciTech

     

    The Day's Top News
    Open in New Window = open in new window
    New Zealand

    Open in New Window Microsoft NZ hit with Commerce Commission complaint
    Auckland firm Infraserv has complained about Microsoft to the Commerce Commission alleging anticompetitive behaviour...
    IDG

    Open in New Window Health websites respond to Net sweep
    The Health Ministry says eight of the 10 New Zealand Internet health websites identified during a Net sweep for sites breaching the Medicines Act appear to be responding positively to warnings...
    Stuff

    Other

    Open in New Window Overture sues Google over search patent
    Paid-search listing company Overture Services has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Google, saying the rival search service overstepped its bounds with its ad-placement tools...
    CNet

    Open in New Window More Government, Military Databases Left Exposed
    For the third time in less than a month, internal databases owned by U.S. government agencies have been found exposed to anyone with a Web browser...
    NewsBytes

    Open in New Window Microsoft Plugs Holes in NT, 2000, XP
    'If compromised, [the security hole] would allow anybody to take over the privileges allowed to everybody else,' Aberdeen Group vice president Jim Hurley told NewsFactor....
    NewsFactor

    Open in New Window Man takes sledgehammer to faulty PC
    After returning a persistently faulty PC to a shop five times over three months, a Wisconsin man snapped and took it apart with a sledgehammer in front of shocked shoppers...
    The Register

    Open in New Window Implantable Spy Chip Gets Green Light from U.S.
    A Florida company will begin marketing and selling a microchip that can be implanted under the skin, after receiving the go-ahead from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...
    NewsFactor

    Australia

    Open in New Window Westpac denies nine-day Net outage
    Wespac Bank has denied it is still floundering from a pre-Easter technical fault that has lasted nine days, saying recent congestion to an online banking tool is a “completely separate” issue...
    ZDNet

    Open in New Window CDMA footprint shadows more rural communites
    Telstra has won a government tender to expand its CDMA coverage in Australian rural communities...
    ZDNet

    Other

    Open in New Window E-government could 'waste millions'
    The [British] national audit office says a revolution in leadership is needed if public services are to avoid wasting millions of pounds of public money on internet technology that fails to engage the public...
    The Guardian

    Open in New Window Piracy pillages music industry
    Crystal Wong is the kind of person who petrifies entertainment executives. The 24-year-old San Mateo, Calif. resident, who handles human resources at an Internet security company, rarely visits record stores anymore...
    USA Today

    Open in New Window Websites watch and learn
    Websites are using increasingly sophisticated methods to watch what surfers are doing and to make e-commerce pay...
    BBC

    Open in New Window Professor's time travel idea fires up the imagination
    Ronald Mallett, a physicist at the University of Connecticut, believes he knows how to build a time machine - an actual device that could send something or someone from the future to the past, or vice versa...
    Boston Globe/I>

    Open in New Window Web talk lands some in hot water
    Fish hobbyists on the Internet have been gurgling about something other than their tanks lately. It has to do with freedom of speech, and it impacts all of us who log on...
    MSNBC


    Looking For More News or Information?

    Google
    Search WWW Search Aardvark

    Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2001, Bruce Simpson, republication rights available on request

    jet engine page