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Its not for our benefit...
Apr. 30th, 2003 12:49 pmMicrosoft to support Linux for Windows Media. On the surface, this looks like its a good thing for Linux users, but the reality is quite different.
M$ Media, like all "new" M$ products today, exists for one purpose only: to put another product out of business entirely and keep exclusively M$ software on the desktop. In this case, its a two-pronged attack. First, it targets Real, which is the only substantial product line that supports linux, and M$ knows that linux alone may be enough to keep Real around. Second, it targets QuickTime of course, since QT doesn't support linux, it gives M$ a marketting edge. "Look, Quicktime isn't really multi-platform!".
Finally, since Windows Media is one of the few formats that supports DRM standards, it gives them a marketting edge by increasing the customer base, which is something Apple can't do quickly unless they also go Linux with their media products (which Apple doesn't want to do, hoping that the combo of their media products + the excellence of OSX with its Unix baseline, will be the killer app to sell more Macs).
So its two-pronged. First is to kill off Real fairly quickly, Second is to heat up the media-format war against Apple.
In no way is this being done for the benefit of Linux users. Linux is being used by M$ in its war against the other media software companies.
M$ Media, like all "new" M$ products today, exists for one purpose only: to put another product out of business entirely and keep exclusively M$ software on the desktop. In this case, its a two-pronged attack. First, it targets Real, which is the only substantial product line that supports linux, and M$ knows that linux alone may be enough to keep Real around. Second, it targets QuickTime of course, since QT doesn't support linux, it gives M$ a marketting edge. "Look, Quicktime isn't really multi-platform!".
Finally, since Windows Media is one of the few formats that supports DRM standards, it gives them a marketting edge by increasing the customer base, which is something Apple can't do quickly unless they also go Linux with their media products (which Apple doesn't want to do, hoping that the combo of their media products + the excellence of OSX with its Unix baseline, will be the killer app to sell more Macs).
So its two-pronged. First is to kill off Real fairly quickly, Second is to heat up the media-format war against Apple.
In no way is this being done for the benefit of Linux users. Linux is being used by M$ in its war against the other media software companies.
