Bill Gates is a very rich man today... and all because of one word: versions, says Dave Barry, American humourist
It’s a battle of wits out there between the
global software giants. Such is the level of competition that the advent of Web applications from Google, adversely affect Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) and growth of Gates’ bank account; conversely, new, successful versions of Microsoft software does the same to Google and Schmidt. Well, Dave Barry’s comment on the source of Bill Gates’ wealth is tongue-in-cheek but is not without merit. Although the comment was made about Microsoft software, with slight modification, it also describes Web software magnates such as Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google.
This column looks at the business of COTS and Web software from an individual and business users’ perspective. To make the comparison concrete, I will focus on two representative applications, Microsoft’s Outlook e-mail client and Exchange e-mail server and the Google Mail service (Gmail). But the pros and cons below are not by any means limited to Microsoft software or Google services; they are applicable to any COTS or Web software.
MS Outlook and Exchange Server: Pros & Cons
The first version of Microsoft’s Exchange server was officially released as version 4.0 in June 1996. The first version of the Outlook e-mail client (Outlook 97 or version 8.0) was released with Exchange server 5.5; though, Outlook, now known as Office Outlook, is at version 12 (Outlook 2007). What are the pros to this typical COTS application? The data, e-mail in this case, is under one’s own control. Data stored with the e-mail client and with the e-mail server are on one’s own computers. No one else – assuming that proper attention is given to security – can read, write, or tinker with the e-mail data. And because data is under one’s own control, one can choose to switch or migrate to different e-mail software. (This is not the simplest of tasks, but it is possible.)
The cons? The data is under one’s own control. No, this does not contradict the previous paragraph. Controlling one’s own data and software necessitates software installation, configuration, and update as well as the backup and restoration of data. Most users and many businesses have neither the expertise nor the time for this.
Other cons: Versions of Exchange and Outlook are released every 2-4 years. New versions offer new features and fix problems in prior versions. But even if one is happy with old software and would not otherwise upgrade to a new version, new versions sunset older versions and therefore compel an upgrade. (A sunset version means that it is no longer supported). The intended effect of sunset is to reduce Microsoft’s costs; a welcome side effect – at least to Microsoft -- is that users are compelled to buy a newer version.
Microsoft’s unspoken policy is that it actively supports the current and previous software versions or, in this case Outlook and Exchange versions 2003 and 2007 (a security update for the previous version, Outlook 2002, was last released in March 2006; the last security update for Outlook 2003 was in October 2007). If one has an older computer with adequate performance to run Windows 98 but wants to keep abreast of the latest security updates, then, because each new version of Windows requires more powerful hardware than the previous version, one is forced to buy new hardware in order to run the new operating system, and a newer version of Outlook to avoid newly discovered software security holes.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
It’s a battle of wits out there between the
global software giants. Such is the level of competition that the advent of Web applications from Google, adversely affect Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) and growth of Gates’ bank account; conversely, new, successful versions of Microsoft software does the same to Google and Schmidt. Well, Dave Barry’s comment on the source of Bill Gates’ wealth is tongue-in-cheek but is not without merit. Although the comment was made about Microsoft software, with slight modification, it also describes Web software magnates such as Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google.This column looks at the business of COTS and Web software from an individual and business users’ perspective. To make the comparison concrete, I will focus on two representative applications, Microsoft’s Outlook e-mail client and Exchange e-mail server and the Google Mail service (Gmail). But the pros and cons below are not by any means limited to Microsoft software or Google services; they are applicable to any COTS or Web software.
MS Outlook and Exchange Server: Pros & Cons
The first version of Microsoft’s Exchange server was officially released as version 4.0 in June 1996. The first version of the Outlook e-mail client (Outlook 97 or version 8.0) was released with Exchange server 5.5; though, Outlook, now known as Office Outlook, is at version 12 (Outlook 2007). What are the pros to this typical COTS application? The data, e-mail in this case, is under one’s own control. Data stored with the e-mail client and with the e-mail server are on one’s own computers. No one else – assuming that proper attention is given to security – can read, write, or tinker with the e-mail data. And because data is under one’s own control, one can choose to switch or migrate to different e-mail software. (This is not the simplest of tasks, but it is possible.)
The cons? The data is under one’s own control. No, this does not contradict the previous paragraph. Controlling one’s own data and software necessitates software installation, configuration, and update as well as the backup and restoration of data. Most users and many businesses have neither the expertise nor the time for this.
Other cons: Versions of Exchange and Outlook are released every 2-4 years. New versions offer new features and fix problems in prior versions. But even if one is happy with old software and would not otherwise upgrade to a new version, new versions sunset older versions and therefore compel an upgrade. (A sunset version means that it is no longer supported). The intended effect of sunset is to reduce Microsoft’s costs; a welcome side effect – at least to Microsoft -- is that users are compelled to buy a newer version.
Microsoft’s unspoken policy is that it actively supports the current and previous software versions or, in this case Outlook and Exchange versions 2003 and 2007 (a security update for the previous version, Outlook 2002, was last released in March 2006; the last security update for Outlook 2003 was in October 2007). If one has an older computer with adequate performance to run Windows 98 but wants to keep abreast of the latest security updates, then, because each new version of Windows requires more powerful hardware than the previous version, one is forced to buy new hardware in order to run the new operating system, and a newer version of Outlook to avoid newly discovered software security holes.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist)
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