Linux Vaporware

As a student of monopolies, I loath the behavior of Microsoft which looks like other monopolies of the past. They patrol their intellectual properties like Standard Oil patrolled their oil fields. They attempt to get the US Government to intervene in anti-trust cases in places outside the US such as Korea and the European Union like the East India Tea Company did with the English government.



They announce vaporware like IBM of the 1960s:"Paper Machines and Phantom Computers". That's what Control Data Corporation called one of IBM's practices in its anti-trust case filed in 1968.



In a trial back in 1995, a District Judge named Sporkin, refused to consent to a Microsoft-Justice Department settlement. Sporkin refers to vaporware when he wrote:

" Here is the dominant firm in the software industry admitting it `preannounces' products to freeze the current software market and thereby defeat the marketing plans of competitors that have products ready for market. Microsoft admits that the preannouncement is solely for the purpose of having an adverse impact on a competitor's product. Its counsel states it has advised its client that the practice is perfectly legal. . .

Linux and so-called open source companies do similar things. I doubt if they do it to freeze competition. Regardless, don't you dislike the practice? Would you rather not see these announcements? I'm sure that's a rhetorical question.

I recall a few times when I shook hands on a proposed joint effort with another company only to hear the "PR" word. I couldn't understand why people seemed so eager to put out a press release.

Here's a word to those who submit press releases to become known: It doesn't work. You blend in like a wall flower. Comixpedia, STI, Kororaa, Canoo, Scali, AptSoft, Volante, DataCore, CiperTrust, SMS Labs, Enea, Xorp, On2 Technologies, and more litter the news.

I do not expect the onslaught to stop any time soon. Still, I wish it would. Nobody really cares about unknown companies planning to do something with Red Hat's Enterprise server or whatever.

Have I offended potentially wealthy startup companies? Sure. I can continue to hope they stop telling us want they're going to do and just do it. Then we might recognize the name.