wrote in message
...




It is not just Microsoft, adobe is the same way. There are now PDFs
all over the internet that you can't open with a version of the reader
that runs on W98, yet it is still just a picture of a page. Where is
the increased value ... other than making software companies a little
richer.




Hmmmm... With that logic, the automobile industry should have stopped
with
the model "T".

Eisboch



If the actual benefit to the customer didn't improve they should have
kept building model Ts. Probably why they did for 18 years.
Creating a new format that is not backward compatible, simply because
they can is pure greed.


It's also how companies stay in business.

Eisboch

wrote:
Well, perhaps the creators of those .PDFs liked the additional features
available with the later editions. FOXIT is a pretty good .PDF reader,
free, contemporary, and it runs on Win 98:

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php


It is more likely that the new version was something the users didn't
really want but it was foisted on them by an IT manager who just wants
the latest thing. I know a lot of people in the worker bee class these
days and none of them understand why Vista is any better than the XP
applications they had. If your mission doesn't change, why should your
software?
When I was in the computer biz, the most successful customers I had
were always several years off of the bleeding edge.


I thought XP offered a lot more stability and useful features in
comparison to 98.

Eisboch wrote:
wrote in message
...


It is not just Microsoft, adobe is the same way. There are now PDFs
all over the internet that you can't open with a version of the reader
that runs on W98, yet it is still just a picture of a page. Where is
the increased value ... other than making software companies a little
richer.



Hmmmm... With that logic, the automobile industry should have stopped
with
the model "T".

Eisboch


If the actual benefit to the customer didn't improve they should have
kept building model Ts. Probably why they did for 18 years.
Creating a new format that is not backward compatible, simply because
they can is pure greed.


It's also how companies stay in business.

Eisboch



That only is accurate if they make a superior product than the
competition. If MS continues to make a product that the consumer is not
happy with, it opens the door for serious competition.

Reginald P. Smithers III wrote:
Eisboch wrote:
wrote in message
...


It is not just Microsoft, adobe is the same way. There are now PDFs
all over the internet that you can't open with a version of the reader
that runs on W98, yet it is still just a picture of a page. Where is
the increased value ... other than making software companies a little
richer.



Hmmmm... With that logic, the automobile industry should have
stopped with
the model "T".

Eisboch


If the actual benefit to the customer didn't improve they should have
kept building model Ts. Probably why they did for 18 years.
Creating a new format that is not backward compatible, simply because
they can is pure greed.


It's also how companies stay in business.

Eisboch


That only is accurate if they make a superior product than the
competition. If MS continues to make a product that the consumer is not
happy with, it opens the door for serious competition.


Yes, there are all sorts of systems software manufacturers making great
inroads into Microsoft's market share on PC operating systems. Why,
there's x....and y...and z.

Having said that, though, I do believe Apple's porting of UNIX into
Leopard (or Leopard onto UNIX) and its use of the UNIX foundation are
pretty slick. Apple's business model requires it to charge premium
prices for its hardware, though, and in today's overly competitive
market, that is keeping it from attaining the market share it might
achieve if it operated differently.

HK wrote:
Reginald P. Smithers III wrote:
Eisboch wrote:
wrote in message
...


It is not just Microsoft, adobe is the same way. There are now PDFs
all over the internet that you can't open with a version of the
reader
that runs on W98, yet it is still just a picture of a page. Where is
the increased value ... other than making software companies a little
richer.



Hmmmm... With that logic, the automobile industry should have
stopped with
the model "T".

Eisboch


If the actual benefit to the customer didn't improve they should have
kept building model Ts. Probably why they did for 18 years.
Creating a new format that is not backward compatible, simply because
they can is pure greed.


It's also how companies stay in business.

Eisboch


That only is accurate if they make a superior product than the
competition. If MS continues to make a product that the consumer is
not happy with, it opens the door for serious competition.


Yes, there are all sorts of systems software manufacturers making great
inroads into Microsoft's market share on PC operating systems. Why,
there's x....and y...and z.

Having said that, though, I do believe Apple's porting of UNIX into
Leopard (or Leopard onto UNIX) and its use of the UNIX foundation are
pretty slick. Apple's business model requires it to charge premium
prices for its hardware, though, and in today's overly competitive
market, that is keeping it from attaining the market share it might
achieve if it operated differently.

You are missing the most obvioius, even with charging close to double
the cost for a comparable PC system, Apple has doubled it's market share
since the introduction of Vista. If Apple did change it business model
of being a systems company and not a computer company, MS would be in a
world of hurt.

"Reginald P. Smithers III" "Reggie is Here wrote in message
. ..
Eisboch wrote:
wrote in message
...


It is not just Microsoft, adobe is the same way. There are now PDFs
all over the internet that you can't open with a version of the reader
that runs on W98, yet it is still just a picture of a page. Where is
the increased value ... other than making software companies a little
richer.



Hmmmm... With that logic, the automobile industry should have stopped
with
the model "T".

Eisboch


If the actual benefit to the customer didn't improve they should have
kept building model Ts. Probably why they did for 18 years.
Creating a new format that is not backward compatible, simply because
they can is pure greed.


It's also how companies stay in business.

Eisboch

That only is accurate if they make a superior product than the
competition. If MS continues to make a product that the consumer is not
happy with, it opens the door for serious competition.


That wasn't my point. My point was that in order to grow and stay in
business, an established company has to come out with new, better, and
supposedly improved products. If they don't, the company goes flat once
their initial product saturates the market.

Polaroid had a unique marketing scheme to deal with this. They would
introduce a high end instant camera and sell it for big bucks until sales
dropped. Then, they would re-package the same camera in a cheaper housing
and sell it at a lower price. Once that product saturated, it would be
introduced again in a "really" cheap housing, maybe minus a feature or two
and sold at a bargain price.

How much of what you use today with respect to computer software or hardware
is backwards compatible to your first computer?
When was the last time you used a 5-1/4" floppy?

Eisboch

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:06:56 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


wrote in message
.. .

It is not just Microsoft, adobe is the same way. There are now PDFs
all over the internet that you can't open with a version of the reader
that runs on W98, yet it is still just a picture of a page. Where is
the increased value ... other than making software companies a little
richer.

Hmmmm... With that logic, the automobile industry should have stopped
with
the model "T".

If the actual benefit to the customer didn't improve they should have
kept building model Ts. Probably why they did for 18 years.
Creating a new format that is not backward compatible, simply because
they can is pure greed.

It's also how companies stay in business.

True and innovation drives success.

However to the larger point, a personal example.

When I first installed Thunderbird, it worked fine - simple to use,
did the job, no messing around with different menus, etc.

One day, Thunderbird upgraded itself - no choice in the matter. And
what was simple and easy, now became a problem. Only one email
account worked. Turns out they changed the way the account data is
entered - what had been done on one entry page, now takes three.

And as far as I can see, there isnt' any reason for it. It's just an
unnecessary complication under the guise of "improvement".

That's the way it is with most software.

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:58:14 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

When was the last time you used a 5-1/4" floppy?

I'll bet Tim has. :)

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:39:48 -0400, Reginald P. Smithers III wrote:


That only is accurate if they make a superior product than the
competition. If MS continues to make a product that the consumer is not
happy with, it opens the door for serious competition.

They have a long way to go before they will have "serious" competition,
but Apple *is* coming on strong. I'm just disappointed that all this
negative Vista attention, hasn't translated to much of an increase in
Linux use. Linux is still 1-2%, depending on how you measure.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1520

Eisboch wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III" "Reggie is Here wrote in message
. ..
Eisboch wrote:
wrote in message
...


It is not just Microsoft, adobe is the same way. There are now PDFs
all over the internet that you can't open with a version of the reader
that runs on W98, yet it is still just a picture of a page. Where is
the increased value ... other than making software companies a little
richer.

Hmmmm... With that logic, the automobile industry should have stopped
with
the model "T".

Eisboch

If the actual benefit to the customer didn't improve they should have
kept building model Ts. Probably why they did for 18 years.
Creating a new format that is not backward compatible, simply because
they can is pure greed.

It's also how companies stay in business.

Eisboch
That only is accurate if they make a superior product than the
competition. If MS continues to make a product that the consumer is not
happy with, it opens the door for serious competition.


That wasn't my point. My point was that in order to grow and stay in
business, an established company has to come out with new, better, and
supposedly improved products. If they don't, the company goes flat once
their initial product saturates the market.

Polaroid had a unique marketing scheme to deal with this. They would
introduce a high end instant camera and sell it for big bucks until sales
dropped. Then, they would re-package the same camera in a cheaper housing
and sell it at a lower price. Once that product saturated, it would be
introduced again in a "really" cheap housing, maybe minus a feature or two
and sold at a bargain price.

How much of what you use today with respect to computer software or hardware
is backwards compatible to your first computer?
When was the last time you used a 5-1/4" floppy?

Eisboch



Polaroid's marketing scheme is consistent with new product categories,
or radical new designs where you make a much higher profit margin during
the initial introduction selling to individuals who always want cutting
edge products. Companies will continue to lower profit margin as
capacity increases and make up the lower margin by increasing the units
sold.

My dogs love to run after the 5 1/4 in floppies and they are much
cheaper than fresbies.