Boy, I’m grinning like a Cheshire cat. Everyone likes to hammer MSFT for a history of fierce (and often exclusionary) competition. I won’t comment on that history because the past is the past. But I can say that Microsoft is competing to open up new markets these days. Here are two great examples:
1. Tomorrow, Verizon will start selling the Treo 700w (formerly known as the Treo 670). This new device will be based upon Windows Mobile 5. It will be fun to see whether or not Windows Mobile 5 will look as good on the small screen of the Treo. Currently, I like the HTC 6700 (Apache) sold through Sprint. But either way, I love the fact that two of the hottest smart phones now boast Windows Mobile 5. In this case, Microsoft is opening up the smart phone market.
2. Microsoft has released a beta version of Iron Python. Since ActiveState dropped their Visual Python tool, the new Iron Python will be the only real way of incorporating Python into the .Net framework. In short, Python developers can use one of the foremost scripting environments available today. Maybe a Visual Studio plugin for Javascript will come next!
-CyclingRoo-