Re: Microsoft Navision buyout?

[Derek Neighbors]

> The APIs change often enough that what's Particularly Keen now isn't
> likely to function anymore in another few years.

I think they can make it harder, but I dont think they can keep out
someone whom is determined.

> And when everything newer depends on COM interfaces, and that gets
> changed over to "BizTalk-SOAP-2003" in "Win2003", well, it sure means
> that "always survives" is debatable.

I think this is just not feasible, remember they have partners and
people other than themselves that write applications for their platform.
 Every change they make to lock free software developers out causes them
to change their own application code and all their partners to do the
same.

While they certainly can do this, to do so at a pace that actually
locked free software developers out would drive them out as well.  Some
examples are SAMBA and the smb protocols, but most recently...

AOL Instant Messenger, remember they tried to keep others from playing
and were having to release updates so often they ended up locking out
their own users whom started to complain so that they had to stop, and
its a heck of a lot easier to deploy AOL IM than an operating system.

-derek