Microsoft plots...coup against Java
Microsoft Corp is believed to have trained its acquisition crosshairs on Macromedia Inc, lining up a deal that would throw enterprise Java into a spin, Gavin Clarke writes.
Industry and analyst sources believe Microsoft covets San Francisco, California-based Macromedia's Flash vector graphics design tool and player, which was radically updated this year...
...Flash would give Microsoft access to tools for building rich interfaces on both desktops and mobile devices, furthering .NET.
An acquisition, though, would be seen as a hostile move deliberately designed to thwart J2EE uptake. Flash is a powerful and rich development environment, which - through Macromedia's changes this year - took a step closer to J2EE...more [The Register]
This is a nightmare scenario. It's also a classic example of the excess of Monopoly. Microsoft (a convicted monopolist) would use some of the huge cash hoard it has ill-gained by price gouging it's customers. In doing so they will decrease competition and and kill innovation in another segment of the industry.
Microsoft is the Neutron Bomb of competition, they kill all the people and leave the buildings standing. If they attempt this take-over, we can only hope that someone steps in to stop it. This story is ironic given the court victory Sun just won. If Microsoft can't win by making Java hard to use and incompatible, then they will simply kill Java by removing developer support.
Graphics software has been a healthy category, with a lot of competition, and a lot of innovation. Over time that will all end if Microsoft is allowed to do this...mj
4:29:24 PM 
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