[Zope] Zope killed by TCPA?

[Chris McDonough]

This is pretty interesting.  I'm not sure there can be a community
response to this.

If TCPA takes root, I think what will result is an even more pronounced
split between Microsoft server apps and desktop apps and back-end
systems like Apache and Zope and whatnot.  Those who like and trust
Microsoft will go the TCPA hardware way.  Those who don't won't.  There
will be a healthy market for non-TCPA enabled computers for those who
don't want to run MS software.

I think TCPA is making a mistake.  No small or midsized company wants to
buy a computer that they can't run untrusted (read: pirated) software
on, period.  I think that pirated MS software is the major driving force
behind MS' control over document and OS standards.  They will give up
that slice of their pie.

Larger companies are much slower and more conservative and plodding and
they will do whatever Microsoft tells them to do.  But they probably
don't make up enough of a market for Microsoft to cash out on.  MS needs
all the little companies: 50, 100 people.

FWIW, a desire for total control is the same thing that caused IBM's
PS/2 series to fail miserably.  Lots of big corporate buyers bought PS/2
systems with MCA slots because they were stupid and trusted IBM.  When
it became apparent that ISA was still far more popular, they couldn't
get cheap hardware, and they found out that smaller companies were
paying much less and getting more, they started to buy Dell in droves.

I think this pattern will repeat itself here and in five or ten years we
will likely think about TCPA-restricted PCs in the same way that we
think about IBM PS/2 systems.  We will be feeling sorry for all the
folks at huge pharmeceutical companies with a garages full of obsolete
TCPA systems.

- C


On Sun, 2003-01-05 at 16:05, rra42 wrote:
> Since April last year when IBM started shipping ThinkPads with TCPA
> ( http://www.eet.com/sys/news/OEG20020424S0013 ) it has no longer been 
> credible for us to tell prospective Zope/python clients that it will 
> never happen.
> 
> They are reading that TCPA will solve their virus/ confidentiality/ 
> spam/ security problems and they want to know if investments they make 
> in a Zope/Python solution today will continue to look like a smart 
> decision two years from now when, with "software assurance" TCPA enabled 
> XP Longhorn is the only upgrade option they have.
> 
> I just think it would be a good idea for the Zope community to have a 
> community response to these questions.
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Rob
> 
>  
> 
> 
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-- 
Chris McDonough <chrism@zope.com>
Zope Corporation