Microsoft Charging $90 for .NET Undermines Huge Market Compelling The Use of
Linux! [2]

Anybody with eyes sight can see "digital signage" emerging as a "display
device platform" and a HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR DEVELOPERS as the display device
platform emerges and people understand the many many opportunities now
available to them. Typical current digital signage implementations utilize
larger LCD displays with project costs in the many thousands of dollars.

Who can argue with the facts as anybody can observe?

Go into any of the thousands of taverns, mom and pop restaurant or coffee
shop in any regional urban locale and you'll never ever see them using large
format LCD displays for anything. Why? The initial price remains out of
reach and they all still have their heads stuck up the backside of the
fascist TV broadcasting oligopoly.

HOWEVER: every small business owner I have talked to over the past six
months --every one-- understands VARs and small business integrators with
web development skills can easily convert their TVs from overhead into
revenue generating platforms. So what has happened as a result?

Many VARs and small business integrators (like yours truly) have tried to
start on the other end of the "signage" spectrum with the smaller form
factor called a "digital photo frame." The digital photo frame is the form
factor being marketed for displaying photos of grandma. What? Yes, the same
form factor the retail big box store managers I have interviewed tell me
they can't keep in stock at Christmas time. In other words, bingo!

With initial acquisition costs starting as low as $59.95 the 5.6" and up LCD
form factors can be loaded and reloaded with advertising, product
announcements or menu items and hung on walls or displayed throughout any
small business and easily and inexpensively used for commercial purposes.
What are the costs to scale? A wall outlet! Furthermore, the OEM frame
vendors have recognized this. The more astute OEM frame vendors have been
releasing wireless units which can be managed remotely to enable their
devices to be deployed for commerce.

So what does Microsoft do? They dress up Windows Embedded XP with .NET which
was the right thing to do of course and throw it over the wall to the
Microsoft marketing morons who rebrand it as Windows Embedded Standard [1]
(Standard? implying what?) but in so doing instantly destroyed the emerging
display platform market driving all business to Linux by imposing a license
fee of $90 PER UNIT!

The license for Windows Embedded is now more than the hardware it runs on!
As a developer I can accept and handle the $995 developer license fee but
$90 PER UNIT IS INSANITY.

After six months of research and talking to OEM frame vendors EVERY **** ONE
OF THEM IS DUMPING MICROSOFT AND GOING TO LINUX. EVERY ONE I HAVE TALKED TO.
I AM IN TEARS.

Thank You Microsoft for destroying another huge market opportunity and
ensuring the many small VARs and integrators DUMB ENOUGH TO STAY LOYAL TO
WINDOWS will not be able to compete in what is emerging before our very eyes
as the next HUGE opportunity.

<%= Clinton Gallagher

[1]
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/emb...d/default.mspx
[2] I wouldn't be blasting this everywhere if I didn't consider it so
critically important for all businesses and their employees supporting the
Windows platform to hear about and come to understand how your business
opportunities are once again being undermined by these Microsoft fools who
are so out of touch with reality it is stupefying.