Bill;

For about the last ten years it seemes that Microsoft has driven the need for new hardware. Programs became bigger requiring bigger hard disks, memory hogs which required more memory, along with a need for greater CPU speed to name just a few requirements. If you had "yesterdays" machine "todays" Microsoft software would not be adaquate.

With each advent of new software from Microsoft everyone is expected to run right out and replace everything to join the band wagon. When there is money in the economy things will move forward. That is not the case today and will not be for some time to come.

For those of us who are employed - thank God or who ever or what ever you wish to thank. For the last 20 years I have always" been there" when something new was released for the microcomputer. I notice my expendable income is not as great as it was even 20 years ago. I cannot go down to the computer store and buy a new computer and software to start working with .NET. The cost to live in the San Francisco Bay Area is crazy.

With each release of product from Microsoft we are promised many things. Much of my time is spent creating ASP applications for our corporate intranet (Toyota/General Motors). ASP 2.0, etc. leaves much to be desired. Now we are told how wonderful ASP.NET etc. are. The words sound the same just the product changes. It has been concluded that if we used the XP operating system that 86% of our programs in use today will not work. Each minute of down time costs us $10,000. I can see serious problems ahead for us.

The business model in the software industry has changed within the last year. I expect many such changes - how to "get blood from a turnip", as my mother calls it. I am sure Microsoft will find new ways to charge developers and users of their products for use of their software. Somehow we have to look ahead as well as keep alive as developers. Sometimes I wish I was back in electronics engineering but selling nails in a small town is more appealing to me than engineering or software development. :)

Tom