>>Hi Jordan. I generally agree with you but there is a bit of a catch-22. If there are not sufficient installations of a platform (os) then there is often not a sufficient target market for an application. Conversely, if there are not sufficient applications available for a platform then it will not be adopted by end-users in sufficiently large numbers. Catch-22.
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>You are right the problem, who is the first - egg or hen, always will folow us.
>My thoughts are that there are not cross subsidise to developers tools market, because in some moment they become a promotion tools for OS and office packages.
>Real share of outside business use market is gotten by Linux, but they can not take bigger portion because of lack of business applications for Linux.
>May be that is the reason for quarel with Whil Hentzen. He opens business market for Linux and MS are not so happy.

I agree with you. I dont think MS's implied restriction on using VFP on Windows only has anything to do with subsidies per se but rather has everything to do with simply restricting the field for competing o/s. Standard business practice really.