----------
From:   Jerry Fochtman[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Tuesday, February 27, 1996 8:44 AM
To:     Multiple recipients of list HP3000-L
Subject:        Re: 1:Re: IPROF / 700s
 
>>It is time for me to ask: What does 'Proprietary' mean in the
>>computing world?
>>
>>Based on comments / articles read / management decisions over time,
>>it seems to ME that 'proprietary' is something that can be bought from
>>only one vendor. I have yet to see 2 HW or 2 SW products that run
>>exactly the same way, have exactly the same features, etc but are
>>supplied by 2 different manufacturers. Therefore I claim that every
>>thing is proprietary.
>>
>>Some don't want MPE/iX because that is proprietary, then they buy
>>an Oracle DBMS to put on a HP-UX box under the guise of not getting
>>tied down to one vendor. Hmmm. Help me understand.
>>
 
Along this same thread, when 2 products essentially 'look and feel' the =
same
yet are sold by different, competing vendors and are not based upon a
'standard' formed by committee, the vendors normally get locked in legal
battles.  Witness the Lotus/Borland case, or the Apple/et.al cases.
 
So in some respect, standards are a means of allowing competing vendors =
to
be 'alike' so as to reduce the legal ramifications.  When this occurs
vendors feel compelled to add 'extensions' to their implementation as =
one
method of differentiating their product from their competitors.... and =
now
were back to proprietary features....
 
My $.02 worth...  Kinda like a dizzy circle... Excuse me why I take a =
break
from this merry-go-round and get another cup of 'java'...  :)
----------
Jerry Fochtman, Director Of HP3000 R&D
Bradmark Technologies
 
Confusing maybe, but not completely baffling.  Proprietary was =
originally applied to the hardware (and by extension to its OS) or to a =
programming language - Grace Hopper went to great lengths and did a =
great job standardizing CoBOL.  The idea was that UNIX would be standard =
- therfore "non-propretary".  But we all know that if you buy something, =
you depend on the manufacturer for support whether it be washing =
machines or data bases.  Also, of course, while the producer may give =
lip service to "standardization" and "open systems" he wants to sell you =
more goods and services.  Its hard to make it a "win-win" situation for =
both the producer and the user.  Look at Apple and the IBM PC.  IBM made =
its PC an "open" system and lost most of the market to clones.  Apple =
didn't.  Both companies are having problems.
 
The point is - yes ORACLE is proprietary, but the platform it runs on =
may vary.  "Non-proprietary" is a chimera, but maybe still worth =
pursuing, but I have my doubts.  The answer ihas to be pick your vendor =
for software or hadware carefully, with particular consideration to =
whether he will be around for the long haul AND is fully commited to =
supporting the product you are purchasing.
 
I should have done this better, but there it is.
 
Nick