The Internet is here to stay

One thing should be clear to everyone as of this writing (Feb of 2000) - the Internet is not a fad. It will continue to be more and more useful as it is integrated with our daily life. The grade school kids who are gaining this familiarity now will consider the use of the Internet to be a commodity by the time they join the work force. Visual Basic will eventually be recognized for what it is: "Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code".

Java, Linux, load balancing and cross-platform scalability is integral with the Internet. They will be around for a long time. If you write your application to take advantage of these "new" technologies, it will survive the technology shifts that continue to take place. Really, these aren't really new technologies at all... they have just been below the radar for many IT specialists until recently. They are mature and well tested - especially when compared with Microsoft Windows, which has really only deployed four major releases since 1990 and has been constrained by their old APIs and an Intel-specific affinity.

On the other hand, if you write your application for Microsoft Windows, you are helping to perpetuate their monopoly.

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Conclusions

The Internet is here to stay

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