You seem to think that I was saying that operating systems don't have value and/or that it is not possible to make money developing operating systems.
What I was actually saying was that the business model of charging for the operating system (You give me $100 and I'll give you a copy of RaganwaldOS) is going away.
Making money by using a proprietary OS to extract a higher margin from selling hardware is what Apple does, and giving the OS away so they can extract "pay in kind" is what Google does.
Microsoft's model is going away as well. Maybe not today, but it is going away. We already have a situation where their biggest customers--the PC makers--make more money from JunkWare than they do from their so-called margins. Given that the PC makers are actually JunkWare distributors, they are all actively and aggressively looking for ways to extract themselves from Microsoft's rent-seeking position.
What I was actually saying was that the business model of charging for the operating system (You give me $100 and I'll give you a copy of RaganwaldOS) is going away.
Making money by using a proprietary OS to extract a higher margin from selling hardware is what Apple does, and giving the OS away so they can extract "pay in kind" is what Google does.
Microsoft's model is going away as well. Maybe not today, but it is going away. We already have a situation where their biggest customers--the PC makers--make more money from JunkWare than they do from their so-called margins. Given that the PC makers are actually JunkWare distributors, they are all actively and aggressively looking for ways to extract themselves from Microsoft's rent-seeking position.