From: "Joe Barr" 

http://www.plamondon.net/james/02_plamondon.htm

This explains some of Peter's blind allegience.


Pawns on the Field

The field of battle is the computer industry and its neighbouring vertical
markets. Every person, company, product, etc., on this battlefield that is
not a competing platform vendor, is a pawn in the struggle between such
vendors.

We win the battle when a critical mass of pawns chose to support our
platform, such that the rest will too.  We cannot compel this choice at the
barrel of a gun.  Our weapons are psychological, social, and economic ƒ “
not military.[2]  Each pawn that choses to support a Microsoft platform,
does so as a rational decision to serve its own ends, whatever those may
be.



To win, we must understand every relevant fact about the pawns ƒ “ their
fears and desires; their likes and dislikes; their beliefs and doubts;
their motivations and obstacles.  We can only win the allegiance of the
pawns by understanding what they need, and supplying it; what they fear,
and alleviating it; what they believe, and reinforcing it; where they want
to go tomorrow, and taking them there.  Set things up so that they get what
they want by helping you get what you want ƒ “ then just get out of their
way.

We must also understand our competitors and their platforms; the changing
shape of the industryƒ ™s landscape; the relative influence of some pawns
over other pawns; the flow of resources among the pawns and players; and
the influence of the outside world on our industry & vice versa.






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