The Effects of Firefox and Open Office on Microsoft

Yesterday I came across the following:

I think a lot of people misinterpret the importance of Firefox.  Firefox is not important because it may replace or substantially reduce the Internet Explorer monopoly.  Firefox is important because it forces Microsoft to innovate.  The Internet Explorer team has been reformed and work is starting on the first serious upgrade to the product for years. This is a good thing for everbody, whether you like Microsoft or not.

Simon Johnson (http://www.ckwop.me.uk/)

This reminded me of something I read about the importance of OpenOffice to Sun: they are using it to compete with the vastly profitable Microsoft Office so that Microsoft will be less able to subsidise their loss-making server software which is displacing Sun from their specialist market.  I think it was in an essay by Joel Spolsky or Paul Graham that I read this .