Each OS does have its spot. Unfortunately for Redmond, the win line up is best suited for a case study on how to create a cool looking car that stalls every few miles, and needs an overhaul every year or so. And don't put that custom stereo in it-- the electical system would overload! :) --- Ken Bowley wrote: > hahaha... loved the April Fools message there! > > I especially liked the part where "Microsoft....gave > the public what it > needed--a GUI to run on an IBM-compatible machine." > I only wish the > government had stepped is sooner and stopped them > from killing off the > other GUI's that came out before theirs. > > On Sat, 1 Apr 2000, Mark R. Myers wrote: > > > Because then we wouldn't all be cheerleaders for > Microsoft. > > Unlike some, I don't see Microsoft as the "evil > empire." > > I see Bill Gates as probably one of Harvard > Business School's brightest > > dropouts. > > Let us face it, in the early days of Micorsoft, he > pulled some pretty good > > moves, capitalized on others mistakes (IBM), and > gave the public what it > > needed--a GUI to run on an IBM-compatible machine. > > I remember the early days (even before DOS became > synonymous with just one > > OS, rather than being short of the Disk Operating > System). My first IBM > > compatible PC was a Zenith EZ-PC with 16 shades of > gray, CGA-compatible > > monitor. The biggest hard drive you could get in a > computer was 20MB, and > > they were HUGE (those good old, MFM drives). > > The EZ had 2 720KB 3.5" floppy drives. You would > have to put the DOS boot > > disk in one, and your program in the other. Q&A > Write (a good word processor > > at the time), fit easily onto 1 720K floppy, with > a little room to spare. > > Then I upgraded to Professional Write and had to > use both floppy drives for > > the one program. > > The EZ came with 512KB of RAM, and right away I > bought the only expansion > > possible for it. That big box on the back gave it > 640KB total RAM, a 1200 > > baud modem, and a serial port. > > This was 1988 (so long ago). My wife would not > TOUCH the thing. She could > > not understand DOS, or swapping floppies, or > anything like that. Once I set > > Q&A up for her because she needed to write a > paper. > > Now, thanks to Win3.1, & Win95, and computers as a > whole getting better, she > > now teaches basic computing and software packages > at our company (Win95, > > SAP, Siebel, Lotus Notes (ugh), Office97). Why did > she learn it? Because it > > was graphical and it made sense to her. > > There were 100s of millions of people like her. > > Because these people started buying computers > because computers became > > easier, prices started to drop dramatically. > > So, in a way, we can thank Bill Gates. Why? > Partially because of his > > products, the price of PCs has plummeted. > > I know that if life would have been different, and > any one of us would have > > grown up to be Bill Gates, we wouldn't trade > places with any one of us, even > > for a second. > > Do I like Microsoft business practices? No. Do I > like some of their > > products? Yes. > > IMHO, I think what should be done is that MS's OS > division should be > > separated from the rest of the company. The OS > division should openly share > > any new API's or innovations in both current and > upcoming OSes with other > > vendors--whether they be Microsoft Software > Division, IBM-Lotus, Corel, > > Caldera, whoever. I think that would be fair. That > would more level the > > playing field. Then a small company would have the > same knowledge of the > > API's and the OS as Microsoft Software Division > would. Whether they take > > advantage of that knowledge, is up to them. > > That is what I think should be done with > Microsoft. And, BTW, I corrected > > the spelling in the subject line. > > Mark > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: plug-discuss-admin@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us > > > [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us]On > Behalf Of > > jiva@devware.com > > Sent: Saturday, April 01, 2000 3:58 AM > > To: plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us > > Subject: Re: What shell we do with the > Microsoft..... > > > > > > Why don't you guys take this conversation to a > Microsoft oriented > > mailing list? > > > > On Fri, Mar 31, 2000 at 02:44:11PM -0700, Carl > Parrish wrote: > > > I believe that according to the anti-trust laws. > *Being* a monopoly in an > > > open market *is* against the law. (course I > could be wrong. Memory of my > > > history class is foggy at best) > > > > > > Carl Parrish > > > Webmaster > > > ComputerPREP.com > > > > > > > > > From: > plug-discuss-admin@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us > > > > [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us]On > Behalf Of Jim W > > > Sent: Friday, March 31, 2000 2:19 PM > > > To: plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us > > > Subject: Re: What shell we do with the > Microsoft..... > > > > > > > > > Not quite, Carl. The judge has decreed that M$ > is a monopoly. The > > decision > > > about whether they violated any law is still > pending. I agree that the > > > judge's decree seems to indicate that he > believes that there were laws > > > broken, but until he states that in public, > under the U.S. constitution, > > M$ > > > is still innocent. > > > > > > Jim > > > > > > the future is now > > > > > > From: Carl Parrish > > > To: plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us > > > > > > Date: Friday, March 31, 2000 2:13 PM > > > Subject: RE: What shell we do with the > Microsoft..... > > > > > > > > > > > > > >The courts seems to disagree with you. They've > already judged that M$ did > > > >infact break the law. > > > > > > > >Carl Parrish > > > >Webmaster > > > >ComputerPREP.com > > > > > > > > > > > >From: > plug-discuss-admin@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us > > > > >[mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us]On > Behalf Of Joseph > > > >T. Tannenbaum > > > >Sent: Friday, March 31, 2000 12:48 PM > > > >To: plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us > > > >Subject: RE: What shell we do with the > Microsoft..... > > > > > > > > > > > >They didn't "break the law", they just were not > nice. > > > > > > > >Joe > > > > > > > >> From: > plug-discuss-admin@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us > > > >> > [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us]On > Behalf Of Kevin > > > >> O'Connor > > > >> Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2000 9:21 PM > > > >> To: plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us > > > >> Subject: Re: What shell we do with the > Microsoft..... > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> The buying public doesn't 'decide' ... They > follow like lemmings. > > > >> > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com