Text 1757, 145 rader
Skriven 2006-06-04 23:11:00 av Robert E Starr JR (2202.babylon5)
Ärende: Re: Atheists: America's m
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* * * This message was from Dennis \(Icarus\) to rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.m * *
*
         * * * and has been forwarded to you by Lord Time * * *         
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@MSGID: <88130$4483936b$18d64cf6$24087@KNOLOGY.NET>
@REPLY: <1148535437.681322.123970@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>
"Carl" <cengman7@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:cq-dnaXFtP9DGh7ZnZ2dnUVZ_q2dnZ2d@comcast.com...
>
> "Dennis (Icarus)" <ala_dir_diver@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:be0fb$44837f41$18d64cf6$2831@KNOLOGY.NET...
> > "Carl" <cengman7@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:Y8Gdnd_rTYFpfhzZnZ2dnUVZ_tmdnZ2d@comcast.com...
> >>
> > <snip>
> >>
> >> That leaves Linux.  I like Linux.  As I mentioned elsewhere, I wouldn't
> > mind
> >> if Linux became the dominant OS...as long as someone has the dominant
OS.
> > I
> >> don't want to waste my time writing my apps 4 tiomes for 4 OSs that
each
> >> have a 25% market share.  THAT would kill innovation because we'd be
> > wasting
> >> all of our time re-inventing the wheel over and over.
> >
> > Agreed - heck, Just dealing with the differences between Microsoft OSes
> > (at
> > a time when we were working on NT 4.0, Win 95, Win 98) was irritating
> > enough.
> >
> > I do think that a Microsoft-like company would have arisen in the
> > 1980-1990s - in particular, a dominant OS would have emerged.
>
> > A critical mass on the business use of PCs had happened, and businesses
> > like
> > the idea of a standard platform  for their apps.
>
> If MS has stuck to PC DOS and didn't release MS DOS, can you image
> how fragmented things would have become?  IBM PC = business and
> everything else would have been "Hobbyist" .. atr least for quite a while.

Indeed.

>
> >
> > Wasn't Gary Kildall, of Digital Research approached by IBM about
licensing
> > CP/M for the PC?
>
> Absolutely.  I covered that in another posting yesterday.  Not only was
> Kildall
> approached by IBM, they were sent there by Bill Gates.

Thats a part of the story I hadnt heard before.

>
> > Had that deal gone through, its likely Digitial Research would be the
> > "Evil
> > Empire" today, with Microsoft providing apps  maybe a large player,
maybe
> > just another West Coast Software Company.
>
> I don't know....IIRC Kildall was much more laid back that Gates ever was.
> His interest in the OS was from the perspective of a computer scientist,
>  not a business.

Hmm..maybe - I do think the company that wound up selling the dominant OS
wouldve become rather large, and then wouldve went into applications......
Much like MS :-)

>
>  >>
> >> You don't like Windows.  Fine.  As a Windows developer you would find
it
> >> difficult to find someone with harsher criticism of MS in a number of
> >> areas technically.  Then again, an estrimated 850 million people use it
> >> to get
> >> thiings done.  As much as you want to crab about it, it works for the
> >> vast
> >> majority of those people.
> >>
> >> Most of the other options in the past failed because of their own
> >> mistakes. Often MS either got lucky or screwed up a little less
> >> then their competitors.
> >>
> >> Phillipe Kahn (Borland)
> >>
> >> Had a real shot at taking the compiler and tools business away from MS
> >> but
> >> blew it when Kahn decided to go after spreadsheets etc and compete with
> >> MS
> >> on everything.  Phillipe made it personal.
> >
> > Sure - I was a big Borland proponent, and thought it exceptionally cool
> > that
> > I could develop Windows apps without having to spend 1000+ for the
Windows
> > SDK (1989 timeframe price, IIRC).
> > They also took too long getting up & running on Win32 though, (again,
> > IIRC).
>
>
> The last straw was Delphi..  They had a shot at pre-empting so many things
> in the industry with a very cool and easy to use development
> system/language.  Unfortunately they chose to use Pascal as a base
language
> rather than c++ like Java and c# used (c++ was/is the dominant dev
language
> for Windows development for those reading that don't develop SW for a
> living) .

One think that ALWAYS irritated me with Turbo/Borland pascal was that
compilation would HALT upon a single error.
Yeah, they fixed that in some later version of Delphi, but I'd long stopped
using 'em at that point.

>
> Once again a company decides to ignore what people are already using
("Screw
> compatability or migration, we're going our own way") and expects to lead
> the masses in a new direction.  After a little while they turn around and
> notice that no one followed.

yep....

>
> Carl
>
> -- People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because
>     it's safer to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs.
>
>
>

Dennis


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