On Mon, 15 Jan 2001, Richard Erlacher wrote:
> So ... aren't there things that you want? You certainly can't blame MS, as
> a corporate entity, for doing what it does in order to get what it wants,
> can you? Why do you think you should make what MS wants YOUR problem? They
> haven't done that. You have.
Hmmm; I'm going to argue this from a different viewpoint than I
usually do.
While I think that Microsoft products are the worst thing to hit the
U.S. market since those wretched little Japanese cars, and every bit,
if not moreso, annoying, I really do have to give Bill Gates credit
for exploiting the P.T. Barnum factor and gaining an enormous amount
of wealth, even though I can't stand what he's done to foul-up
computing. Actually, all he's really done has been to exploit a
mentally unstable society with an excess of corrupt, greedy and
simple-minded politicians in order to make a better life for himself
and his family. What's wrong with that? Computers just happen to be
the tool that worked for him. If he hadn't done it, who's to say that
someone else wouldn't have done the same?
If the average consumer had a properly functioning brain, Microsoft
would be extinct like dinosaurs by now and people who are incapable
of, or don't have the time or inclination for, learning to use UNIX,
VMS, etc. might be using Apples.
Of course, consider this: had it not been for Microsoft, Apple may
have used legal means to bury X-Windows, and other non-Apple GUIs,
6-feet under, via the use of software patents. Microsoft fought Apple
over GUIs (Perhaps Bill von Hagen can kindly shed more light on this,
and give everyone a better idea of what happened than I can), and, did
do something good for us all. In other words, the Apple is just as
rotten as some of us have considered Microsoft to be.
On the other hand, who knowsif history had been different, perhaps
Apple and Microsoft would have gone away, Linux and other free UNICEs
would never have come into existence, and most of us would now be
using MP/M-IX with a GUI, many security features and long upper-case
filenames, using 64-bit 300MHz CPUs descended from the Z80.
--
Copyright (C) 2001 R. D. Davis The difference between humans & other animals:
All Rights Reserved an unnatural belief that we're above Nature &
rdd_at_perqlogic.com 410-744-4900 her other creatures, using dogma to justify such
http://www.perqlogic.com/rdd beliefs and to justify much human cruelty.
Received on Mon Jan 15 2001 - 22:06:24 GMT