Gates rules out returning to Microsoft

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Not so fast: Windows Defender: If Gates vision wasn't where it was at the time. The technology industry would've never caught on so quick with the consumer.

Gates -AND- IBM. Gates had the unifying vision, IBM the name to lend to "legitimizing" it, just as JL wrote. But give it to Billy boy. He saw farther than anyone else at this critical juncture, and was willing to stretch his neck out. There's a reason he went on to become the world's richest man, beyond his first class uberdrive, some instrumental arm-twisiting, and a healthy dose of luck.

John: OS on every PC. That existed before MS ever got the IBM PC-DOS contract.

In a wholly proprietary and utterly hodge-podge way only. In reality, it was an infantile mess and a vacuum waiting to be filled, and that's just what IBM + MS did. When IBM agreed to use Microsoft's reverse-engineered SCP QDOS (renaming it PC-DOS), it amazingly gave in to Gates' request to allow Microsoft to market its own version as MS-DOS, leading to the creation of a clone industry only a year or two later. Without this small provision, adoption of PC standards and the acceleration of personal computer sales in the broadest sense would have lagged considerably.

Columbia, then Eagle Computer, and finally Compaq quickly took PC "cloning" to new heights, which eventually gave way to WinTel domination, and where we are today. All because Gates asked, and IBM acquiesced without thinking things fully through!

John: You may remember from the advertising at the time (if you're old enough) that IBM merely "legitimized" the PC, rather than creating it.

While that's true in one regard, it is also a bit of an overreach. Personal computers, before IBM jumped in the ring, were almost exclusively for geeks and hobbyists, and mostly referred to as "home computers." The IBM PC introduced a melding of what came before with business applications, now easily accessible to one and all at a reasonable price. The new IBM PC was not only faster than those earlier machines but it could hook up to the home TV set, play games, process text and hold more words than the fattest cookbook around. It also gave the "PC" its name.

While several popular home computers existed before the 1981 IBM PC launch, the more regimented business world still considered Apple, Commodore, and Radio Shack's Tandy offerings as little more than "toys." The IBM stamp of approval on a personal computer changed that mentality for good. Moreover, IBM designed its PC for both first-time and advanced users, and made it inexpensive enough that almost anyone could afford one.

In doing so, they broke all the rules (including their own), going non-proprietary for both the hardware and software chosen (except the BIOS). This included making use of the Intel 8088 processor, which blew practically all competition out of the water. Most personal computer companies from the pre-IBM era quickly became historical footnotes or obsolete wannabes.

In short, the introduction of the IBM PC 25+ years ago set a worldwide personal computing standard that helped establish the multibillion-dollar computing industry as we know it. And with IBM now out of the PC game, who's left standing but Gates and WINTEL! You might as well laugh through the tears!; Posted by: klumper Posted on: 06/07/08 (Edited: 06/07/2008 @ 08:16) You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use