IBM and Apple Operating Systems (Re: dosread.c again)

[Gary Korenek]

In article <143 at asihub.UUCP>, jmp at asihub.UUCP (John Pantone) writes:
> Microsoft and IBM simply blew it when designing MSDOS and the PC...

1.  It takes a long lead-time to identify what's wanted, to "paper"
    design it, to staff up, and to do it.

2.  The pace of microcomputer technology advancement is rather fast.
    This means that in many cases by the time you get a product out 
    to the market, it's obsolete (or close to it).

3.  IBM put it's tail on the line in introducing the IBM PC.  No one
    knew it would take off like a rocket.  It was a huge gamble.

4.  A compromise was made.  IBM could have waited longer, spent more
    time and money for developement, and come out with a product that
    was more sophisticated.  But they did what they did when they did
    it.

5.  Compared to the 8 bit stuff available at the time, the IBM PC (and
    MS-DOS) was a step forward.

6.  The market determines (and funds) what's done next.  Our dollars
    spent on those original PC's and MS-DOS funded what we see available
    today.

7.  Look at consumer VHS video technology.  It's in a parllel situation
    to IBM-PCs and MS-DOS.  It started as breakthrough technology.  We
    went out and bought tons of the stuff.  We demanded higher performance.
    The original design has been enhanced to meet market demands.  It now
    seems ordinary, commonplace, and almost obsolete.  Again, at the time
    of introduction, this was breakthrough stuff.

8.  The point to all this:  companies take massive gambles with new
    products.  If it had not been for the original IBM-PC and MS-DOS,
    we would not even have what we have today.

-- 
Gary Korenek    (korenek at ficc.uu.net)    |          This space
Ferranti International Controls Corp.    |         intentionally 
Sugar Land, Texas       (713)274-5357    |          left blank