nemesis wrote:
> Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
>> The thing that MS did that nobody else really did well was integrate
>> lots of layers of stuff from lots of people.
> 
> when you're given control over the infrastructure software powering IBM's
> microcomputer offering and its dozens of successful clones, you can do
> anything, including dictating standards and APIs.

Indeed yes.  On the other hand, lots of people had monopolies over their 
own systems, and never managed to support this properly: CP/M, Radio 
Shack, etc.  Apple didn't do too bad a job with the Apple ][. Of course, 
the hardware was much more primitive at the time.

How recently has UNIX not used source distributions for programs? How 
much UNIX shareware could you download as executables, say, in 1998?

>> You never had one piece of
>> software that ran on multiple operating systems before MS.
> 
> which multiple OSes from MS?  The home edition and office edition?

DOS, Win98, WinXP.

And before you say "Windows NT is the same OS as Windows 98", remember 
all the people that accuse MS of stealing Windows NT from DEC? :-)

Show me an executable that runs on TRS-DOS and CP/M?

It's only now (as in, since OS X) that the Mac is starting to manage 
this as well. A couple other systems managed it as well (VM/CMS, for 
example), but nothing affordable to mere mortals.

>> You never had
>> reliable device drivers from third-party vendors before MS was around.
> 
> change MS for monopoly and you'll understand why they work so well.

I'm not sure what that sentence means, given the unusual syntax.

>> You never had six layers of functionality, all of which had to work
>> together, coming from different competing companies, before MS was around.
> 
> here too.

If what you're saying is that MS being a monopoly is what made this 
possible, then sure, I might agree with that. It doesn't mean that makes 
it easier or less prone to mistakes. Just like saying "Cars that go 200 
MPH crash more often than cars that go 30 MPH" isn't disputed by a 
complaint that they got exclusive use of the race track.

-- 
   Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
     On what day did God create the body thetans?

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