On Wed, Jun 14, 2000 at 11:34:05AM -0400, Ward William E PHDN wrote:
> Jon, I'm sorry to say, but we do owe Microsoft a few (positive) things:
>
> The machine on your desk wouldn't exist if not for the foundations built
> on MS-DOS. Sure, I know, you run Linux now... but the machine is based
> on commodity parts that were produced to run an OS championed by IBM for
> he business world.
[...]
A couple of thoughts:
1) Nobody knows whether there wouldn't have been another "player" to
make the computer "big" if MS hadn't been there. Many people argue
that it was due to happen anyway and if it hadn't been MS, it would
have been someone else. The time was there for this development - it
was "in the air".
Problem is: We can not prove it either way, as we can not repeat
history without MS, so the whole argument is pretty moot. We will
simply never know.
2) Like almost any other business, MS has played its role not to make
this world a better place but for the money. All they've done has been
paid for, and dearly at times.
My conclusion: I certainly don't owe them anything.
My EUR0.02,
Thomas
--
"Look, Ma, no obsolete quotes and plain text only!"
Thomas Ribbrock | http://www.bigfoot.com/~kaytan | ICQ#: 15839919
"You have to live on the edge of reality - to make your dreams come true!"
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