[Am-info] New Apple store near Beantown

[madodel@ptdprolog.net]

And lets not forget that m$ pumped $500 million into Apple a few years
back.  Amazing coincidence at the same time Apple dropped its port of
QuickTime for OS/2 which was being paid for by IBM.  Claimed as a cost
saving and resource conservation move, but seemed extremely stupid as IBM
was paying them to write it.  gates always gets a big payoff for his
little investments.

Mark

In <200112142156.QAA02128@venus.star.net>, on 12/14/01 at 04:54 PM,
   "Erick Andrews" <eandrews@star.net> said:

>On Fri, 14 Dec 2001 14:28:12 +0000, John Poltorak wrote:

>>On Fri, Dec 14, 2001 at 09:04:35AM -0500, Erick Andrews wrote:
>>> It's nice to see even a little more competition to M$ even though
>>> very small.   Actually, this new retail store is not near any Microsoft
>>> facilities, here in the People Republic of Cambridge, but I know that
>>> it is right across the street from Lotus' headquarters.
>>> 
>>> For all you Mac folks, here's the item...
>>
>>
>>I hate to see people perpetuating this myth... Apple is not a Microsoft 
>>competitor. Apple is a hardware company. To suggest that Apple is a 
>>competitor dilutes the case that Microsoft has a 100% monopoly on the 
>>desktop, and you get stupid commentators saying that you are not forced to  
>>use Windows 'cos you can always buy a Mac'. Until MacOS runs on Intel it  
>>cannot be described as something which provides any real choice to using 
>>Windows. 

>Macintosh does not run a "Windows" operating system, so I don't
>understand  your point, legally, in your last sentence above.  I'm sure
>you know that.

>Apple is not just a "hardware company".  Microsoft, as far as I've ever 
>understood, did not write the Macintosh operating systems for the
>Motorola  cpu's found in Apple's hardware.  Once upon a time, Apple was
>closer to  Unix and academia before Windows came along.

>To be sure, application software like M$ Office and "Lookout Express" 
>are being shoved down the throats of new Mac buyers, but correct me if 
>I've forgotten, there are other Mac choices for these apps, too.  Less
>and less  now of an ideal choice, but no worse than IBM's half hearted
>support of my preferred OS:  Warp.

>Although many of us refer to "PC's" as Intel platforms (usually to mean
>MS OS's  these days), and Mac's as a distinctly different platform, most
>users in  the world don't know or care that much unless faced with fair
>choices.   Microsoft does NOT have a *100%* monopoly on the "fat client"
>desktop,  but it does *have* a monopoly damned close to it.  Still an
>illegal one.

>They are all desktop computers setup for the personal use of one user.

>I prefer to call them fat clients, more so now with mainstream networking
> capability, but what the lawyers and judges accept lately is another
>story.   Judge Jackson became enlightened about this and understands the
>law and came to understand the need for more choice -- and wrote a very
>long  document called "Findings of Fact".

>Over simplifying "100%" monopoly here, "hardware company" there, PC,
>Desktop, and Macintosh somewhere else...may be useful as a limited
>introduction on the issues to those less informed...but I want more
>credibility and influence with those who should be more  technically and
>legally savvy of the industry:  to act against Microsoft.

>I don't want to sound like I'm preaching to the choir, but now consider 
>this:  many, many "hardware" manufacturers today have become virtual
>Microsoft companies.  Too many new PC products [sic] must be hacked by
>developers and users of OS's other than Windows to get them to work. 
>Kind of similar to Apple's position today, but the other shoe.

>>To all intents and purposes you are tied in to buying Windows when 
>>you buy a PC even though it is not required for using the PC. This is 
>>something which must be drilled home so that it eventually gets through 
>>to the general public. 

>No argument here.  The slimey blob expands and oozes along.  Those  who
>need the most drilling are the new judges and fearful prosecutors.



-- 

 From the OS/2 Desktop of: Mark Dodel

  "The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic State itself.   That in it's essence, is Fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group or by any controlling private power." Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Message proposing the Monopoly Investigation, 1938 

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