[Am-info] query about MS "Innovations"

[felmon davis]

On Wednesday 06 March 2002 20:47, Mitch Stone wrote:
> Many years? No kidding. Well, it hasn't been updated in nearly
> three years, but here's where to find the old "hall of innovation:"
>
> http://www.vcnet.com/bms/departments/innovation.shtml
>

today I was talking to a colleague, an economist, when the issue of 
the anti-trust suit briefly came up. he felt one had to grant that MS 
had been 'innovative' in certain regards and he mentioned the idea of 
enabling different apps to work together. 

I think he either meant (a) the idea of the 'office suite' or (b) the 
OLE mechanisms for data exchange among apps.

we didn't pursue the issue and I don't know if he has much knowledge 
of computers as such.

would either of the above qualify as MS innovations? about (a) didn't 
Geoworks or something to that effect precede Windows? or Multiplan?

and what about (b)? separating function set from implementation, was 
the idea of having apps function like this with each other an MS 
innovation?

F.