[Am-info] query about MS "Innovations"

[John Poltorak]

On Fri, Mar 29, 2002 at 02:59:28AM -0500, felmon davis wrote:
> 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.

I suspect Microsoft stole the idea from someone else.

 
> 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?

ISTR reading something about OLE and DDE being IBM inventions. I'm sure 
I saw some reference to IBM holding patents for them, but it was several 
years ago...


 
> F.


-- 
John