[Am-info] Mindshare works two ways "windows"

[John J. Urbaniak]

Gene Gaines wrote:

> Been reading today's set of "bend over" emails to the list.
> Well, I don't "bend over" in that sense for anyone.
>
> Set me to thinking.
>
> Why do I dignify Microsoft my capitalizing the words
> "Windows" and "Word"?
>
> I had been using those terms before Microsoft appropriated them
> on Apples and early PCs.
>
> I see no validity to the Microsoft claim to hold valid copyrights
> on those words.

See

  http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/7/25313.html

  Lindows judge throws the book at MS
  By Andrew Orlowski in San Francisco
  Posted: 16/05/2002 at 22:32 GMT

  Lindows is a cock-a-hoop over a decision by a
  Seattle district court judge not to allow an injunction
  against the knock-off Linux distro.

  That's because "windows" is a generic term,
  according to the Judge, denying the Microsoft
  motion. He cited evidence - including Microsoft's
  own dictionary of computing - to support the view
  that a window manager was already a generic term
  for a distinct class of software by the time Microsoft
  first announced Windows in late 1983.

  ...

John

>
>
> How about "Money"?  Yeah, Microsoft claims to own that term
> when applied to computers.
>
> So.
>
> I am thinking about just saying NO.  I will not again capitalize
> the words "windows" or "word" or "money", unless called for by
> proper English usage, such as beginning a sentence.
>
> What do you think?
>
> Gene Gaines
> gene.gaines@gainesgroup.com
> Sterling, Virginia
>
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