gordonl@microsoft.UUCP (Gordon Letwin) (08/26/85)
From the Wall Street Journal (Thurs Aug 22, I think), copyright (c) the Wall Street Journal: "NEW YORK - Microsoft Corp. and International Business Machines Corp. said they signed a joint development agreement [JDA], signaling IBM's apparent commitment to maintaining present standards for its Personal Computer software. The agreement, which calls for the two companies to work together for "long-term" development of certain software for IBM desktop computers, converts a loose alliance into a formal partnership. ... IBM isn't invensting in Microsoft, which also sells software to almost all of IBM's competitors. ... Industry executives said the agreement adds credibility to IBM's commitment [to the open architecture concept]. "The way I read it, IBM plans to continue to support [MSDOS] and its ongoing evolution on a very significant basis," said Paul Ely, president and chief executive officer of Convergent Technologies. ... William Gates, Microsoft's chairman and co-founder, said the company will double its system-software staff to speed development of new software that will exploit more fully powerful computers such as IBM's PC AT and ease networking of PCs with other IBM products. `A Unique Agreement' Without the agreement, Microsoft and IBM couldn't share information as e freely, Mr. Gates said. "Up to now, IBM has been buying standard products," he said. "Now we've put together a unique agreement that allows IBM to come to us at a very early stage, helping influence what the design is."