preece@ccvaxa.UUCP (10/28/85)
> This article reminds me of those who said in 1980 that IBM's entry into > the personal computer field would "legitimize" the industry. (Remember > when "PC" meant "a personal computer", not "an IBM-compatible 16-bit > MS-DOS computer"? Remember Osborne and Victor? Remember when micros > were an adventure?) /* Written 11:36 am Oct 24, 1985 by > davidl@teklds.UUCP in ccvaxa:net.micro.atari */ ---------- Would you claim that the micro industry would be be better off if IBM had not come in? Think for a moment of all those builders of IBM clones. IBM has very nutritious coattails. Apple may or may not have been wise in suing DRI, but they would almost certainly sell more Macs if IBM made one just like it than they do now. [Note to flamers: it's just my guess against yours, but I don't mind if you really insist on telling me why yours is better.] Personally, I think an obviously Mac compatible interface, available for the IBM, would be good for Apple's visibility in corporate offices and that it's better to be perceived as a technological leader, willing to share your insights with the rest of the industry, than as a miser, jealously guarding the insights you stole from those who preceded you. Which, rightly or wrongly, is the way a lot of see Apple. -- scott preece gould/csd - urbana ihnp4!uiucdcs!ccvaxa!preece
jimomura@lsuc.UUCP (Jim Omura) (11/01/85)
In article <2800013@ccvaxa> preece@ccvaxa.UUCP writes: > >> This article reminds me of those who said in 1980 that IBM's entry into >> the personal computer field would "legitimize" the industry. (Remember >> when "PC" meant "a personal computer", not "an IBM-compatible 16-bit No, I don't remember when "PC" meant "a personal computer" in any generic sense. And I doubt if you do either. The only PC's that existed before IBM were "Pocket Computers". IBM coined the term personal computer. >Would you claim that the micro industry would be be better off if >IBM had not come in? Think for a moment of all those builders of >IBM clones. IBM has very nutritious coattails. Apple may or >may not have been wise in suing DRI, but they would almost certainly >sell more Macs if IBM made one just like it than they do now. [Note >to flamers: it's just my guess against yours, but I don't mind if I think it's fair to say that if it wasn't for IBM we'd be in a worse position today. We'd be stuck with CP/M in all it's forms rather than MS-DOS. At least it can be said that MS-DOS is generally better (in it's version 2 form) than CP/M86. Still, a lot more 'other' systems such as QNX or OS-9 or Pick or whatever might have grown more rapidly yielding a much better array of systems for the future. As such I may be wrong. Cheers! -- Jim O. -- James Omura, Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto ihnp4!utzoo!lsuc!jimomura Byte Information eXchange: jimomura Compuserve: 72205,541 MTS at WU: GKL6
lbl@druhi.UUCP (LocklearLB) (11/04/85)
> No, I don't remember when "PC" meant "a personal computer" in any >generic sense. And I doubt if you do either. The only PC's that existed >before IBM were "Pocket Computers". IBM coined the term personal >computer. >James Omura, Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto >ihnp4!utzoo!lsuc!jimomura >Byte Information eXchange: jimomura >Compuserve: 72205,541 >MTS at WU: GKL6 Excuse me, but I certainly hope you meant to put a :) after that sentence. If you didn't, I'm sure that you never heard of an Apple personal computer or a Radio Shack personal computer. Both were introduced years before IBM entered the market. Neither of these was the first personal computer by a long shot. The term "personal computer" has been around a lot long than IBM's PC has. IBM's use of the term PC is merely a marketing ploy designed to make people think of their product first when the terms PC or personal computer are used. Barry Locklear AT&T Information Systems Labs Denver, CO ihnp4!druhi!lbl
preece@ccvaxa.UUCP (11/04/85)
> No, I don't remember when "PC" meant "a personal computer" in any > generic sense. And I doubt if you do either. The only PC's that > existed before IBM were "Pocket Computers". IBM coined the term > personal computer. /* Written 8:26 am Nov 1, 1985 by > jimomura@lsuc.UUCP in ccvaxa:net.micro.atari */ ---------- Oh, come on. The term was nothing like as ubiquitous as it is now, but both the term "personal computer" and the initialism "PC" were in common use (among the relatively small number of people interested in such things) well before the IBM PC. One of the complaints about the IBM was that they had co-opted a common and useful term as their trademark. -- scott preece gould/csd - urbana ihnp4!uiucdcs!ccvaxa!preece
westerm@ecn-aa.UUCP (Richard P Westerman) (11/06/85)
In article <213@druhi.UUCP> lbl@druhi.UUCP (LocklearLB) writes: > >.... The term "personal computer" has been around a lot >long than IBM's PC has. IBM's use of the term PC is merely a marketing >ploy designed to make people think of their product first when the terms >PC or personal computer are used. > And see, it worked! -- Rick
jimomura@lsuc.UUCP (Jim Omura) (11/09/85)
In article <213@druhi.UUCP> lbl@druhi.UUCP (LocklearLB) writes: >> No, I don't remember when "PC" meant "a personal computer" in any >>generic sense. And I doubt if you do either. The only PC's that existed >>before IBM were "Pocket Computers". IBM coined the term personal >>computer. >>James Omura, Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto >>ihnp4!utzoo!lsuc!jimomura >>Byte Information eXchange: jimomura >>Compuserve: 72205,541 >>MTS at WU: GKL6 > >Excuse me, but I certainly hope you meant to put a :) after that sentence. >If you didn't, I'm sure that you never heard of an Apple personal computer >or a Radio Shack personal computer. Both were introduced years before >IBM entered the market. Neither of these was the first personal computer >by a long shot. The term "personal computer" has been around a lot >long than IBM's PC has. IBM's use of the term PC is merely a marketing >ploy designed to make people think of their product first when the terms >PC or personal computer are used. > >Barry Locklear >AT&T Information Systems Labs >Denver, CO >ihnp4!druhi!lbl What can I say? That's 2 gaffs in the last month! I just checked back on the recommendation of 'hes' and you are both quite right. I guess I just never noticed the term being used before. I've always just called them 'micros'. In fact, I guess I just called them 'computers'. Cheers! -- Jim O. -- James Omura, Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto ihnp4!utzoo!lsuc!jimomura Byte Information eXchange: jimomura Compuserve: 72205,541 MTS at WU: GKL6
jimomura@lsuc.UUCP (Jim Omura) (11/09/85)
In article <86@ecn-aa.UUCP> westerm@ecn-aa.UUCP (Richard P westerman) writes: >In article <213@druhi.UUCP> lbl@druhi.UUCP (LocklearLB) writes: >> >>.... The term "personal computer" has been around a lot >>long than IBM's PC has. IBM's use of the term PC is merely a marketing >>ploy designed to make people think of their product first when the terms >>PC or personal computer are used. >> > >And see, it worked! > >-- Rick Now, now, not many people have memories as bad as me. ;-) Cheers! -- Jim O. -- James Omura, Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto ihnp4!utzoo!lsuc!jimomura Byte Information eXchange: jimomura Compuserve: 72205,541 MTS at WU: GKL6