rdippold@cancun.qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold) (06/22/91)
I just brought this over from one of the pc.misc groups, it's very interesting. In article <23720@shlump.lkg.dec.com> reisert@mast.enet.dec.com (Jim Reisert) writes: > > Microsoft - Gates, in memo, warns of attack and defeat by rivals > > {The Wall Street Journal, 19-Jun-91, p. B8} > > Mr. Gates' state of mind is evident in a memo he wrote in April to his top > executives in which he said that some of his worst fears were coming true: > "Our nightmare - IBM 'attacking' us in system software, Novell 'defeating' us > in networking and more agile, customer-oriented applications competitors > getting their Windows act together - is a reality." The memo was obtained by > the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, which quoted from it in a story published > in its editions yesterday. The authenticity of the memo was independently > confirmed by Microsoft. ... Though Mr. Gates publicly insists he still has > plans for OS/2, an alternative piece of the software that IBM and Microsoft > formally are jointly developing and Mr. Gates once heralded as the standard of > the future, he indicates he has relegated OS/2 to oblivion. "Our strategy for > the '90s is Windows - one evolving architecture, a couple of implementations. > Everything we do should focus on making Windows more successful," Mr. Gates > wrote, according to the San Jose Mercury News. That position angers IBM, which > paid Microsoft huge amounts of money over the years to lead OS/2 development. > Frustrated with Microsoft's stance, IBM began directly pushing OS/2. The split > has had unintended benefits, writes Mr. Gates, who complains that the > partnership with IBM forced Microsoft to accept "poor code, poor design and > other overhead." Ironically, in his memo, Mr. Gates instructs his senior staff > to refrain from publicly criticizing IBM, advising that they "not attack IBM > as a company, and even out public 'attacks' on [IBM's] OS/2 will be very > professional." Mr. Gates, known for playing hardball with both rivals and > allies alike, makes it clear that such restraint is self-serving. "Eventually > we need to have at least a neutral relationship with IBM," he writes. "For the > next 24 months it may be fairly cold. We can emerge as a better and stronger > company where people won't just say we are the standard because IBM chose us." > Among other observations, Mr. Gates writes: > -- Losing the legal battle with Apple Computer Inc., which is fighting in > court to prove Microsoft copied some key features of Apple's Macintosh > software for its own Windows program could be "disastrous." > -- The current Federal Trade Commission investigation into allegations of > unfair business practices by Microsoft "will use up even more executive staff > time than the Apple lawsuit has. However, I know we don't get unfair > advantages. I hope we can quickly educate the FTC on our business." > -- Microsoft isn't doing an adequate job responding to customer inquiries > about its products. "The number of customers who get a bad impression because > of this must be in the millions world-wide." > >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > >"The opinions expressed here in no way represent the views of Digital > Equipment Corporation." > >James J. Reisert Internet: reisert@mast.enet.dec.com >Digital Equipment Corp. UUCP: ...decwrl!mast.enet!reisert >146 Main Street Voice: 508-493-5747 >Maynard, MA 01754 FAX: 508-493-0395 -- Standard disclaimer applies, you legalistic hacks. | Ron Dippold