Replies

They contacted only those two. Bill said he could get them an OS, and he did. IBM could have just as easily bought QDOS themselves if they'd been bothered to look around, but they didn't think the OS was important.

Nope. Nice try, but you're wrong. The fact of the matter is that IBM didn't know who to get an 8088 operating system from. That's why it went to Gates. QDOS was the same pile of code that Bill bought from Seattle Computer Products and turned into MS-DOS. There's no evidence that IBM even know it existed, since SCP was a tiny, insignificant company located in Bellevue, near Microsoft.

The commodity was obtainable from other sources, so that point is moot.

The only ones that you can cite are CP/M and the one provided by Gates. As I showed earlier, Kildall didn't want to do a CP/M port to 8088. So Gate's code was the only OS available. You said there were others. Name them.

I had a link with some informal benchmarks, but I can't find it now.

Of course you can't -- because it's a fantasy.

OS X usability has to be experienced.

I have. OS X has ripped-off numerous UI elements from Windows (Start menu, Quick Launch, System Tray, Task Bar, etc).

Shall I give your address to my Special Forces friends, especially the one who also happens to be an excellent DBA?

Be my guest. I've been in the military. I know what I'm talking about. A great number of those guys (like their counterparts in the private sector) are mind-numbed bureaucrats with absolutely zero clue about what they're buying -- and with very little accountability with taxpayer money. They spend it like it's water.

The fact of the matter is that IBM didn't know who to get an 8088 operating system from.

But could have easily found out. Come on, NO ONE negotiated with IBM from a position of power back then. NO ONE. It's like saying a small software vendor these days could negotiate with Microsoft from a position of power. It's just not going to happen. If they get too obstinate, Microsoft will just buy them, or destroy them first and then buy up the remnants. And IBM in its heyday was even meaner than Microsoft has ever been.

Just wake up and realize that IBM thought the money was in hardware and services and didn't really care too much about the OS. That is why Gates could request non-exclusive licensing and get it. I'm not saying he wasn't smart for requesting it. Bill was and is an amazing businessman. Unfortunately for us, he puts the business of selling software above the quality of that software.

Of course you can't -- because it's a fantasy.

Fantasy? After reading how it's accomplished, if you knew anything about computers, you could see why the Classic environment can be faster. It ran as native code on the hardware, just like any application would, but without the hindrance of its horrible virtual memory system.

A great number of those guys (like their counterparts in the private sector) are mind-numbed bureaucrats with absolutely zero clue about what they're buying

And that's where you get the Microsoft/Dell duopoly in Army IT purchasing. Most don't know any better. The few intelligent ones actually go out and look for the best system -- enter the Mac systems I know about.