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.