Posted on 03/08/2005 12:06:04 PM PST by r5boston
Nearly a decade ago, just a few months after Microsoft shipped Windows 95, I asked Bill Gates if it was a conscious decision in the development of that product to give Windows more of a Mac look and feel. Of course I knew he'd say it wasn't, but I couldn't resist asking. "There was no goal even to compete with Macintosh," Gates proclaimed. "We don't even think of Macintosh as a competitor."
That was a crock, so I pressed the issue a little. I asked him how he accounted for the widespread perception that Windows 95 looked a lot like Mac 88, and whether the similarity was just a coincidence. I didn't expect a sobbing confession of mimicry, but I thought it would be cool to see how he'd respond. Surprisingly enough, Gates shifted gears and became more forthcoming.
(Excerpt) Read more at macworld.com ...
He's a Microsoft shill...
maybe he's friends with Bill Gates himself? He claims to have "friends" that work at Microsoft....hes just trying to protect his market share and all....
LOL
Mindful of Microsoft, Justice Department buys from Corel
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department, which challenged Microsoft Corp. in courtrooms for nearly a decade over antitrust violations, will pay more than $2 million each year to buy business software from Corel Corp., a leading Microsoft rival.
The new purchase agreement, announced Monday, makes the latest version of Corel's WordPerfect Office software available to more than 50,000 lawyers and other Justice employees.
That includes the department's antitrust division, which successfully sued Microsoft over illegal efforts to dominate the software industry but negotiated a settlement later to end the company's court appeals.
The deal, worth up $13.2 million over five years for Ontario-based Corel, illustrates that Microsoft, the world's largest software company, still faces pockets of intense competition in the industry it dominates. It also represents a high-profile sale for Corel among lawyers, where it traditionally has enjoyed a loyal following.
``It's a big win for them,'' said Joe Wilcox, a software analyst for Jupiter Media. ``The Justice Department is kind of a showcase agency.''
Corel's chief executive, Amish Mehta, said the software sale was among the company's largest worldwide. Corel is initially charging the government $40 per copy to upgrade from an earlier WordPerfect version to its newest software, the government said.
Privately held Corel does not disclose sales figures. Microsoft sold $2.8 billion worth of its Office software programs in the final three months of 2004.
The Justice Department will make WordPerfect software available to more than 20 organizations inside the agency, but not the FBI or Drug Enforcement Administration, which use Microsoft's Office business software exclusively, said Mary Aileen O'Donovan, a program manager in the Justice Management Division.
She said when the department considered its purchase, it was acutely aware of its courtroom struggles against Microsoft. Until last month, Justice employees used rival Web browsing software from the former Netscape Communications Corp., O'Donovan said.
``We picked the underdog,'' she said.
O'Donovan said U.S. courts require all electronic filings to be submitted as WordPerfect documents, and Justice has thousands of programmed shortcuts designed to work with WordPerfect.
Still, the department hardly rejects all Microsoft products. It also buys the company's Office software -- for roughly $150 per copy -- and pays more for its Windows operating system, O'Donovan said.
She said Justice also is urging employees to switch to Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser, which was the subject of the government's antitrust case.
Sorry, I went from store to store with a pair of Bose Triport headphones and tried most of the microdrive Mp3 players available. The Zen and Zen Micro just didn't have the audio quality of the Ipod. The Zen Micro was the worst, it was barely able to drive the headphones.
Why not relegate the PC to a dedicated gaming platform, and pick up a Mac to do the rest?
I've actually considered doing exactly that.
> Macs are overpriced boutique toys.
A UNIX-based operating system with a superior UI running on superior hardware... a toy?
Typical Microsoft robot. You probably haven't used a Mac since 1985.
The comment about USB is WRONG! Windows has supported USB since 1998. Apple added USB support for the Mac in 2000.
I didn't even know WordPerfect was still being made. LOL They were so proud of their blue-screen interface, they never bothered to evolve into a gui, until it was too late.
Meanwhile, the DOJ can't seem to distinguish antitrust issues in the OS from the business apps. Instead, they burp a "Microsoft bad" and buy an inferior product.
Ugh.
The 500 dollar toy that will not work out of the box (you need to buy a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and a clue).
Apple sells lots of product yet there market share has remained at 3% over the last 10 years. Mac-Heads buy a lot of computers.
Did you actually read your link? These devices can be used to take data off of computers:
"MICROSOFT is working on technology that will give companies more control over whether to prohibit devices that can easily be used to transfer data to and from personal computers."
The technology is due to appear in next version of Windows, dubbed Longhorn, due out in 2006. As devices including Apple's popular iPods become capable of holding more data, some worry that people could use them to steal data or unleash virus attacks on business networks.
No, Microsoft is not banning anything - more MacReactionary nonsense
None of them were running off batteries. Is there some reason to believe that the Creative players were subjected to more abuse than the Ipods on display?
Did you notice the consistent smug vitriol aimed at Mac users by the PC side? I sure have. It's similar to the way conservatives relate to the Rats... we say: "You have beliefs we don't happen to share. Whatever..." - they say: "How DARE YOU! We hate you! You're IDIOTS!" ... well, the Mac users say: "We like Macs! They're great. You like PCs? Oh." -- and the PC users rant: "How DARE YOU! We hate you! You're IDIOTS!"...
See? Same thing. All PC users are Rats in disguise :-P.
:-)
mega=1,000,000
mega-gig = 1,000,000 gigabyte
You can buy a 1 terabyte drive for around $1,000 but that is only 1,024 gigabytes
You would have to buy 977 terabyte drives to get your mega-gig.
(pendant rant warning)
I guess Mac true believers need something to keep their spirits up -- what with having only about an eighth of the market share Microsoft commands, and all...
Mac-Heads seem to have the best weed.
Apple may have had a third of the market...in 1979
Apple is not even remotely close to having a quarter or a third of the market. Apple has 3% of the market.
Mac's holds 3% of the market (it has been unchanged for nearly 10 years). The linux market share is even less than Apple's.
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