RE (5) Ozymandias: Visual Perl & ActiveState

I was there too :-)

I remember my Atari 1200 with fondness, Atari basic was my first artifical language.

You make some interesting points about Microsoft's marketers, who are undoubtedly the most efficient part of the organisation. I'm still not convinced that Microsoft pushed the price of hardware down. I think that martket forces and Intel's company policy are what pushed the price of hardware down. Electronic goods get cheaper over time, this is an established principle, but one that was initiated by (according to my history texts) Bob Noyce (Intel co-founder) when he worked at Fairchild.

Microsoft don't make hardware devices (Basic UI peripherals excepted) the price of the hardware has nothing to do with them.

Regards

Nuance

Baldrick, you wouldn't see a subtle plan if it painted itself purple and danced naked on top of a harpsichord, singing "Subtle plans are here again!"

Comment on RE (5) Ozymandias: Visual Perl & ActiveState

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RE:(6) Visual Perl & ActiveState (Ozymandias: OS vs. Hardware) by Ozymandias (Hermit) on May 30, 2000 at 21:04 UTC
Yes and no. Microsoft doesn't make hardware (agreed, keyboards and such excepted) but they DO make the most prevalent (from a home-user standpoint) operating system. One of the things Microsoft did to help along those market forces you mention (and their own pocketbook) was to sell the idea of the home PC to the public. Bob Noyce had nothing to do with it. Ask your mom and dad (or, to play it safe, their neighbor) why they bought their first home PC. If it was a Mac, then they don't fit; Steve Jobs possessed them. But if it was a PC, see if the name "Bob Noyce" is mentioned anywhere. I knew what Windows was before I knew about Intel; to the average home user, the box is just an appliance, like the TV or the microwave. The "computer" is the operating system, and that's Windows. - Ozymandias	[reply]
RE (7) Ozymandias: Visual Perl & ActiveState by nuance (Hermit) on May 30, 2000 at 22:51 UTC
Have you ever owned a Walkman? Who designed it? What was the name of Sony's Chairman in the year it was designed ? (ask your mom & Dad if they know). OK so people know Gates' name <shrugs shoulders> Big deal what does that prove. Lets talk about CD's do you know the name of Phillips or Sony's chairman in the year they co-developed CD technology. <sarcasm> It's so obvious really, now that I think about it Microsoft brought the price of CD players Down </sarcasm>. How many Far East semiconductor manufacturers can the average person on the street name. Does their ignorance mean that they do not benefit from the market forces that drive the price of their computer memory down? Summary: My contentions Consumer electronics fall in price over time. This has very little to do with any one company (this may seem to be at variance with my contention about Noyce, but he set a trend). Whether or not people know a company chairmans name is irrelevant to that company's influence. Microsoft had next to nothing to do with the price of the hardware their software runs on. Give Microsoft their due they have convinced people that a computer is a windows machine - excellent marketing but ... complete nonsense We should probably stop this sometime soon, it's really off-topic :-) *Nuance* Baldrick, you wouldn't see a subtle plan if it painted itself purple and danced naked on top of a harpsichord, singing "Subtle plans are here again!"	[reply]
RE: RE (7) Ozymandias: Visual Perl & ActiveState by Ozymandias (Hermit) on May 30, 2000 at 23:38 UTC
We should probably stop this sometime soon, it's really off-topic :-) Probably. But what the hell, isn't that what Perl is for - things you aren't really supposed to do? :) I don't own a Walkman; I owned a JVC version of it though. And you know what's interesting? It was referred to as a "Walkman." Even though it wasn't one. And I knew what a walkman was, and that Sony had made the "originals." Why? Because Sony had a good marketing team. They made sure that everyone knew what a "real" walkman was. Except for one thing - the original walkman was made (I believe) by RCA. So let's make it easier - see if the word "Intel" even pops up in that conversation with your neighbor. :) - Ozymandias	[reply]