On 07/01/2014 12:54, Weatherlawyer wrote:
On Monday, 6 January 2014 10:21:23 UTC, Tim Streater wrote:

"The idea that Bill Gates has appeared like a knight in shining armour to
lead all customers out of a mire of technological chaos neatly ignores
the fact that it was he who, by peddling second-rate technology, led them
into it in the first place." - Douglas Adams

How long ago was that written?

Before the 11th of May 2001.

Apple could have made a rival but their business plan was to replicate IBM not do a software. Software became a part of the product because Jobs had superb writers working at bottom dollar rates and he could always get more of them

IMO, Apple's mistake was to try and create a walled garden. This was
also their strength, as they could quite truthfully say that their stuff
"Just Worked", as long as you were working the way they wanted you to.
The IBM model, while being a lot more open, was also less reliable.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.