i've wondered about that before myself. it's not normally how they would do things (though lucky for us, it paved the way for clones which has even helped mac users to some extent, assuming that apple would have had competition any way, though if there weren't pc clones it might be better for apple, financially. then again there would probably have just been another competitor, especially since there were other companies with their own pc dos before windows drove them out).
i think part of it was that ibm was getting desperate, apparently they were for some unknown reason having a hard time writing their own. bill gates is schrewd and a tough negotiator (though generally a bit slimy..), the main reason he did well, that and the fact that the people who actually wrote and owned the copyrights on most of dos didn't want to fight ibm, there was at least one copy right statement still in the code if you looked at it in a hex editor, i've seen an interview with the rightful owner of most of the code gates stole and he said he didn't pursue it mostly because he would have had to sue ibm and wasn't foolish enough to think that one guy with a cheap lawyer would do well against a corporate legal team, independent of what was legal or illegal, right or wrong. and so it goes even today. it seems most people who do really well suing big corporations are the people who least deserve the huge settlements. of course this also explains why microsoft has always been so paranoid about software piracy, because microsoft is built on the single most successful case of software piracy! Donald Parsons wrote: > > Interesting, One should also mention the incredible fact that IBM actually > "allowed" a young > "nobody" named Bill Gates to provide and own their "new" personal computer operating > system. > It makes one wonder about the level of corporate responsibility? :-) > Don > > Philip Stortz wrote: > > > > > companies don't get big by acting like big companies do, and big companies can > > sometimes --------- -- <http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3267.htm> proof that the U.S. media is now state controlled! Ask your' local tv station why the hell they aren't airing the news any more! Our system of government requires an informed public, with their eyes open. -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
