From: Spif <c642011@cclabs.missouri.edu>
Date: Sun, 29 Jan 95 23:56:12 PST
To: Dale Harrison <daleh@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: alt.religion.your.operating.system.sucks
In-Reply-To: <199501300630.WAA29275@ix2.ix.netcom.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.SGI.3.91.950130015104.9021B-100000@sgi15.phlab.missouri.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On Sun, 29 Jan 1995, Dale Harrison wrote:

> >This may be the case, but there is certainly a growing market for 
> >internet-capable systems, and the most internet-friendly OS around is, 
> >of course, UNIX.  
> 
> OS/2 comes internet-ready and pre-installed and it's still an almost 
> complete failure in the market.

that depends on what you think of as "internet-ready", IMHO.  OS/2 is 
ready to fail in an endeavour to be what UNIX has been for over 25 
years:  a _truly_ internet-friendly, multitasking, multithreading OS.

> >In that fact, and in the growing importance of having an OS that 
> >utilizes the full capabilities of increasing powerful personal 
> >computers, lies the future of UNIX.
> 
> In any mature market, technical superiority above some baseline level of 
> sufficiency has no market value.  The auto market is a classic example 
> of this. Look how long tail-fins and chrome have dominated technical 
> superiority as the prime focus of marketing.  These are all marketing 
> issues not technical issues!

really?  I would think over a decade of Japanese technical superiority in 
automaking (better gas mileage, better safety features, etc.) and the 
resultant move by the "Big 3" to be even more technically superior would 
tend to contradict that notion.  Consumers are not totally stupid - they 
may drool over and rave about the latest flashy, technically inferior 
car, but when it comes down to it they'll most often buy the one with the 
best gas mileage, the best safety features, and so forth.

    Bryan Venable               | c642011@cclabs.missouri.edu
    Student & MOO Administrator | wlspif@showme.missouri.edu
    U of Missouri - Columbia    | spif@pobox.com
    SGI/Netscape/MOO addict     | spif@m-net.arbornet.org
    Spif or Turmandir @ MOOs    | http://www.phlab.missouri.edu/~c642011 

             <insert standard university disclaimer here>