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echo: os2
to: Ray Hyder
from: Jack Stein
date: 1999-09-29 08:38:08
subject: OS/2 Support

Ray Hyder wrote in a message to Rob Basler:

 RB> Back in the Warp 3 days they did attempt to get people to use 
 RB> it, they also aggressively looked for preload agreements.  The 
 RB> MS trial in the states has had a lot of stories about how 
 RB> systems integraters were scared off preinstalling OS/2 by MS 
 RB> reps.  There was quite a bit of advertising for it in those 
 RB> days, both in trade mags and on TV of all things.  Why IBM 
 RB> decided to smother it, no one knows.  Some say that support cost 
 RB> too much, some say IBM did it to get a better preload deal for 
 RB> Windows 95, I don't know what is true. 
  
 RH> Easy answer!  Lack of corporate courage.  IBM lacked the
 RH> balls to take on MicroSoft in the consumer desktop market. 

IBM has very LARGE BALLS.  Don't ever under estimate the balls of a gigantic,
unbelievably rich company.

 RH> A REAL technology company would have won the desktop in a
 RH> heartbeat with OS/2.  

An 8th grade Junior Achievement marketing class would have won the desktop,
with just a very, very, very small part of the cash IBM has at it's
fingertips.

 RH> At the time of Warp 3's introduction
 RH> OS/2 first level support was being sub-contracted to an
 RH> outside vendor.  Support costs could have been easily
 RH> contained. A company the size of IBM could have taken Mr
 RH> Gates into court over the preload issue and wrapped
 RH> MicroSoft around the proverbial axle for years. 
  
 RH> The truth is that IBM simply lacked the management gut's to
 RH> carry a technology forward that would put IBM on almost
 RH> every desktop on the planet.  Very sad...  - ray  

Thats a very slim possiblitly.  More likely they had no intentions of taking
over the desktop, they didn't WANT it to happen, and they made sure it didn't. 
It took BALLS to overtly kill OS/2 the way they did.  Money was no issue, they 
spent 3 BILLION on LOTUS you know.  Who do you know that can piss away $3
BILLION w/o blinking an eye?

                                              Jack 
--- timEd/2-B11
140/1
* Origin: Jack's Free Lunch 4OS2 USR 56k Pgh Pa (412)492-0822 (1:129/171)

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