From: jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu (Jay Maynard)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: Tidbits about NT and OS/2 from the trade rags.
Date: 4 Oct 1992 21:30:38 GMT
Organization: UT Health Science Center Houston

In article <1992Oct4.194717.18452@u.washington.edu> mhuth@byron.u.washington.edu (Mark Huth) writes:
>Jay, like you, I suppose that it would be nice if we could pick and choose 
>the components that will be included in whatever os we decide to run.  I'd 
>suggest that what you ask is not a trivial undertaking.

...but it is indeed possible...look at IBM's packaging for the OS/2
components. If I don't want TCP/IP, I shouldn't have to pay for it anyway.
NT's "ya gotta get it all" approach is clearly the wrong thing to all but NT
bigots.

>Further, I'd suggest
>that the future (whenever that is) will bring an increase in networking.  While
>dear old dad doesn't need a network now, he probably will want to be connected
>in the future.  You've got a network now and it would be a "Good Thing" for
>you to have tcp/ip.  I'd suggest that including network capability in future
>os's will become more important.  You don't want to pay for it...ok, don't.  

Having the capability available _for_ the OS is a Good Thing. I'll probably go
buy TCP/IP for OS/2, but not necessarily from IBM. Having it a mandatory part
of the OS is a different matter.

If Dad wants to set up a network in the house, he can. Until then, he
shouldn't have to pay for it.

>Argument by analogy can always be taken to the absurd.  Mexican dinners aren't
>operating systems.  Microsoft is attempting to meet the needs of a very large
>segment of the market by including networking in the base product.  It is 
>fairly unlikely that Microsoft will come to your house and force you to buy
>NT.  In a similar vein, you can decline to buy the super deluxe dinner.  

At least my favorite Mexican restaurant will let me order dinner my way if I
don't like the standard combination. Yes, I can decline to buy the super
deluxe dinner; NT forces me to buy it if I want that system. Similarly, NT
includes multimedia. I don't want it, and don't want to pay for it, and won't
make use of it. I'm stuck with buying it anyway.

>You object to the cost of NT.  However, we haven't any real idea of what the 
>cost of NT is, as yet.  Final pricing isn't available.  The only price, so far,
>is $69 bucks.  

MS employees here echo the official line that nt will be "under $500". It's
utterly idiotic for MS to make that statement and not have the final price be
$499.95.

>As to Zachmann, I'd suggest that Will has made it clear that he does have an
>ax to grind.

If MS had put as much pressure on me as they did on him, through his
employers, I'd have an axe to grind too. What does Zachmann have to gain by
making this stuff up? Until I see a reasonable answer to that question - and
I've gotten some mail from MS employees claiming that they didn't do anything,
but no backup - I'll continue to believe Zachmann.
-- 
Jay Maynard, EMT-P, K5ZC, PP-ASEL | Never ascribe to malice that which can
jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu      | adequately be explained by stupidity.
    Vote for a REAL change on 3 November: Throw out the check-bouncing,
  tax-and-spend Democrat Congress! (obviously, not an opinion of UTHSCH)