From: demillo@juliet.ll.mit.edu ( Robert DeMillo )
Subject: Sorry I Started This (was Re: Why I hate...(was Re: Pause before...))
Organization: M.I.T. Lincoln Lab - Group 43
	<1992Apr10.210418.26317@muddcs.claremont.edu>
	<1992Apr11.191032.12661@cs.mcgill.ca>
	<1992Apr12.054405.25265@unixg.ubc.ca>
Date: 14 Apr 92 13:44:36


Well, by posting a synopsis of OS/2 s.0 from InfoWorld, I inadvertantly
started this war. My apologies for all those intelligent folks
on the net that didn't want this to go the direction it went...

In article <1992Apr12.054405.25265@unixg.ubc.ca> twong@civil.ubc.ca (Thomas Wong) writes:
> >	[...someone responding to the religious wars...]
> >
> >	Nobody minds a good debate/argument, but this is just stupid.
> >
> But Marc. He did give his reasons. In fact, if you have been reading
> this group, there has been plenty of reasons why OS/2 is techincally
> better than Windows....

I agree with the first poster whose name I inadvertantly obliterated.
(Sorry.) Religious wars are counterproductive. You wouldn't *believe*
the shoot-the-messenger e-mail I received when I posted my quote from
InfoWorld...and to all of you a**holes that never actually read my
entire posting to see that I was, in fact, just parroting the
InfoWorld article...get a real life. And to all of you who misquoted
me out of context...no response. None at all. I'm totally speechless.
(And after 10 years on this net, I shouldn't be amazed anymore.)

As to Thomas up above...

Tom, no one (I don't think) is denying that PM + OS/2 is technically
superior to Windows + DOS. It plainly is. To all you Windowsphites out
there, we can debate the pros/cons of Windows NT vs. OS/2 x.x when NT
comes to market. 

However, consider: hasn't anyone noticed yet that the majority of 
people crowing the merits about OS/2 are techical people that know the
difference? Do you really think that your average bank manager or 
accounts representative or news reporter is gonna take a chance on
(what to them) is a big unknown when Windows works just fine?

Add to this the fact that there are 65 million DOS installations out
there, and the number of Windows installations is approaching the
15 million mark - some analysts say 20 million by year's end. That's
a lot of momentum to catch up with, even for IBM. 

Add to these facts that IBM has never, ever, EVER successfully marketed
any package for the PC market. The only reason that their software 
division is still around is because of the huge IBM mainframe installation
that is out there. I've worked in Universities my whole life, and I 
know how IBM approached the individual retail sale market. They can't handle
it. They are geared towards dealing with banks.

According to *INFOWORLD* (All religious dweebies take note, this is 
information supplied by InfoWorld! Warning! Warning! This is not my
information) value added resellers and retailers do not want to
deal with IBM, because they have snubbed them som many times in the past.

I guess the point I'm trying to make here, is that if you want to 
develop OS/2 programs for yourself, for research or for your job...great.
But if you want to develop something with commercial potential, be very
wary...I don't think you're gonna get as rich as you think you might.

On another topic: why is this newsgroup called comp.windows.ms when
the majority of people on it seem to be OS/2 folks?





--
 - Rob DeMillo			| Internet: 	 demillo@juliet.ll.mit.edu
   MIT Lincoln Lab 		| Also Internet: rjd@brown.cs.edu
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