HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: pathak@mitre.org (Heeren Pathak)
Subject: Re: OS/2 looking good.
Followup-To: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Organization: Mitre Corporation
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 14:23:35 GMT

In article <1993Jan26.140448.7466@c1.nkw.ac.uk>, pjml@swmis.nsw.ac.uk (Pete
Lucas) wrote:
> 
> 
> Just set up a system for someone based on PS/2-77 with 9517 display, 
> 16Mb RAM, Token-ring 16/4 card, OS/2 2.0, TCP/IP (1.2) for OS/2, and the
> associated X-windows server. Its really rather nifty! Showing it
> to a few people, they seem impressed.   The Workplace Shell seems a big
> selling-point to some of the lookers-on; one of them commented
> 
>  'Its rather like my Mac, but it looks nicer!'.
> 

I had a PC for years and develop on both the Mac and PC at work.  Recently,
I was going to buy a new system and was leaning towards getting a Mac.  A
friend at work got the beta 2.0 copy of OS/2 and demoed it to me.  I loved
the WPS and ended up buying a PC instead of a Mac.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heeren Pathak                      | Millions long for immortality who do 
pathak@mitre.org                   | not know what to do with themselves
Mitre Corporation                  | on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
(617) 271-7465                     |	               	-- Susan Ertz
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: Mine not Mitre's.
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy,comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy
From: mfraioli@grebyn.com (Marc Fraioli)
Subject: Re: Some stuff from PCweek
Organization: Grebyn Timesharing
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 22:48:07 GMT

In article <1993Jan28.224036.3596@grebyn.com> mfraioli@grebyn.com (Marc Fraioli) writes:
>[...]
>[article includes chart: "NT's networking features: how they stack up"]
>		WindowsNT(1)	NetWare4.0(2)	VINES5.5	IBM DCE(3)
>File and print
>  sharing	  yes		  yes		  yes		  yes
>
>Windows-based
>  admin utils	  yes		  yes		  no		  no
>
>Remote Procedure
>  calls		  yes		  yes		  yes		  yes
>
>Basic Wide
>  area links	  yes		  yes		  yes		  yes
>
>Global directory
>  service	  no		  yes		  yes		  yes
>
>server mirroring  no		  no(4)		  no		  no
>
>Two-phase
>  commit over LAN no		  no		  no		  no
>
	Sorry to follow-up to myself, but that last one should have read
as follows:

Two-phase
  commit over LAN  no	 	  no		  no		  yes

-- 
Marc Fraioli
mfraioli@grebyn.com	        	(So I'm a minimalist...)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
From: rsrodger@wam.umd.edu (Yamanari)
Subject: Re: AmiPro for OS/2 (was Re: Impressions of OS/2 2.1 Beta)
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 18:04:53 GMT

In article <2b63c878@f514.n202.z1.fidonet.org> Craig_Swanson@f514.n202.z1.fidonet.org writes:
>>> AmiPro for OS/2 2.0 will be full 32-bit, Workplace Shell aware,
>>> multithreaded, HPFS aware, etc.  Ditto 1-2-3 2.0, Freelance
>Graphics,
>>> and cc:Mail.
>
>
> Y>  Well, now.  Will it use Mirrors?  What, in this context, does
> Y>  "Workplace shell aware" really mean?    ===============
>
>I personally asked the product manager for Ami Pro if it would use
>Mirrors and his reply was that it would not.  Workplace Shell aware
>means that it implements drag-and-drop functionality for things like
>printing and file loading.  For example, as I recall you can drag a
>document onto the printer and it will be printed by Ami Pro.


	Big whoo.  In other words, "Workplace Shell Aware"
	is the new OS/2-speak for applications that support the
	OS/2 equivalent of drag and drop.  A buzzword with very limited
	usefulness. 

	<It's the same under Win31.  I think I've printed this way maybe 
	once under Windows.  Might be nice as an option, but it's really
	not a big deal.  Plus, I don't honestly see how that is a real
	"feature".. It must take, what, 5 minutes to add it?>


-- 
	Attempts to lessen the burden of proof in rape trials are an assault 
        	on our civil liberties.  Support equality, not revenge. 
 ---  boycott == coercion == censorship == closed mindedness == cowardice  ---
	Pyramid schemes are illegal unless you're the US government.
From: bdubbs@cs.tamu.edu (Bruce Dubbs)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: NT to be launched at Comdex/Spring,...
Date: 21 Jan 1993 17:14:26 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Department, Texas A&M University
NNTP-Posting-Host: neuron.tamu.edu

In article <1993Jan21.143153.28433@ncsu.edu> jmbeesle@eos.ncsu.edu (JAMES MICHAEL BEESLEY) writes:
|
|Funny, I must have missed the $68 for Os/2 *GA* offer ?

No, You missed the OS/2 *GA* for $49 offer!
  -- Bruce

--
Bruce Dubbs                   |  Oxymorons of note:
bdubbs@neuron.tamu.edu        |  Honest Politician, Political Science,
                              |  Scrupulous Lawyer
From: pjml@swmis.nsw.ac.uk (Pete Lucas)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: OS/2 looking good.
Date: 26 Jan 93 14:04:48 GMT
Organization: Natural Environment Research Council
Originator: pjml@swmis.nerc-swindon.ac.uk


Just set up a system for someone based on PS/2-77 with 9517 display, 
16Mb RAM, Token-ring 16/4 card, OS/2 2.0, TCP/IP (1.2) for OS/2, and the
associated X-windows server. Its really rather nifty! Showing it
to a few people, they seem impressed.   The Workplace Shell seems a big
selling-point to some of the lookers-on; one of them commented

 'Its rather like my Mac, but it looks nicer!'.

Now all i need is for their copy of OS/2 SAS to arrive, and WordPerfect 5.2 
for OS/2, and they will be happy.  If only I could get rid of *my* old 386
(cursed by DOS/Windows) and replace it with OS/2.....!

1 2 2 4 4 5 5 3 3 1 1             Pete Lucas
2 1 4 2 5 4 3 5 1 3 2             G6WBJ@gb7sdn.gbr.eu
3 4 1 5 2 3 4 1 5 2 3             Holbrook House
4 3 5 1 3 2 1 4 2 5 4             Station Road  Swindon
5 5 3 3 1 1 2 2 4 4 5             PJML@uk.ac.nsw.swmis
From: mortenk@dhhalden.no (MORTEN KNUDSEN)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: Proposed OS/2 Newsgroup Summary (Re: Does IBM have an ...)
Date: 22 Jan 93 17:13:11 GMT
Organization: Ostfold College

In article <1993Jan18.063232.14945@midway.uchicago.edu> sip1@ellis.uchicago.edu (Timothy F. Sipples) writes:
>From: sip1@ellis.uchicago.edu (Timothy F. Sipples)
>Subject: Re: Proposed OS/2 Newsgroup Summary (Re: Does IBM have an ...)
>Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1993 06:32:32 GMT
>In article <1jcv5kINNhb8@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> dab6@po.CWRU.Edu (Douglas A. Bell) writes:
>>>>Can someone put a summary of all the new OS/2 related conferences that were
>>>>suggested? Thanks.
>>>These two will be submitted for RFD on Monday (Jan 18):
>>>   (1) comp.os.os2.ver1x (unmoderated)
>>>       This will cover OS/2 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3.
>>Well, it is a few hours early, but let me start the discusion.
>>It is somewhat silly to make a new group for a product that is being 
>>phased out.
>>I'd vote no on this group.
>
>There are no plans to phase out IBM OS/2 1.3.  However, even if there
>were, there are plenty of newsgroups for "yesterday's products."
>
Yeah. Such as the amiga newsgroups.

>-- 
>Timothy F. Sipples      | Read the OS/2 FAQ List 2.0i, available from
>sip1@ellis.uchicago.edu | 128.123.35.151, anonymous ftp, in /pub/os2/all/info
>Dept. of Econ., Univ.   | /faq, or from LISTSERV@BLEKUL11.BITNET (send "HELP")
>of Chicago, 60637       | [Read the List, THEN post to ONE OS/2 newsgroup.]
From: ucgadkw@ucl.ac.uk (Dominik Wujastyk)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: Next 2.1 Beta is Coming in Feb.
Date: 24 Jan 93 13:59:28 GMT
Organization: Bloomsbury Computing Consortium

z_kupkams@ccsvax.sfasu.edu writes:


>Keep the Bug Reports coming in. The more bugs that IBM is aware of now, the
>sooner they will be fixed.

Is it enough to report bugs to this list? (or comp.os.os2.misc)  I hope
so, since this is easy, and filling in some official form, even online,
is a pain.  Can we rely on IBM staff reading this group, and bug
reports on the 2.1b getting back to the right quarters?

Dominik
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
From: brian@jaguar.cs.utah.edu (Brian Sturgill)
Subject: Re: AmiPro 3.0 and Yamanari
Organization: University of Utah Computer Science
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 93 09:17:03 GMT

In article <1k1hh1INNa9n@cae.cad.gatech.edu> chris@cad.gatech.edu (Chris McClellen) writes:
>
>"Yamanari" (or whatever), 
>
>	People have been saying that AmiPro 3.0 looks like it will NOT
>use Mirrors, but rather, will be a native PM app.  If you don't
>believe them, wait for the darned release, and stop tauting and

I talked to Lotus at Comdex (one of their technical people).  He was
quite certain that Lotus was not use Mirrors in any of their
OS/2 products, so I think you quit worrying about AMI PRO.

Brian
-- 
C. Brian Sturgill                  Windows, WfW, Windows NT and some OS/2 2.0
University of Utah                 information available via anonymous ftp to
Center for Software Science        easy.cs.utah.edu. Also all my Tidbits posts.
brian@cs.utah.edu; CIS: 70363,1373     Windows NT SDK: $69; (800) 227-4679
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: "Slick Willy" Gates
From: sl1yn@riverheights.declab.usu.edu (869483 Denys Larry)
Date: 21 Jan 93 22:41:28 MDT
Reply-To: sl1yn@riverheights.declab.usu.edu (869483 Denys Larry)
Distribution: world
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation



  Nothing to say here.
  I just wanted to keep the subject line alive.  :-)

  But I do think comparing Gates to Slick Willy goes a little too
far.  Gates can't keep himself from lying about anything concerned
with his business.  Slick can't keep himslef from lying about everything.
From: hayesb@yvax.byu.edu
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: AmiPro for OS/2                                       
Date: 25 Jan 93 12:30:10 -0700
Distribution: world,local
Organization: Brigham Young University

In article <1993Jan22.141835.1@violet.ccit.arizona.edu>, f67709907@violet.ccit.arizona.edu (Greg Franklin) writes:
> In article <93020.170902ASI509@DJUKFA11.BITNET>, ASI509@DJUKFA11.BITNET writes:
>> In article <1993Jan16.165115.7298@gw.wmich.edu>, 177wardell@gw.wmich.edu says:
>>>        I am not quite as thrilled about that.  I would prefer to be
>>>able to associates *.zip with an icon file also instead of the just
>>>the associated program.  Think about it, all your AmiPro docs will have
>>>little AmiPro icons.  This is more than a bit confusing for some people.
>>>
>> I think if AmiPro will be a PM program it should create docs with their own
>> icon and perhaps comments, history and what else fits into 64k of extended
>> attributes.
> 
> I think Ami Pro for PM will be a straight port of the Windows version, and
> will languish on version 3 while Lotus cranks out versions 5 and beyond
> for Windows.
> 
> That is, if Lotus ever does release a PM version.  They certainly won't
> take advantage of OS/2 EAs, long file names, or threading, or any of the
> good stuff OS/2 has.
  
What in the world makes you say Lotus is going to do a "straight" port of Ami
Pro from Windows?  It makes better sense to me for them to build in the
strengths that OS/2 offers (EAs, long file names, threads, etc.).  I spoke with
a tech rep about a month ago and he told me the AmiPrint program that is used
under Windows is to be done away with.  Why?  Because they are just going to
spool it off on a thread.  A straight port of the Windows product would not
take advantage of threads.  

If Lotus wants Ami Pro for OS/2 to be a hit, which deep down inside I have that
warm fuzzy feeling that they do, they are going to take advantage of OS/2s
strengths.

Bryan
> -- 
> Greg Franklin
> f67709907@ccit.arizona.edu
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
From: dyoung@netcom.com (David Young)
Subject: Re: NT to be launched at Comdex/Spring,...
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 17:27:57 GMT

From article <1993Jan26.001231.1844@itsmail1.hamilton.edu>, by jmalloy@itsmail1.hamilton.edu (Joseph T. Malloy):

> That one can get the OS/2 beta for zero dollars presumes that one has
> ftp access and a lot of time on his hands (after getting the service
> pack that way (fewer disks!), I figure I'll just wait until 2.1 is
> released.  .

Not necessarily...  IBM were handing out Beta CD-ROMS for free at the
Windows-OS/2 conference in San Jose last week.  The Licence also allows you
to install the beta on up to 5 (at least I think it was 5) machines. So you
could legally get it from a friend.
-- 
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  David M. Young   |                    |  Real airplanes have two wings |
| dyoung@netcom.com |                    |  and round engines.    - Anon  |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Our life is frittered away by detail...Simplify, simplify.   - Thoreau  |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: joli@polaris.utu.fi (Jouni Lindstedt)
Subject: TIGA-drivers ??
Organization: University of Turku
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 10:55:57 GMT

Hi there!,

Does anyone know if there is drivers for TIGA display adapter under OS/2.
I'm testing 2.1 beta and it doesn't recognize acumos vga-chip connected
to TIGA-board. It's not SO fun to use 640x480x16 when capability of disp-
adapter is 1280x1200.

Help please !!

_JOLI_
From: bdubbs@cs.tamu.edu (Bruce Dubbs)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: NT to be launched at Comdex/Spring,...
Date: 24 Jan 1993 17:51:13 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Department, Texas A&M University
NNTP-Posting-Host: neuron.tamu.edu

In article <1993Jan24.090837.21977@microsoft.com> philipla@microsoft.com (Phil Lafornara) writes:
|In article <1993Jan21.222612.2511@ccsvax.sfasu.edu> z_kupkams@ccsvax.sfasu.edu writes:
|>In article <1993Jan21.192423.11114@microsoft.com>, philipla@microsoft.com (Phil Lafornara) writes:
|>> In article <1993Jan19.190356.12915@cci632.cci.com> rom@cci632.cci.com (Rudynell S. Millian) writes:
|>>>
|>>>	Sources within Microsoft said the initial version will require between
|>>>12M and 16M bytes of memory instead of the 36M bytes required for the 
|>>>demonstration version.
|>> 
|>>     Did you typo here?  I can't recall _ever_ hearing _anyone_, even
|>> the most rabid MS-basher, claim that Windows NT required 36MB
|>> to run.
|>> 
|>> 				-Phil
|>
|>	OK Phil, how much memory does it require? How much memory do you have
|>in your system running NT? This is not a flame, but why did't you correct the
|>poster, and state the offical requirements, rather than just say it was wrong?
|>
|
|    I've been running it in 12MB for months.  I could understand
|16MB as a recommendation for doing development, but 36MB?  I don't
|recall ever working on a PC with that much RAM in it.
|    In other words, the report as published is a crock.

I read it as a typo in the original story.  When I saw 36Mb I thought
"Oh, that must be 16Mb." 
   -- Bruce


--
Bruce Dubbs                   |  Oxymorons of note:
bdubbs@neuron.tamu.edu        |  Honest Politician, Political Science,
                              |  Scrupulous Lawyer
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
From: rjones@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Ron Jones)
Subject: OS/2 killer app!
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 04:53:49 GMT

Infoworld's (Jan 25) Robert Cringely (I know, Iknow!)  suggests that 
OS/2 may have its "killer application". Its called Visual Programming
with Rexx!  VP is used to develop CUA 91 applications by just dragging 
and dropping.  It was supposedly demoed recently in Colorado. Anyone 
see this program?  It reminds me of a program called One/2 (I think) 
that was talked about last year?  

-- 
    < Ron Jones                   |    E-mail:        rj+@osu.edu  > 
    < The Ohio State University   |    Office:      (614) 292-1665 >
    < Columbus, Ohio 43210        |    FAX: (9-5PM) (614) 292-7151 > 

Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
From: furballs@sequent.com (Paul Penrod)
Subject: Re: Doug Hamilton responds
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems Inc.
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 21:18:27 GMT

In article <C17G5t.7By@panix.com> os2man@panix.com (Larry Salomon Jr.) writes:
>In <1993Jan20.235340.27787@itsmail1.hamilton.edu> jmalloy@itsmail1.hamilton.edu (Joseph T. Malloy) writes:
>
>>No flame, just curious: what was it that Microsoft did in that "hell of
>>a job on wooing him over to the NT camp?" 
>
>I would say, but I gave him my word that I wouldn't discuss it with anyone;
>however, I will state that they "bent over backwards" to help him port his
>product to NT, which is something I have yet to see from IBM (helping the
>"little people", who are the one- and two-person shops).  Instead, IBM
>continues to ignore us and concentrate on the big accounts.
>
>It's no wonder that Doug is fed up with IBM.
>
>Cheers,
>Q
>-- 

I can't let this one go...

While it's commendable that Microsoft bent over backwards to help
Doug Hamilton; don't go making blanket statments that IBM does just
the oppposite.

As a member of the DAP, I have to commend IBM and my DAP
representative on a going the extra mile to do service job. I am
very pleased with the responses I have gotten. They have been
prompt, courteous, and when the Representative didn't know the
answer, I got a name and phone number to call, or I got a call form
an engineer in the appropriate division who worked with me to get
an answer.

There are several other small shops, and large ones that I
communicate with regularly, and they all have had the same good
experience with IBM. Several years ago, your statement was
accurate, but not today...

Now, to be fair to the other side:

I also have the NT beta, and Microsoft is attentive to the needs
that product provides as well. Fred McCall put it best over in one
of the other groups when he brought up the fact that programmers
and users are the territory to be won in this "OS war", not the
army to fight the battle.

For now, enjoy the attention and service you will receive by either
company if you will just participate. IF there is no competition,
there would not be this "bending over backwards" to help all
concerned. Think about it...

...Paul


-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
            Bureaucracy: noun, plural - Bureaucracies.
         The process of turning energy into solid waste.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
From: rhaig@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Robert Haig)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: OS/2 shipments
Date: 26 Jan 1993 16:51:54 GMT
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX
NNTP-Posting-Host: tramp.cc.utexas.edu

>>4. The ability to print without replacing my three year old, 8 bit 
>>buss parallel printer card,
>
> Why would you have to?

Because some old I/O cards that do not support the generation of Hardware 
Interrupts (the standard).  Get one cheap ($15-30) and things will work fine.

Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
From: jmalloy@itsmail1.hamilton.edu (Joseph T. Malloy)
Subject: Re: Doug Hamilton responds
Organization: Hamilton College - Clinton, NY
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 15:27:01 GMT

In article <1jldglINN5pv@controversy.math.lsa.umich.edu> spexet@math.lsa.umich.edu (D. Robert Spexet II) writes:
>In article <1993Jan20.235340.27787@itsmail1.hamilton.edu> jmalloy@itsmail1.hamilton.edu (Joseph T. Malloy) writes:
>>No flame, just curious: what was it that Microsoft did in that "hell of
>>a job on wooing him over to the NT camp?" 
>
>For starters, they gave him a lovely workstation or two to develop NT software
>on.
>
>>jmalloy@hamilton.edu
>
>
>-- 
>D. Robert Spexet II, N0OKR   Internet:  spexet@umich.edu, dspexet@attmail.com

1.  Hey!  Where do I get mine?  Which line?

2.  Is it really a gift?  (Yikes!)  (How many did he get?  One? Two?
more?)

3.  What else did they do for him?

4.  Is it the case that IBM doesn't do similar things?  (I mean, it is
in their own best interest to do so, no?  Come to think of it, wasn't
IBM doing the same sort of thing by paying Borland et al. to write OS/2
apps?)


Joseph T. Malloy, WB2RBA / jmalloy@hamilton.edu
Associate Professor of German / Hamilton College / Clinton, NY/USA

Um, no connection to either Mr. D. Hamilton or any new presidents...

Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
From: jmalloy@itsmail1.hamilton.edu (Joseph T. Malloy)
Subject: Re: os2 what good is it?
Organization: Hamilton College - Clinton, NY
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 23:58:51 GMT

In article <1993Jan25.171630.29447@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca> hwhalen@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca (Hugh Whalen) writes:
>>>What the HELL is os2 good for?  I heard it was gonna be 50 meg at 
>>>LEAST!
>>
>>You heard wrong. It'll do just fine in 20-25 meg.
>>
>>>I can do anything os2 can do with my windows!
>>
>>....except run reliably.
>
>I run Windows and lots of different software - Wordperect, Word for 
>Windows, Excel, PowerPoint, WinQVTnet, Paradox, dBase :-(, Access, 
>AfterDark, Norton Desktop, Printcache, Crosstalk for Windows, Packrat 
>etc. I have also run Turbo C++ for Windows, I spend an average of six 
>hours a day on my machine. It has been over a month since I had a 
>crash or a GPF. I run less on my home machine but I haven't had a 
>crash (that I can recall) on that machine since I loaded Windows 3.1 
>(about a week after it's release date). While your milage may vary it 
>seems pretty reliable to me.
>
>My $.02 worth.
>
>Hugh Whalen                     | Where all men think alike, no one
>Faculty of Administration       | thinks very much.
>University of New Brunswick     |               - Walter Lippmann			
>
Ditto here.  The odd app that does crash (usually a truly odd app!) is
easily shut down by local reboot in my experience.  I reboot my machine
only when I make changes to startup files or, if that doesn't occur
often enough, once a week, whether it needs it or not.  For many people,
Windows 3.1 is utterly stable.  In my case, even Windows 3.0 was stable,
and I've been using 3.1 for well over a year now (I beta'd) was utter
stability.

jmalloy@hamilton.edu
 
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy,comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy
From: jahonen@cs.joensuu.fi (Jarmo Ahonen)
Subject: IBM disappearing, hah (Re: Upset about IBM misinformation.)
Organization: University of Joensuu
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 10:49:51 GMT

smcl@speed.kiev.ua (Scott McLoughlin) writes:

>Howdy,

>IBM really _IS_ trying. I definitely give them credit.  But it makes them
>all the more pathetic.  IBM is _GOING_ _DOWN_, yup, going away.  MSoft's
>stock market value just surpassed IBM's.  Chairman John Akers was fired
>today.  90% of IBM's profits (we now have to use past tense) were in
>mainframe and mini sales.  They are now touting "support and systems
>integration services" as a strategic business area. Sounds like Wang
>a few years ago.  Unlike Wang though IBM will give birth to lots of
>smaller nice companies. None of them are likely to compete with MSoft
>though.

Well... I think that you should wait and see. From what I have read, I'd
expect that MicroSoft's stock-market value is made up by *expectations*,
as usual with stocks. If MS is going to *GROW* as fast as this far, then
the value is OK. But remember that there is only a limited number of potential
users for *any* computer program. Growth stops somewhere... Sales may even
go down, even with *new* products.

Phillips (the electronics etc. manufacturer from the Netherlands) was doomed
some years ago, or so people said. But look at that company now, not
going to die... DIGITAL looked like going under, but Alpha seems (read: may)
be able to save them... And did Chrysler die in the beginning of 80's?
Naw, *BIG* companies very rarely die, they just change...

But in a few years we will see how things are going... Do not believe that
one or two badly "red" years in a life of a company which is as BIG as IBM
will kill it. After five years we will surely know... :-)