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FW: FW: Results of "downloading compressed program images" request



I hate to sound too much like a capitalist, but, what's a stake is not
just the outcome for the general public, the company has to survive too.
 The public gets to vote by either buying the product or boycotting it.
It's a simple system and it works wonderfully.

-brian

>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Robin Kirkham [SMTP:Robin.Kirkham@mlb.dmt.csiro.au]
>Sent:	Thursday, January 22, 1998 12:38 AM
>To:	Brian Cuthie
>Cc:	crossgcc@cygnus.com; rms@santafe.edu
>Subject:	Re: FW: Results of "downloading compressed program images" request 
>
>
>On Wed, 21 Jan 1998, Brian Cuthie wrote:
>
>> Oh, right.  This worked really well for IBM in the 1980's.
>> 
>> Their problem was that they executed *exactly* the plan you espouse.
>> They opened not only the hardware (I had a PC and still have the
>> original IBM PC Technical Reference Manual), but also gave away the
>> source to the ROM BIOS.  Since the OS was available from a third party
>> (Microsoft), they were all but out of the PC business within four years
>> because of competition from clone makers.
>
>But was has the been the net outcome for the general population, and for 
>PC programmers?  Just about everyone has that standardised, well-understood,
>(reasonably) open computing platform on their desks and in their homes.
>
>Sounds to me like a good outcome on the whole, not a bad one. And one
>that (eventually) has become a boon for free- and low-cost software. I think
>it's doubtful that a closed, proprietory approach by IBM in launching the
>PC would have had that welcome outcome.
>
>Robin Kirkham			CSIRO Manufacturing Science and Technology
>Project Engineer		Locked Bag 9, Preston 3072, Australia
>robin.kirkham@mlb.dmt.csiro.au	Phone: +61 3 9662-7756  Fax: +61 3 9662-7851