From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Aug 9 22:32:20 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id EE55037B401 for ; Sat, 9 Aug 2003 22:32:20 -0700 (PDT) Received: from lakemtao08.cox.net (lakemtao08.cox.net [68.1.17.113]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id EFC1343F75 for ; Sat, 9 Aug 2003 22:32:19 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from tedgoodridgejr@acm.org) Received: from vulcan ([68.97.25.190]) by lakemtao08.cox.net (InterMail vM.5.01.04.05 201-253-122-122-105-20011231) with ESMTP id <20030810053218.FNFX7627.lakemtao08.cox.net@vulcan>; Sun, 10 Aug 2003 01:32:18 -0400 Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2003 00:32:08 -0500 To: misc@openbsd.org, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed References: <200308100354.h7A3sVRk010753@clunix.cl.msu.edu> From: "Ted Goodridge, Jr" MIME-Version: 1.0 Message-ID: In-Reply-To: <200308100354.h7A3sVRk010753@clunix.cl.msu.edu> User-Agent: Opera7.11/Win32 M2 build 2887 Subject: Re: Think outside of the box (Gawd, I hate that term) X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2003 05:32:21 -0000 >> Borrowing ideas is essential to progress in the computer industry. >> Technically; you measure progress not by market results, but by the >> spread of ideas. The value of ideas lies not in how much money the one >> company that owns those ideas makes, but by how readily those ideas are >> given away and used by everybody as a community good. > > It is nice to be an idealist, but the reality is that a lot of > superior technology has gone by the wayside - its line snuffed out > only because it was unable to gain sufficiently in the market place. > Microsoft did not gain its position because of superior technology > in the products they sold, but in "superior" abililty in the marketplace - > > > sometimes abilities that we question should be exercised - eg may not > have been for the common good. > >> Even (or perhaps >> I should say especially) IBM and MicroSoft are part of this ecology of >> ideas; you need look no further than MS DOS or the 5150 (and their >> competition) to see the importance of this. The alpha microprocessor comes to mind:killed by DEC "stealth marketing". A vastly superior technology to peecees, yet beaten in the end by better marketing and price pressures. There are many, many other examples of this axiom. Ted