Re: PC or Mac?

[russotto@grace.speakeasy.net (Matthew Russotto)]

In article <a3cb67$r8k$1@merope.saaf.se>, Paul Schlyter <pausch@saaf.se> wrote:
>In article <slrna5jbl9.21.byron@b60z27hbb464i.ab.hsia.telus.net>,
>Byron Q. Desnoyers Winmill <byron@b60z27hbb464i.ab.hsia.telus.net> wrote:
>>
>>Mimick does not imply compatibility with software in this case, but
>>wetware.  A number of companies jumped on the GUI bandwagon thanks
>>to Apple popularising the GUI.  To name a few products: GEM, GEOS,
>>Amiga's OS, BeOS, OS/2, Windows.  The GUI elements in all of these
>>systems (except maybe Amiga, which I have no experience with) are
>>quite similar.  Many of these elements clearly came from Apple's
>>offering.
>
>..and Apple in turn "borrowed" the GUI idea from Xerox...

Apple borrowed (or bought) far less from Xerox than Windows borrowed
from the Mac. 

>In turn, Apple has borrowed some other ideas because they were
>good:  expansion slots (missing in early Mac's),

The idea was "borrowed" from the S-100 machines, if that. 

>IDE harddisks (cheaper),
Alas.

>and the PC diskette format (good because then you can
>transfer diskettes between machines).

To this day, Apple does not use the PC diskette format.  They did switch
to the same low-level format when they went to 1440K diskettes, but the
high-level format never changed.

>Was the GUI ever patented?

You can't legitimately patent an idea.  Many elements of the GUI have
been patented, however. (including, I believe, the "trash can")
-- 
Matthew T. Russotto                                mrussotto@speakeasy.net
=====
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