Re: Apple and the Holy War

[Robert Boucher <rboucher@houston.rr.com>]

Supertimer wrote:
> 
<snip>

> But when the IBM PC came out, it was also a practical
> computer although, in my opinion, not nearly as well
> designed as the Apple II.  Jobs, in a fit of delusional rage,
> started to label IBM as an evil entity.  He and the Apple
> he remade in his image lost sight of everything and went
> on a holy war to destroy "Big Brother."  I think that is the
> main reason why he hated the Apple II so much because
> in his eyes, the Apple II was the same type of machine
> as the PC.  What he did not realize was that a practical
> machine better designed can triumpth against another
> practical machine less well designed.
> 
 I don't think Apple ever had a real shot at the business market. When
our company (12,000 employees) decided to buy a few personal computers*
very few people even knew what a personal computer was, and even fewer
knew about Apple computers. When Purchasing asked IS for a
recommendation, they only computer IS knew was Big Blue (main frame).
Since Purchasing already felt "You can't go wrong buying IBM" the
decision was made. I suspect it was this same type "thinking" in other
large companies. These IBM's were given to employees that thought they
had died and gone to heaven since any type word processor beat an IBM
electric typewriter.

In our company some individual sections got an Apple to run software
that wasn't available on the IBM. However, since they officially weren't
even suppose to have anything but an IBM, the sections kept the Apples
hidden and NEVER discussed its superior features. Of course, at that
time, no one in our company, except me, had used both computers and knew
of the differences. (Do you remember the early IBM's where you had to
switch between DOS and BASIC, or for some features you used BASICA?)

Once the IBM's got a foothold, no one in Purchasing or IS was going to
admit they had made a mistake.

*I got the second personal computer our company purchased. I was suppose
to get the first one, but a manager in IS took it. I had asked for for
Apple, but "wiser heads" overruled!