Fwd: Re: Rage against Mediocrity

[bjblackbear@ibm.net (B.J. Major)]

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Subject:     Re: Rage against Mediocrity
From:        Bill Dueease <hawkeye@gate.net>
Newsgroups:  comp.sys.mac.misc
Date:        2 Nov 1997 19:00:47 GMT

 Keith

Maybe the following will enlighten you how "Wintel" has been creating the
"dying technology" myth. You obviously discovered the why. Because the Mac
is so much better.

A few points to ponder regarding the recent revelations of the actions of
the "Wintel" group.

The "Wintel" Campaign to Eradicate the Competition

Intel purportedly paid off Yale University through a $2.7 Million grant to
force incoming freshmen to purchase "Wintel" machines only, see "Yale
Migration to Wintel aided by Intel Grant " by Donna Ladd and undoubtedly
has at least strongly attempted, if not accomplished the same at 24 other
high profile Universities, who received similar grants totaling $93.6
million. Not to mention agreements with NASA, Lockheed, and Hughes
Aircraft.

This tactic of buying "Market Share" within the extremely active target
market of incoming freshmen at such well know universities and at very
large computer intensive corporations is a very effective tool to mislead
the public into believing that Apple is loosing "Market Share" because the
general public has willingly and freely chosen the "Wintel" platform.
Especially when you couple this tactic with the simultaneous, unusually
extreme, and focused attacks by certain news media purporting Apple's
demise as a result of its decline in "Market Share". 

Newsweek, during its very strong attacks on Apple, (a vast majority of
which were based on the "Market Share decline" theory) had approximately
8% to 19% of all advertising space purchased by companies that greatly
benefited by "Wintel" only consumer activity. This amount of advertising
dollars has been known to gain advertisers considerable positive editorial
space. Would Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and other aggressive
degraders of Apple reveal their true income from Wintel benefiting
companies to allow the public to know all of the facts surrounding their
biased and apparently coordinated attacks on Apple? Doubtful! And in light
of revelations by The Department of Justice that Microsoft DISALLOWED
their business partners to speak to anyone about their dealings, even the
government, expect full stonewalling from any one who does business with
the "Wintel" group. (see below)

Sun publicly accused Microsoft of adjusting Sun's "Java" to cause its
version to be the only one usable on "Wintel" machines, but advertising as
if Sun's original "Java" was incorporated within, thus preventing anyone
from straying from "Wintel" in their future use of the real "Java". Sun
has exposed the "Wintel" group's attempt to use its power and deceit to
prevent the public from being able to chose any other platform options.
Yet the Mac OS 8 includes Netscape Navigator, Cyberdog, AND Internet
Explorer as part of its full package, without any restrictions on the
user.

The "Wintel" group is forcing the public to buy "Wintel" only systems and
not Mac's, and is generating considerable attacks against Apple to purport
Apple's elimination. Not a bad program, force the public to do something,
then buy the news media's "unbiased and objective journalism" to use these
actions as the basis of claiming "Wintel's" success and the ultimate
elimination of Apple.

IBM, during its rise and heyday taught and practiced "FUD" (create Fear,
Uncertainty, and Doubt about its competition) and utter control of
operating systems to gain and control the computer business, and it
appears that history is repeating itself, only this time by the "Wintel"
group. The IBM controlled myth (or as many have said, "House of Cards") of
computer expertise and superiority was exposed by a couple of kids who
produced a personal computer while working in their garage.

The US Justice Department Antitrust Division accused Microsoft of using
its dominant Windows operating system to "steal" customers from Netscape,
by "requiring" computer manufactures to install Internet Explorer every
time they ship a Windows 95 system. The DOJ announced that Microsoft
threatened Compaq, Gateway, and Micron of termination of Windows 95
licenses and of limiting licenses to force them to use Internet Explorer.
See "Microsoft threatened Compaq, Gateway, and Micron over IE" by Michael
Moeller. 

DOJ officials singled out Microsoft nondisclosure agreements for its
harshest criticism. Though software developers have long relied on
nondisclosure agreements to ensure confidentiality of their business
practices, Microsoft allegedly banned customers and business partners from
speaking to federal officials about their relationship with Microsoft,
without first notifying officials of the Redmond, Wash., company. See
"Reno Explains Why The Justice Department Took Action Against Microsoft"
by Will Roger 

Justice Department lawyers asked the court to void any such agreements
whether or not they had been seen by DOJ officials.

"This point is so important," Reno said. "Anyone should feel free to come
talk to the Department without Microsoft's knowledge and without fear of
reprisal. We will not let Microsoft infringe on that fundamental right."

All of the massive "Wintel" effort, money, and power, to falsely create
the myth of universal "Wintel" popularity, to instill public "FUD" about
Apple, to force "Wintel" users to remain "Wintel" in the future, to
"steal" customers from a rival web browser, and hide these actions through
antitrust nondisclosure agreements can and should be interpreted as the
strongest tribute to the Macintosh, and its many superior benefits.

Maybe if the "Wintel" group would use all of these considerable resources
to create a better platform, they would not have to stoop to such
shenanigans. 

Bill Dueease
hawkeye@gate.net

-- 
Bill Dueease 
hawkeye@gate.net

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