Re: Errors in a Microsoft Propaganda Book

[rob <rob@spamoff.net>]

On Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:26:17 -0700, "Michael J. Mahon"
<mjmahon@aol.com> wrote:

>Gregory Weston wrote:
>> In article <null-F6752B.07544721042007@comcast.dca.giganews.com>,
>>  Greg Buchner <null@none.invalid> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>><http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u287/birne999999999/DSC00276.jpg>
>>>
>>>There's two.  Can everybody pick them out?
>> 
>> 
>> Picture of the GS, obviously.
>> 
>> Assertion that Windows was the first OS to [introduce] the use of mice 
>> with PCs _unless_ you assume that "PC" is an abbreviation for "computer 
>> compatible with the product known as the IBM Personal Computer" rather 
>> than a general abbreviation for a personal computer as compared to, say, 
>> an AS-400. Odd, though, since the text uses (lower cased) "personal 
>> computer" later on. Note that Apple perpetuates this abuse of 
>> nomenclature in their current ad campaign, though.
>> 
>> Assertion that Windows in 1985 was an operating system. It wasn't, and 
>> even Microsoft acknowledged that Windows didn't qualify as an OS until 
>> 3.1.1 shipped (and that's arguably optimistic; they may have just 
>> finally decided they could get away with calling it that since the 
>> popular press was telling everyone the same thing by that time).
>> 
>> And it fails to note that while Windows shipped in 1985 it was announced 
>> (and so you could possibly say "introduced") in 1983.
>
>And the first PC "environment" that I saw that used a mouse was Visi-On
>(by Visi-Corp), pre-release, in Oct.-Nov., 1983, at a computer show.
>I was blown away by what they were able to achieve with an XT!
>
>Performance was always the big problem, until faster microprocessors
>and cheaper memory made GUIs practical.
>
>Microsoft's pre-annnouncement of Windows the following month effectively
>froze the market, effectively killing Visi-On's chances while Microsoft
>got busy trying to make Windows.
>
>Both PC efforts were catalyzed by the same Xerox PARC work that led to
>the Mac.
>
>-michael

What about Digital Research's GEM which was demoed in 1983 ?  That was
a spinoff of the Xerox PARC project.  It was quite popular on some PC
and Atari machines (Notably the ST).