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RobertVA

Innovation, copyrights, morality, et al.

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Ok kids, sit back and I will read you a story.A long time ago in a land far far away there were two kids. One was named Bill and the other one was name Steven. Bill set out one day to seek his fortune by buying the copyright to a disk operating system and licensing it to a big bad company named IBM. Although Bill didn't write the DOS himself he was smart enough to make IBM have to pay for it every time they made a personal computer to sell to someone. Wasn't Bill smart? Bill named his newly aquired operating system MS-DOS. Steven set out one day to seek his fortune too. He didn't want to buy a disk operating system and license it to anybody, Steven wanted to make his own computer and sell it to people for a lot less than big bad IBM. He named his computer Apple and he was very happy.Everything was going very well for both Bill and Steven. One day Steven decided he wanted to make computer far more intuitive and easy to use than big bad IBM which used Bill's MS-DOS. Steven thought it would be very kewl if you used a pointing device called a mouse with software that had 'windows' that users could open and resize. People that bought Steven's new computer called a Macintosh could now even do several things at once with different windows. Steven's new computer software even had things called 'pull down menus' that made computers much easier to use. People liked Steven's computers and it made him very happy.Bill's MS-DOS didn't have any of those things that Steven's Macintosh computer software had. Bill was very sad and he thought that Steven would make more money than him. One day Bill decided to make his own software called Windows which had all of the stuff that Steven thought up. Bill and Steven even thought about making stuff together but they decided not to after a while. Bill kept making his Windows software and Steven kept making his Macintosh.Steven was very mad at Bill because he thought Bill copied his Macintosh software concept to make Windows. Steven was so mad he thought he would even sue Bill for copyright infrigement but he never did for some reason. After some time had passed Bill made a lot more money selling Windows software than Steven did selling his Macintosh software even though Bill kind of copied Steven's ideas.Well kids, do you know what finally happened to Bill? Yes, you guessed right, he was happy ever after and made $50 billion dollars and became the richest indivdual in the history of human civilization. Now I hope this has been a lesson to you all children.http://forums.avsim.com/user_files/15658.jpg

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Guest

Well I don't know about you kids but I am going to delete my copy of Windows XP from my computer hard drive right now. Who's with me? It's time we took a stand!

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Guest odog

funny, reminds me of something ive read recently...joe

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Guest

It is said that Windows 98 is so similar to Windows 95 because Apple hasn

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The GUI and WIMPs (windows, indicators, mice and pointers) weren't invented by Steve Jobs, that's a total myth. The GUI system along with the mouse were developed in Xerox's PARC facility in the early '70s. Microsoft didn't steal from Jobs, Jobs and Microsoft both took their ideas from Xerox.

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Guest Id Rather Be Flying

Except you left out a few crucial points.Steve went to Xerox and they showed him this beautiful looking box which had a device you use with your hand to control a picture on the screen. He then went back to his Apple Tree and decided to build a similar device. Being friends, Steve called Bill to come over to take a look then you can continue your story.Grab a cup of Joe and enjoy the roots of Flight Simulator 2004:Family and Early Childhood On October 28, 1955, shortly after 9:00 p.m., William Henry Gates III was born. He was born into a family with a rich history in business, politics, and community service. His great-grandfather had been a state legislator and mayor, his grandfather was the vice president of a national bank, and his father was a prominent lawyer. [Wallace, 1992, p. 8-9] Early on in life, it was apparent that Bill Gates inherited the ambition, intelligence, and competitive spirit that had helped his progenitors rise to the top in their chosen professions. In elementary school he quickly surpassed all of his peer's abilities in nearly all subjects, especially math and science. His parents recognized his intelligence and decided to enroll him in Lakeside, a private school known for its intense academic environment. This decision had far reaching effects on Bill Gates's life. For at Lakeside, Bill Gates was first introduced to computers.First computing ExperienceIn the Spring of 1968, the Lakeside prep school decided that it should acquaint the student body with the world of computers [Teamgates.com, 9/29/96]. Computers were still too large and costly for the school to purchase its own. Instead, the school had a fund raiser and bought computer time on a DEC PDP-10 owned by General Electric. A few thousand dollars were raised which the school figured would buy more than enough time to last into the next school year. However, Lakeside had drastically underestimated the allure this machine would have for a hand full of young students. Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and a few other Lakeside students (many of whom were the first programmers hired at Microsoft) immediately became inseparable from the computer. They would stay in the computer room all day and night, writing programs, reading computer literature and anything else they could to learn about computing. Soon Gates and the others started running into problems with the faculty. Their homework was being turned in late (if at all), they were skipping classes to be in the computer room and worst of all, they had used up all of the schools computer time in just a few weeks. [Wallace, 1992, p. 24] In the fall of 1968, Computer Center Corporation opened for business in Seattle. It was offering computing time at good rates, and one of the chief programmers working for the corporation had a child attending Lakeside. A deal was struck between Lakeside Prep School and the Computer Center Corporation that allowed the school to continue providing it's students with computer time. [Wallace, 1992, p. 27] Gates and his comrades immediately began exploring the contents of this new machine. It was not long before the young hackers started causing problems. They caused the system to crash several times and broke the computers security system. They even altered the files that recorded the amount of computer time they were using. They were caught and the Computer Center Corporation banned them from the system for several weeks. Bill Gates, Paul Allen and, two other hackers from Lakeside formed the Lakeside Programmers Group in late 1968. They were determined to find a way to apply their computer skills in the real world. The first opportunity to do this was a direct result of their mischievous activity with the school's computer time. The Computer Center Corporation's business was beginning to suffer due to the systems weak security and the frequency that it crashed. Impressed with Gates and the other Lakeside computer addicts' previous assaults on their computer, the Computer Center Corporation decided to hire the students to find bugs and expose weaknesses in the computer system. In return for the Lakeside Programming Group's help, the Computer Center Corporation would give them unlimited computer time [Wallace, 1992, p. 27]. The boys could not refuse. Gates is quoted as saying "It was when we got free time at C-cubed (Computer Center Corporation) that we really got into computers. I mean, then I became hardcore. It was day and night" [Wallace, 1992, p. 30]. Although the group was hired just to find bugs, they also read any computer related material that the day shift had left behind. The young hackers would even pick employees for new information. It was here that Gates and Allen really began to develop the talents that would lead to the formation of Microsoft seven years later. Roots of Business Career Computer Center Corporation began to experience financial problems late in 1969. The company finally went out of business in March of 1970. The Lakeside Programmers Group had to find a new way to get computer time. Eventually they found a few computers on the University of Washington's campus where Allen's dad worked. The Lakeside Programmers Group began searching for new chances to apply their computer skills. Their first opportunity came early the next year when Information Sciences Inc. hired them to program a payroll program. Once again the group was given free computer time and for the first time, a source of income. ISI had agreed to give them royalties whenever it made money from any of the groups programs. As a result of the business deal signed with Information Sciences Inc., the group also had to become a legal business [Wallace, 1992, p. 42-43]. Gates and Allen's next project involved starting another company entirely on their own, Traf-O-Data. They produced a small computer which was used to help measure traffic flow. From the project they grossed around $20,000. The Traf-O-Data company lasted until Gates left for college. During Bill Gates' junior year at Lakeside, the administration offered him a job computerizing the school's scheduling system. Gates asked Allen to help with the project. He agreed and the following summer, they wrote the program. In his senior year, Gates and Allen continued looking for opportunities to use their skills and make some money. It was not long until they found this opportunity. The defense contractor TRW was having trouble with a bug infested computer similar to the one at Computer Center Corporation. TRW had learned of the experience the two had working on the Computer Center Corporation's system and offered Gates and Allen jobs. However thing would be different at TRW they would not be finding the bugs they would be in charge of fixing them. "It was at TRW that Gates began to develop as a serious programer," and it was there that Allen and Gates first started talking seriously about forming their own software company [Wallace, 1992, p. 49-51]. In the fall of 1973, Bill Gates left home for Harvard University [Teamgates.com, 9/29/96]. He had no idea what he wanted to study, so he enrolled as prelaw. Gates took the standard freshman courses with the exception of signing up for one of Harvard's toughest math courses. He did well but just as in high school, his heart was not in his studies. After locating the school's computer center, he lost himself in the world of computers once again. Gates would spend many long nights in front of the school's computer and the next days asleep in class. Paul Allen and Gates remained in close contact even with Bill away at school. They would often discuss ideas for future projects and the possibility of one day starting a business. At the end of Gates's first year at Harvard, the two decided that Allen should move closer to him so that they may be able to follow up on some of their ideas. That summer they both got jobs working for Honeywell [Wallace, 1992, p. 59]. As the summer dragged on, Allen began to push Bill harder with the idea that they should open a software company. Gates was still not sure enough to drop out of school. The following year, however, that would all change.The Birth of Microsoft In December of 1974, Allen was on his way to visit Gates when along the way he stopped to browse the current magazines. What he saw changed his and Bill Gates's lives forever. On the cover of Popular Electronics was a picture of the Altair 8080 and the headline "World's First Microcomputer Kit to Rival Commercial Models." He bought the issue and rushed over to Gates's dorm room. They both recognized this as their big opportunity. The two knew that the home computer market was about to explode and that someone would need to make software for the new machines. Within a few days, Gates had called MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems), the makers of the Altair. He told the company that he and Allen had developed a BASIC that could be used on the Altair [Teamgates.com, 9/29/96]. This was a lie. They had not even written a line of code. They had neither an Altair nor the chip that ran the computer. The MITS company did not know this and was very interested in seeing their BASIC. So, Gates and Allen began working feverishly on the BASIC they had promised. The code for the program was left mostly up to Bill Gates while Paul Allen began working on a way to simulate the Altair with the schools PDP-10. Eight weeks later, the two felt their program was ready. Allen was to fly to MITS and show off their creation. The day after Allen arrived at MITS, it was time to test their BASIC. Entering the program into the company's Altair was the first time Allen had ever touched one. If the Altair simulation he designed or any of Gates's code was faulty, the demonstration would most likely have ended in failure. This was not the case, and the program worked perfectly the first time [Wallace, 1992, p. 80]. MITS arranged a deal with Gates and Allen to buy the rights to their BASIC.[Teamgates.com, 9/29/96] Gates was convinced that the software market had been born. Within a year, Bill Gates had dropped out of Harvard and Microsoft was formed

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Guest Id Rather Be Flying

That was funny to both post together! :-lol

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>he thought he would even sue Bill for copyright>infrigement but he never did for some reason. >Now I hope this has been a>lesson to you all children.Yep, the lesson is to sue. Steven was lazy and he ultimately lost. Laziness should never be rewarded.Michael J.

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Guest simpilot

Mr. Jobs wasn't sad for too long as he purchased this small little animation studio called Pixar for around 50M and today his 69% stake in this company accounts for the majority of his billion $$ worth.-Richard

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"Well I don't know about you kids but I am going to delete mycopy of Windows XP from my computer hard drive right now. Who's with me? It's time we took a stand!"I happen to like XP, geeezz! Excuse me while I get back to my PC!;-)Regards, Michaelhttp://mysite.verizon.net/res052cd/mybannercva1.jpgCalVirAir International VAwww.calvirair.comCougar Mountain Helicopters & Aviationwww.cgrmtnhelos.com


Best, Michael

KDFW

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Guest Paul_W

>Steven was very mad at Bill because he thought Bill copied his>Macintosh software concept to make Windows. Steven was so>mad he thought he would even sue Bill for copyright>infrigement but he never did for some reason. As I recall the story, Apple did take Microsoft to court over the "look and feel" of Windows software didn't they, and didn't that case drag on for some time (a period of years)? And then Microsoft won the case didn't they? I'm trying to think back to the best program I've ever seen on TV--"Revenge of the Nerds," where some of these amazing twists and turns in the digital revolution were covered in detail. If I remember it, Jobs was either out or sidelined at Apple at the time, and the company was being run by John Sculley.

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Guest mikehaska

Further to what Ken said about Xerox's PARC (Palo Alto Research Centre), for those who are interested, and have sufficient access to Journal Article Databases, here are two articles worth reading into, if you are interested in the topic of development of the software user interface.Alan Kay and Adele Goldberg "Personal Dynamic Media". Computer, 10, March 1977.This one came out in 1977, quite early in the development of the theory of computer interfaces (keep in mind that interface issues were discussed way earlier by Engelbart (1963), Licklider (1960), and even in 1950, with Turing. On a sidenote, Licklider was the visionary of the bunch, forseeing speech recognition, centralized control centres, like those seen in the telecommunications and transport industry, and even online bulletin boards, like the one we are posting in today!). This paper discusses the "Dynabook", something akin to a computerized learning assistant for students (keep in mind that at the time, they were still hampered by the limits of the technology). They discuss the importance of methods to control the computer, like a mouse and keyboard, as well as sounds and music, a variety of fonts (keep in mind that DOS only had one), cut - copy - and paste, and so on. They discuss how this technology can be particularly useful in schools, hospitals, and when used by professionals.Alan Kay "Computer Software", first published in Scientific American, 251:3, September 1984.This is a more conceptual run at the subject matter. It's in this article that Kay lays down his vision of the framework for the future of GUIs. He mentions the importance of user interface design that is clear and understandable, as well as the importance of computer literacy for understanding computer media. He also brings up the possiblilites of spreadsheet operations, and it's "unique capacities for representation and simulation" <- That ties right into our field of interest, no?!This is by no means a definitive listing, instead it's a few good reads. If you are really interested in the "pre-history" of computing, check out Licklider's "Man-Computer Symbiosis" or Vannevar Bush's fascinating work on a pre-computer called the Memex...

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Maybe the fact that only one computer manufacturer built Macintosh OS computers but hundreds of companies built MS DOS computers had a role in MicroSoft's success. A small slice of a lot of pies is a lot more filling then all of a single pie. What profit MicroSoft didn't make in system hardeware sales was more than made up for in the huge volume of wholesale OS sales to all those computer manufacturers.

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