gonald bonald and microserfs mcpres
...d Dirty Operating System), which was based largely on CPM. Microsoft bought this operating system outright for $50,000, which meant that they could have it for “Any use they wanted.” So now MS had an operating system, and they proceeded to work with IBM, but they generated little revenue from that. Cue video clip 2 And, 3 years later, the first compatible machine came out. It was manufactured by Compaq, and this now meant that MS could license DOS out to other computer manufacturers. This was the first step in building MS’s empire. They were now generating millions of dollars in revenue, but this was straining their relationship with IBM. Soon after this, Apple started work on their MacIntosh computer. The first, affordable computer that was able to present a usable, nice looking Graphical User Interface, a GUI or Gooey. Microsoft knew that they would lose business if they didn’t go the graphical route, unfortunately, they already had a deal with IBM to produce OS/2, which wasn’t a Gooey, it was another text only operating system like DOS, but it was a multi-tasking system like the MacIntosh, or like Windows is today. IBM hired MS to do OS/2, but during this time, MS decided that a multitasking OS with a Gooey was the best solution, and MS built it on top of DOS: Cue video clip 3 (first part of 4) This was, basically, the end of IBM’s relationship with MS, they brought OS/2 development in-house, and Microsoft proceeded with Windows. The first ‘big’ version of Windows was Windows 3.0, it wasn’t as clunky as the first or second versions, and it was a major step, as IBM, and the clones, had already sold much better than the Apple 2 or the MacIntosh. So, for the next 5 years after Windows, Microsoft developed the Office suite of applications, which would eventually overtake the leader in that market, Lotus 123, and they eventually released Windows 95, which was in development at around the time coupland was researching microserfs. Cue video clip 4 The history of Microsoft can show why Microsoft is such a leader in the PC industry. Microsoft has a history of, well, “stealing” ideas. First with CPM and DOS, then with Windows; in fact, Apple actually sued Microsoft over the ‘look and feel’ of Windows. During this time, Apple became somewhat complacent, as they figured that they would win very easily, unfortunately, they lost, and so Microsoft was able to take over the Operating System market easily. Another example is the way Microsoft uses some very strong-arm tactics to prevent competitors from being able to compete. As businesses started using Windows as a standard, it became increasingly less and less possible for a competitor to offer operating system software, as is evidenced by the short-lived BeOS. Another example is the way Microsoft handles their Office suite of applications. In one case, a computer manufacturer wanted to distribute a competing line of applications, with windows, as part of a package deal. When people at Microsoft got wind of this, they “convinced” the manufacturer to adopt Office. But, for the same price, the manufacturer was only able to get Word, instead of the entire application suite. One of the tactics Microsoft used, before the monopoly anti-trust suit against them, was to not allow any of the computer manufacturers, like Dell or Compaq, to offer another OS. They had exclusive licensing agreements with these manufacturers, meaning that they wouldn’t sell Windows to them if they decided to offer another pre-installed Operating system like linux. These, and more, were the reason Microsoft _had_ monopoly power in the first place. Strong-arm business tactics which prevented other competitors from entering the arena. Another, somewhat more respectable, way of doing business for Microsoft was buying other companies when they wanted to enter a market. This way, they already had a finished, or partially finished, product to use to enter the arena. A couple of examples of this are Frontpage, Microsoft’s web-page editor, and how they bought Bungee software, the makers of Halo. When Microsoft bought bungee for Halo, they prevented Bungee from releasing Halo for any other platform than the X-Box. Originally Halo was intended to be a game released on Windows, the Mac, and other consoles. The last topic I’m going to do is the employee management of Microsoft. Employee management relates heavily to both the history of Microsoft, and how business at Microsoft works. One of the main things to say about Microsoft, is that all of the managers are not strictly managers. All of the programming managers were all programmers at one point, all of the sales managers were salesmen, it goes on and on, all the way to the top. Bill Gates was a salesman, marketer, accountant, and programmer in the early days of Microsoft. About the only high-level manager who is strictly business is Steve Ballmer, a Vice-President, and College Buddy of Gates. One of the areas where Micr...