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On Wed, 21 Jan 1998, Brian Cuthie wrote: > Oh, right. This worked really well for IBM in the 1980's. > > Their problem was that they executed *exactly* the plan you espouse. > They opened not only the hardware (I had a PC and still have the > original IBM PC Technical Reference Manual), but also gave away the > source to the ROM BIOS. Since the OS was available from a third party > (Microsoft), they were all but out of the PC business within four years > because of competition from clone makers. But was has the been the net outcome for the general population, and for PC programmers? Just about everyone has that standardised, well-understood, (reasonably) open computing platform on their desks and in their homes. Sounds to me like a good outcome on the whole, not a bad one. And one that (eventually) has become a boon for free- and low-cost software. I think it's doubtful that a closed, proprietory approach by IBM in launching the PC would have had that welcome outcome. Robin Kirkham CSIRO Manufacturing Science and Technology Project Engineer Locked Bag 9, Preston 3072, Australia robin.kirkham@mlb.dmt.csiro.au Phone: +61 3 9662-7756 Fax: +61 3 9662-7851