When Microsoft Operating Systems will disappear from the PC market?

cwizardone · 10-27-2016, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cynwulf

.....If it wasn't for MS you probably would not have all this cheaply available x86 hardware to install your OS on...

Could be, but I've always thought it had more to do with IBM deciding to use readily available third market parts to build their first two or three generations of personal computers.

TB0ne · 10-27-2016, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwizardone

Could be, but I've always thought it had more to do with IBM deciding to use readily available third market parts to build their first two or three generations of personal computers.

It wasn't JUST that. I remember the first generation of Apple's, and was blown away by comparison. However, PC's were ungodly expensive back then, and I could get 2 green-screen 8088 PC's for the price of one Apple. As nice to look at and more powerful? Nope....but cheaper. Having to outfit 100 people in an office environment, and taking that price tag from $30k to $15k was hard to argue with.

Apple would have easily killed MS in those days, if they had the brains to license their hardware, and drive the cost down. Heck, you had to buy a new video card WITH a new monitor...couldn't upgrade just one, in a lot of cases. If they licensed the hardware, you'd have had Apple in the drivers seat, with MS the distant second. Perfect example of closed-source/proprietary losing.

frankbell · 10-27-2016, 06:29 PM

Quote:

.....If it wasn't for MS you probably would not have all this cheaply available x86 hardware to install your OS on...

The most recent Linux Voice podcast addressed this. They pointed out that Microsoft's notion of an OS that could run on many different hardware platforms was innovative in its day, that, up till then, OS's were tightly tied to the hardware. (That may have been the only thing MS ever innovated.) Here's the link to the podcast: https://www.linuxvoice.com/podcast-season-4-episode-15/

Do listen--it's the rare tech podcast that is actually fun and full of laughter.

cynwulf · 10-28-2016, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwizardone

Could be, but I've always thought it had more to do with IBM deciding to use readily available third market parts to build their first two or three generations of personal computers.

Yes IBM had a part in it and contracting MS to 'produce' the OS was quite arguably what led to the current situation.

One could also argue that, as a result, you still have cheap OEM x86 hardware today... you only need to hose the crap that's installed on it and install one (or more) of a plethora of very decent and free operating systems which are available...

In the end "affordable computing for the masses" had to materialise in some form or other with the "internet revolution", but one could say that MS kick started or accelerated this and helped provide the platform and raison de'etre for projects such as 386BSD and Linux.