[wplug] My distro beat up your distro (yet again, sigh) -- WAS: OS X on Linux?

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Mon, 2007-07-23 at 16:32 -0400, Mackenzie Morgan wrote:
> From: Bill Gates
> Sent: Sunday, January 24, 1999 8:41 AM
> TO: Jeff Weslorinon; Ben Fathi
> Cc: Carl Stork (Exchange); Nathan Myhrvold; Eric Rudder
> Subject: ACPI extensions
> One thing I find myself wondering about is whether we shouldn't try
> and make the "ACPI" extensions somehow Windows specific. It seems
> unfortunate if we do this work and get our partners to do the work and
> the result is that Linux works great without having to do the work.
> Maybe there is no way Io avoid this problem but it does bother me.
> Maybe we could define the APIs so that they work well with NT and not
> the others even if they are open. Or maybe we could patent something
> related to this. 
> http://antitrust.slated.org/www.iowaconsumercase.org/ go to "other
> admitted exhibits" then it's number PX 3020

Yep, it was called the "legacy free PC" and assorted non-sense.  Tout a
better, newer API, then make it undocumented and proprietary as hell.

Not just to prevent Linux from running, but to prevent newer Windows
OSes from running on older hardware -- thus requiring new hardware for
new software, ala the PC OEM/superstore 2-3 year profit model.

Over 90% of American home consumers accept it.  They want that faster,
newer computer every 2-3 years, and have gladly accepted that a printer
or other peripheral upgrade, or some software package, will force them
to upgrade their OS, hardware, etc...

But the majority of businesses do not, and Microsoft Gold Partners have
had a hell of a time selling corporations on new products and lifecycles
that require them to replace _all_ systems and software every 2-3 years.


-- 
Bryan J. Smith         Professional, Technical Annoyance
mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org   http://thebs413.blogspot.com
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        Fission Power:  An Inconvenient Solution