[SC.LUG] Bill Gates to be Knighted?

[Ian Molton]

On Tue, 27 Jan 2004 13:52:01 +0000
"Rick [Kitty5]" <rick at kitty5.com> wrote:

> On Tue, 2004-01-27 at 01:40, Ian Molton wrote:
> > > Win95 running on cheap x86 hardware is what kick started the entire consumer
> > > PC market and put MS in the position they are today.
> > 
> > Their monopoly initially drove the price of non-X86 hardware *UP* faster than it reduced X86 prices (this was BEFORE the explosion in the last 5 years)
> 
> Due to demand outstripping supply.

I think you shouild re-read my sentence...

> > Would have happened anyway.
> 
> How do you figure that? If the x86 hadn't taken off in the home, we
> would still be buying hardware from property single source vendors and
> paying what ever they thought they could get away with. Double barrelled
> lock in.

How do *you* figure *that* ?

theres almost nothing proprietary in the archimedes machines - even ARM was a spin-off LONG before Acorn actually produced an ARM based computer.

> Its only happening with Acorn's hardware as Castle sells so few box's it
> has no choice but to use off the shelf parts.

Archimedes existed before off the shelf parts could be sourced sensibly.

> If they could have gotten
> away with it don't you think they would rather have upgraded their
> vintage (yet still supported) podule expansion format.

They did - they doubled the speed of it. but podules are NOT proprietary - full specs are available, and the chips used are simple memory mapped devices - all off the shelf.
 
> Anyway, A 600Mhz xscale machine for £1399! Who the hell are they trying
> to kid!

You produce one cheaper.

> > > Thank your lucky stars MS was never a hardware company!
> > 
> > Why? They are *better* at hardware by far than software.
> 
> Thats because they don't make it :)

Very true.

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