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Q & A WITH BOB CRINGELY: CONTINUED
The best program of our recent history, I ever seen.
Why you didn't consider Radio Shack Clone as a step in the PC history?
Thanks, I forgot. Really, if we had been able to pin-down an interview with Jon Shirley (ex-Tandy and ex-Microsoft) it would have given us enough to mention Tandy. But we just could never schedule the interview.
I *love* my Mac - just bought a Performa a year ago - in your opinion, what does Apple have to do to recover? or is it already too late? Interesting to hear that the free-wheeling Apple-works of computer lab gossip wasn't all sandal-clad hippies eating Twinkies and more a reign of terror. Surprised me! Anonymous I answered this question several times above. Apple can survive handily.
I am very interested in the concepts that the man from Oracle spoke about near the end of the program. It seemed that he was alluding to a new super conglomerate industry. I would very much like to learn more about it and was hoping you could point me in the right direction Thanks Brian Bunnell Austin, Texas Try http://www.oracle.com.
The only hope left for public education to ever be more effective than it was at the turn of the century lies with technology. It fascinates kids and even the learning handicapped flourish. How can the major players in the technology realm help make educators realize this? Mike Daugherty Waxahachie Tx They already give money and equipment to schools and demand trained graduates. I'm not sure there is much more that high tech companies should be expected to do. The rest is up to us.
The brief bio above indicates that you aren't writing for InfoWorld any more? Where will we find you next? Are there plans for another book? TV show/series? Thanks. James Edward Mackay Fargo, North Dakota I'm writing another book (Bit Players) and will be doing at least one more TV series (Nerds 2.01 -- The Wrath of Bob).
If, as predicted by some, the net replaces PC's, how will businesses obtain the software they need to operate? Will their programs be accessed through the net? How will they be customized? Will there be charges for operating time? Sounds pretty messy to me. Daniel Parks Santa Fe, NM Companies are already further in this direction than the rest of us. Lots of corporate software is downloaded from servers and lots of corporate data is accessed over intranets. That future is already here and it works just fine.
Please shake the eight ball and tell me if you think there is a future for Apple Computer What is the value of the company. Is it only in the operationg system? Is it possible they will be bought for the OS and the rest of the community left to decay? Thanks for your attention. LTE Lovan Ely Rochester Hills, MI Nobody will buy Apple, but it will survive handily as a software company and minor player in the Mac hardware market.
Would you share some details of your personal life with me? Tonight's show tied up many loose ends in the breathless pace of today's Techno-Era, but what made it especially memorable was your own script, your charm and your often funny camera shots. You remind me a lot of James Burke in his "Connections" series, but you're far more photogenic. Sorry if this man's observation (i.e., mine) rankles you! Thank you and so long! Anonymous Newport News VA Me? I'm 43 and live with my girlfriend, Pammy. I'm a failed nerd and a hack writer. My Mom still fears I'll never amount to anything. She might be right.
DEAR BOB WHERE DO YOU THINK THE INTERNET IS GOING IN THE NEXT 5 TO 10 YEARS. I AM AMAZED THAT THERE WAS NO PERSONAL COMPUTER 20 YEARS AGO IT MAKES ME WONDER WHAT THE NEXT 20 YEARS WILL BE LIKE. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE LIKE IN THE INTERNET? AND COMPUTERS IN GENERAL.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME Do I have to write in all caps, too? I THINK THE INTERNET WILL EVOLVE INTO A COMMON ATM (ASYNCHRONOUS TRANSFER MODE) NETWORK THAT WILL SERVE US FOR DATA, VIDEO, VOICE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES I CAN'T IMAGINE. OF COURSE THIS WILL TAKE ANOTHER 10 YEARS AT LEAST.
I don't suppose you happened to ask Jobs what kind of glasses he was wearing? They are pretty stylish (no suprise huh?) and was wondering where I could find some. Mark Bennett Vancouver, WA Funny, I didn't think to ask that question. Silly me!
First, the program was wonderful. My question is with the emergence of new Mac clones, do you think Apple can survive in the market, or will it become just another casualty of Windows? Michael Davidson Brookline, MA Apple makes money from every one of those clones -- for the ROM license, the OS license, and the PowerPC chip. This is like combining the businesses of American Megatrends (BIOS), Microsoft (OS), and Intel (CPU). All three of those businesses are separately very profitable, yet Apple can match them all in the clone market, not to mention selling Claris apps. The point is not whether they can survive, but why did they wait so long to convert to a software company? Dump the factories, full speed ahead!
Steve Jobs was quoted as saying during the broadcast that Microsoft puts out third rate products and has no culture. I happen to agree with him in that he has done nothing but copy, the mac for PC's and UNIX with Windows NT.
What does this suggest about the industry outlook
in the long run seeing as only the lowest common
denominator, profit, drives the industry. Will
the market not seek other venues, say the telephone
companies, Cable and television, as a source of
information totally replacing PC's as the
quintessential information medium? The profit motive drives every industry. What's your point?
Hi Bob, I am wondering about how you made the decision to shape and produce your show in such a radical journalistic style? You made a huge departure from the norm - where the narrator is supposed to be some objective, invisible person. Instead, your style - that of being a storyteller who has a deep personal history and experience with your subject - brought real life and depth to the show that we rarely see on television. Have you experienced any backlash from the journalism community for your narrative style? Kim Alexander Sacramento, CA
P.S. I am the director of the California Voter
Foundation - if you would like to see some examples
of how we are using the Internet to advance democracy
please visit our homepage at: The reporters I've heard from all liked the series A LOT, so I'd say there has been no backlash at all. Remember that this wasn't an AP news story, but rather an enormous opinion piece with supporting interviews. And as for my style, I'd credit it to the confluence of several major character flaws.
What type of Computer platform you are using now? And what do you think about the future of Apple computer? Thanks Abdulla Almegren Manhattan, KS Funny you should ask, since I am writing on a Mac Quadra 660AV. I have lots of computers of all types, but do most of my writing on this one.
The show didn't seem to discuss the evolution of companies such as Silicon Graphics, Digital, or SUN. Were they also founded by "nerds" too? Anonymous Those are workstation companies and not a part of the PC industry. This series was about the PC industry.
I lot of familiar names from the past seemed missing from the program (Atari, Commodore, Tandy). Where do they fit in the story? Or becauses of their failures, they just don't fit at all? Roberty Williams Arlington, VA It was because we had only three hours that they didn't fit in. What would you have cut out to make room?
Larry Ellison makes the dramatic proclaimation that IBM made the biggest business blunder in history by, in effect, giving 2/3rds of their market share away to Intel and Microsoft. Yet, from what I got from the program, it was the open architecture approach that faciliated IBM's being able to develop the PC so quickly and dominate the market. I'm confused about what the real mistake was. Was it the open architecture approach from the jump? Or was it just bad deals with Intel and Microsoft? Robert Williams Arlington, VA What hurt IBM was its inability to develop products rapidly. The first PC used off-the-shelf software and a motherboard that had been developed for an earlier IBM project. That's how they did it so fast. If IBM had been able to bring out a new generation every 12-18 months, they'd still dominate the industry despite Microsoft. And this is possible, since such rapid development is exactly the strategy that's kept Sun the #1 workstation builder for 16 years. NONE of their technology is proprietary. Hell, they give SOURCE CODE to customers! I'm very curious how you personable (or unpersonable) you found Steve Jobs to be? He comes off as having a huge ego, but justifiably so. He also seems to have the charisma of a god...does this come off in person? How engaging was he in comparison to Bill Gates? Mark Brotherton San Francisco, CA Steve can be very engaging when he wants something from you. The rest of the time you're invisible to him.
Dear Mr. Cringely, Your show was excellent! Thank you for a superb documentary. Of course, much more could be said about this fantastic subject. For example, with all of the astute observations about computers that didn't survive and about Steve Jobs, how come NeXT and NEXTSTEP never came up? (After all, an influential segment of society uses NeXT technology: MCI, AT&T, Fannie Mae, Merill Lynch, NationsBank, First Chicago, Swiss Bank, LA County Sherrif's Department, Boston Police Department, and many others which don't come readily to mind (see www.next.com). There actually *are* people in this world that do not rely upon Microsoft software!) Roland Telfeyan Charlotte, NC Steve had no interest in talking about NeXT and neither did I.
What is the gossip with windows 96 and its new beta version? I heard from my friends that Microsoft Corp Is creating a beta version in which the software will automatically get rid of a problems and bugs on Windows 95. It would be nice if I got a primitive answer from you. Thanks a lot and I'll see you in 10 years. David Chen New York, New York Primitive answers are all I'm good for: I don't know.
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