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Q & A WITH BOB CRINGELY: CONTINUED
Are there any US or International organizations
involved with promoting Internet development in
Africa?
I don't know.
I have tried to get an answer to this question many times and have yet to get any answer to it from anyone in the computer industry that is also a public figure. I am not bashing any other platform in this question. I would like to know why the Amiga computer is the four letter word of the the computer industry? No one will speak the name and will only talk about the PC or Apple computers will be able to do whatever in X time frame and will not say that the Amiga can do it now or has been able to do it since X years ago. An example of is the Next Step show that did a show on Desk Top Video and only talked to PC and Mac developers. It was stated that DTV wouldn't be possible for a minimun of 2 years. They didn't talk to the Newtek people about the Video Toaster. The Newtek banner was seen when the camera scaned the show from above. I would just like to get some respect for the machine. Since it had all the things that are the buzz words of today, years ago. Multi-tasking, cd-rom, multi-media, plug and play, etc.
Thanks for your time.
I like the Amiga and agree with you in many respects, BUT THE COMPANY IS OUT OF BUSINESS. The market has spoken. Sorry.
I was a little disturbed by the impression you left of bill gates and microsoft in your documentary. You seemed to give a nod to the superiority of windows 95. I am an OS/2 user, although not a fanatic like many who use the OS and I expected at least a nod to the technological superiority (sp?) of the product like you did with MacIntosh vs the IBM compatable. And as far as a killer ap goes for the OS do you think that Merlin with its built in voice recognition and dictation will possibly carve OS/2 a niche. No. OS/2 is a failure that IBM simply can't afford to write off its books. Also you didn't go into Microsofts strong arm marketing tactics and their unrelenting FUD and vaporware and the way that they seem to buy the major PC magizines. I have been disillusioned with MS ever since PCMag proclaimed that DOS 6.0 was better than sliced bread, I bought it had problems and then MS was nice enough to sell me their bug fixes, ohh and double space just happened to be stolen so they had to write another compression system. We can only offend so many people in 3 hours. Did you feel issues such as these were unrelated to the main flow of your story, or weren't they newsworthy, or do you fear to speak too badly of the guys at Redmond.
But all in all I really enjoyed you show, I forgot the Bulls were even playing that night.
Do you see "internet appliances", limited function computers built only to surf on the internet, taking over the domain traditionally occupied by desktop computers? Will these Internet appliances be as useful as PCs? Will people even care? Benjamin Protas Fountain Hills, AZ No, no, and probably no.
Greatly enjoyed Triumph of the Nerds -- BUT dislike the aftertaste. Cringely would seem to have fallen for the Windows 95 hype hook, line, and sinker. (For one thing, seem to remember a statement to the effect that W95 isnÍt still basically DOS under all the super-structure -- which isnÍt the way IÍve seen on the matter.) For me, perhaps the most telling commentary was Jobs on MicrosoftÍs having no taste "in a big way." The flip side of this may have a good deal to do with AppleÍs preeminence in the fields of graphics and desktop publishing. And so I find myself wondering a bit if Emery BergerÍs description of the program as, "an info-mercial for Windows" isnÍt quite apt. It may be a matter of timing, of the gap between the completion of the program and its airing. As I understand it, consumer response to Windows 95 has been a tad anticlimactic after all the hype, and with the (admittedly belated) introduction of licensing of the Mac OS as well, there may be need for a re-evaluation of CringelyÍs claim that Microsoft has won all the marbles.
When surfing the Internet I tend to be put off by the tendency of some people to post to as many categories as possible Feel strongly enough about my response to Triumph of the Nerds to go against that aversion and place this in both the response and questions to Cringely sections.
I had trouble reading your question, since it had some strange characters in it and seemed to be written in a kind of shorthand. Still, I get your point and we are each welcome to our opinions. Do you also refer to yourself in the third person?
Bill Gates appeared as David Brinkley's guest on ABC's "This Week With David Brinkley" where Donaldson or Will asked Gates who influenced him. Gates offered one name: Richard P Feynman. Question: Why doesn't Microsoft or some other software vendor produce a Feynman CD? From nanotechnology to studing ants ... Feynman cut a wide path and an interesting path at that.
If you have Gates ear ... bend it in favor of a
Feynman product.
You think I have Bill Gates' ear? Hah! He wouldn't know beans about Feynman if an old girlfriend hadn't bought from the BBC the original films of a Feynman lecture series. She gives tapes as Christmas gifts.
I didn't know you were a TV star. Seriously, having read your column for a number of years, it was nice to see you on TV. Excellent show, look forward to reading the book. Darwin Hall Cincinnati, OH Thanks.
Bob, I don't know when you finished filming the show, but now that Apple has a new boss & a new direction are you prepared to alter your conclusions about the future of the company?
I think you wrote Apple off rather abruptly.
I am very disappointed in Apple and recent events only help a little. I've answered this much more fully in earlier responses.
Awesome (oops, I mean Cool) show. Do you have any idea where I might go to obtain a copy of that historic magazine, the January '75 issue of Popular Electronics? It, plus my Time Magazine issue that elected the IBM PC "Man of the Year" would form the nucleus of my new collection of computerarcheology.
Also, in 1967-68, while a chemist for Shell, I
programmed an Olivetti Programma 101 Desktop
device with magnetic slipcard memory (up to 64
program steps...128 if you split the registers)
Have you ever heard of such a machine? I saw
one in the Boston Computer Museum which made me
feel old.
We're both old. Earlier in this Q&A there was a guy who had a copy of Popular Electronics. And no, I never heard of the Olivetti Programma 101.
I heard you are working on a new book what's it about? Phil Wright Salt Lake City, UT That's a long story (100,000 words to read the contract) but it's called Bit Players and is generally about the convergence of computing and communication.
Bob: First, let me tell you that I have never seen a tv series as complete as yours about the PC phenomenon, it was in my opinion one of the most interesting documentals PBS has presented. I am definitely a fan of it.
My question is: do you think Apple will be able to
survive inventing another technology as they did with the MAC?
Do you think eventually, MAC will became a PC
compatible machine?
No, the Mac won't become PC compatible and yes, I think Apple will survive. Oh, and I'm glad you liked the show.
Thought the program was great. I have ordered it for our staff to view. However, there was one misstatement. The first original pc was not created the mid 70s. We have in our possession an experimental pc created in a lab at Texas A&M University in 1972. It is crude and holds very little purpose but it is still a pc. Photo on request. Dale Cuthbertson Bryan Texas Vice President A-Plus Computer Services, Inc. College Station, Texas There were early PCs created also in Japan and France, but none of these machines was offered for sale.
I thoroughly enjoyed the PBS TV series... and I saw some of your interview with Tom Snyder, but I missed any personal bio information. Other than being employee #12 at Apple, what's your deal??? gordon carson conyers, ga I dunno, ADD, low blood sugar, manic-depressive. What's yours?
What happened to Steve Job's "Next" after "Machintosh"? Did it fail? Why? How is Steve Job's firm doing now? Li Zheng South Bend,IN NeXT failed as a computer company, remade itself as an operating system company, then remade itself again as an Internet software company. Stay tuned....
I watched parts two and three of the series on TV and read the transcript of part one on the net. I was very impressed and informed by the amount of information that you managed to cram into three hours of viewing. I really enjoyed the shows. I know that time constraints probably forced you to omit a great deal of other information so I am wondering if they are dealt with in the book. In particular, I am curious about the Apple/IBM/Motorola project to develop the Power PC chip. Is this dealt with in the book? If not, could you briefly outline the events, issues, successes and failures that surround/surrounded this project. Thanks, and keep up the good work. Jeremy Mannall-Fretwell Victoria, BC, Canada No, the PowerPC is not dealt with in either the show or the book. It is covered in the next edition of the book, which was supposed to be out by now but isn't. Sorry.
PCs are faster and have larger memories, Windows NT is starting to have a larger presence on the Internet. Will Unix Matter in the future? Will it have a place on workstations and servers? Mpls,MN Unix isn't going away, but it has pretty much lost the desktop.
Why did you neglect the Commadore/Amiga/Video Toaster GUI interface in your program?. The Amiga was a far superior machine to either the Apple or PC. Its platforms only drawback was the lack of a "killer app". Most of the soft- ware available for the Amiga was games,some riveling the best flight simulators today. Tom Gassner Corrales NM I know the Amiga is great, but it had so few non-video users. Sorry.
Was adding the phrase "Apple is fading" really necessary? Anonymous BinghamtonW Is any phrase "necessary?" I wrote it, I like it.
My question concerns the Apple Mac (I believe). How did the decision evolve to put Macs in public school systems? Was part of the decision a ploy (by Steve Jobs) that if we get kids using Macs at school, that their parents will buy them for hom use, and subsequent use at college and thereafter in life?
Also, thanks for a great program documentary. I also enjoyed your interview with Tom Snyder.
It's the Apple II that was so successful in public schools. Apple had a program to give Apple IIs at all the schools in California. The Mac strategy you refer to was for higher education, and it was very successful. When those kids got in the workforce, they asked for Macs.
Mr. Cringely:
IBM was derailed by "reverse engineering" in
the PC manufacturing business. How was Apple
able to avoid the "plight" of this process when
applied to their proprietary Mac's?
They controlled both the hardware design and the OS. IBM controlled the hardware design, but Microsoft would sell the OS to anyone.
Curious about how the smaller companies such as Commodore computers and Timex-Sinclair for example fit into the history of the PC. Fred Allen Barrie, Ontario, Canada Me too. Maybe another series.
Recent scuttlebutt says that the future commercial exploitation of the Internet depends on: 1.Higher speed modems(ie cable modems) 2. Secure transaction technologies 3.Some better animation tools and software. Can you comment on what future applications will look like once these enabling technologies arrive? The 'Net has been so heavily hyped, but it feels like the talk about cable television in the early 70's; it's gonna be great, it's gonna be like nothing you've seen, we just don't what it is gonna be either.
How is it going to be different, and how will businesses be able to do business differently than they do now?
Network pipes will get bigger, but the stuff we do won't change all that much. For example, I don't think the Internet will replace the phone system or the TV system. But we'll do some video conferencing and a lot of client-server computing. The biggest impact will be just from having Internet access in millions of homes and being able to order pizza.
I've heard that Bill Gates often will exaggerate some of his accomplishments. Is this true, and if it is what has he exaggerated the most? Jonathan Waugh West Warwick, RI Bill exaggerates his ABILITIES in order to dominate/inspire employees, but I don't think he exaggerates his accomplishments. How could he? The guy has accomplished a lot, don't you think?
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