This is IBM-APPLE-Merger in view mode; [Up]
Date: Sun 23-Jul-1991 23:23:50 From: barry@math.ucla.edu (Barry Merriman) Subject: Re: IBM-APPLE Merger In article <3072@pdxgate.UUCP> a0cb@.cc.pdx.edu (Chris Bertholf) writes: > > Everything is speculative right now. No contracts have been signed. > > The scuttlebut is that Apple will license IBM's 1-chip implementation of > the POWER architecture (used in RS/6000) and IBM will License the Apple > GUI. Both will form a seperate united entity to do research on object- > oriented OS technologies, and both will own the rights to use and > license the technologies developed by the joint venture. The ridiculous thing about the idea of Apple-IBM joining forces to make a personal computer with object oriented UNIX OS and GUI is this: NeXT already has such a thing!, and its going into its third level of refinement, with three years of real world use and a rapidly growing family of excellent Apps! It is highly unlikely that Apple/IBM could do a better job on the OS or GUI (given all the awards NeXTStepo has won, and the general excellence of PostScript, Mach, etc). So, one has to wonder why---if a company wanted to introduce a new platform with such features---why they would not just team up with NeXT, and add on some emulators for their own products for backward compatabilty. Particulalry since NeXT is not a serious threat to IBM or Apple (while IBM/Apple are serious threats to eachother) (yet). I can only conclude that the purpose of the Apple/IBM gig is not so much to produce a high quality product, but rather to try an produce some form of devious business venture, either for the purpose of monopolizing the future market or keeping reign on the competition (i.e IBM can keep an eye on Apple and Vice Versa), or perhaps to avert a monopoly by another company, like Microsoft. In any case, I think its all business maneuving and I doubt a machine that compares to NeXT will come out of it. (Especially since I read that apple has a staff of 100 programmers that work on pink!)
Date: Sun 24-Jul-1991 17:13:10 From: jtn@potomac.ads.com (John T. Nelson) Subject: Re: IBM-APPLE Merger >The ridiculous thing about the idea of Apple-IBM joining forces >to make a personal computer with object oriented UNIX OS and GUI >is this: NeXT already has such a thing!, and its going into its third level >of refinement, with three years of real world use and a rapidly >growing family of excellent Apps! > >It is highly unlikely that Apple/IBM could do a better job on the >OS or GUI (given all the awards NeXTStepo has won, and the general >excellence of PostScript, Mach, etc). And if IBM/Apple don't watch it... they may find themselves in the middle of a lawsuit, should they duplicate too much of the NeXT's "look and feel." Now wouldn't that just be justice? :-) --- John T. Nelson Internet: jtn@potomac.ads.com Advanced Decision Systems Uucp: kzin!speaker@mimsy.umd.edu Arlington, VA (703) 243-1611
Date: Sun 25-Jul-1991 15:16:32 From: lerman@stpstn.UUCP (Ken Lerman) Subject: Re: IBM-APPLE Merger In article <1991Jul23.232350.7221@math.ucla.edu> barry@math.ucla.edu (Barry Merriman) writes: ... >So, one has to wonder why---if a company wanted to introduce a new >platform with such features---why they would not just team up with NeXT, >and add on some emulators for their own products for backward compatabilty. >Particulalry since NeXT is not a serious threat to IBM or Apple >(while IBM/Apple are serious threats to eachother) (yet). ... In the absence of any knowledge it is easy to speculate. 1 -- IBM already tried teaming up with NeXT and it didn't work. 2 -- NeXT wants too much money to team with IBM 3 -- Apple wants too much money to team with NeXT 4 -- All of the above 5 -- None of the above It does take two (at least) willing partners to make a team. Does NeXT *really* want to give (sell) access to its technology to someone who will be a strong competitor? Ken
Date: Sun 05-Aug-1991 14:17:19 From: dbg@sinix.UUCP (David George) Subject: Re: IBM-APPLE Merger In the August Edition of Personal Computer World they announced that the Apple-IBM deal was off for the forseable future, of course that may be a short time as this magazine claimed in 1987 that "OS2 will be to DOS what DOS was to CP/M". David.
These are the contents of the former NiCE NeXT User Group NeXTSTEP/OpenStep software archive, currently hosted by Marcel Waldvogel and Netfuture.ch.