News and commentary from the cross-platform scripting community.
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Mail Starting 7/9/97 | |
Dave, the analysis of the platform issues here is particularly compelling and I believe the notion of investing in your partners is the key item in developing new and resuscitating old ones here.. good job
From: ESCHMIDT@novell.com (Eric Schmidt);
Sent at 7/9/97; 7:37:57 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to BankruptcyI agree with your statements and your conclusions - I moved, initially with a heavy heart, to Win95 a few months ago after nearly ten years of working and developing multimedia on Macs. At that point I just couldn't justify spending a large amount of my university's money on a loser.
From: jmelvill@scu.edu.au (Julian Melville);
Sent at 7/10/97; 2:57:32 PM;
Moving to WindowsAnd sure, some things aren't as good; occasionally I'm tempted to throw the thing out the window, but lots of things are better, and I've had a few nice surprises - having Java and Shockwave actually do something is a continual happy amazement. Being able to go to the Microsoft web site and actually find answers to my questions, instead of mining through the maze of Apple web and finding only press releases. The range of games is great.
But I miss my old tools - in particular, BBEdit, DragThing and Frontier. And a heap of others, great software written by cool people. And I reckon something that would make the world a nicer place is if the people that wrote such great software under the Mac platform moved their ideas over to Windows. It's just a platform. There's room for some great software on it. I've given up writing to Bare Bones, I've had no replies anyway, so I'll write it here instead!
This must have been a difficult piece for you to write. It is the most depressing analysis I've read in a long while. It puts down in writing my worst fear: changing platforms is hard, and its doubly hard when you find the new one "inelegant" to say the least. I think it's kind of like people from the old East Germany must have felt after they visited the other side and then had to go back home. No more bright lights. No more fun. Just follow the rules.
From: john@digitalmx.com (John Springer);
Sent at 7/9/97; 8:14:43 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to BankruptcyBut I question your solution for a company that finds its fortunes changing. And Microsoft is the counter-example. When the Internet arose as a challenge, they didn't start investing in a bunch of start-ups (well, they did to some extent) but they re-invented themselves to literally engulf the new directions. They chose to obsolete themselves. It's the most amazing shift of strategy I've ever seen. That's really what DEC should have done.
The great mistake corporations make is protecting their own vested interests. What they need to be protecting is their customer base because in the long run that's the only asset with any value.
In response to those who have suggested that Power Computing should turn the tables and acquire Apple.
From: bradp@microsoft.com (Brad Pettit);
Sent at 7/9/97; 6:06:15 PM;
Why Power Computing?Why not Motorola? Heck, they are one of the biggest, if not the biggest, name in communications. And they do a mean PowerPC.
It takes a brave man to look into the abyss and see nothing staring back at him but cold, empty darkness. It's when man does this that he actually finds something, himself. Maybe Apple can do this now. They have never been closer to the abyss than now. In fact they are enveloped in it. Will they see themselves? Or will they see the darkness of oblivion. If Apple can find nothing in itself to see any longer, why should we? Maybe we should stop looking.
From: gkucharo@netpower.com (Greg Kucharo);
Sent at 7/9/97; 6:03:00 PM;
abyssPower Computing buy Apple? How about a more interesting and twisted script: Sun stops play footsie with Novell and buys Apple, paving the way to force a Java OS down our throats.
From: phred@teleport.com (Fred Heutte);
Sent at 7/9/97; 5:46:50 PM;
Re:Mid-Afternoon CorrectionsWow. Hey Dave . . . whatever it was you were using to spotlight Apple this morning . . . uh, be careful where you point that thing, willya? Reminds me of SCTV's old Farm Celebrity Blowup with Big Jim McBob (John Candy) and Billy Sol Hurok (Joe Flaherty) . . . "Yessir, that Gil Amelio, he was a nice feller, he sure blowed up reeeeal good!"
From: phred@teleport.com (Fred Heutte);
Sent at 7/9/97; 5:43:19 PM;
Re:Amelio ResignsI really, really hate to agree with you, but I do. Rhapsody may very well be successful in a limited sort of way given it's logical target. It's a relatively heavyweight, robust development environment which may indeed be attractive to developers in a niche market in the enterprise world.
From: reede@willriley.com (Reede Stockton);
Sent at 7/9/97; 4:58:52 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to BankruptcyBut... And here's the rub, it doesn't do one damned thing to grow or update Apple's key markets or the overwhelming numbers of installed base systems. It's a high-end solution, but Apple used to serve a volume market. Meanwhile, the previous core business at Apple is left to struggle along with largely cosmetic changes and along with some necessary but inadequate modernization.
By the beginning of 1998, if Apple keeps to it's development schedule, MacOS will _still_ not offer memory protection or pre-emptive multi-tasking. That makes the bulk of Apple's business roughly 3 years behind Microsoft. And that's an optimistic estimate.
Meanwhile, on the Rhapsody side of the house, Apple is banking heavily on Java. But there's a certain tension here between the success of Java and the success of Apple's OS strategy. To the extent that Java as a cross-platform development solution succeeds, the need for Rhapsody's cross-platform development APIs decreases. If I can use Java, why do I want to waste my time fooling around with the Yellow Box APIs????
I don't see a winning strategy here on either side of the house.
Apple should have bought Be.
Dave, please, when you consider the future of Frontier, consider Linux. Linux is available on almost every hardware platform, and is certainly a very common choice for web servers. And Linux's free availablity is a good match with your distribution policy.
From: nbornstein@plr.com (Niel M. Bornstein);
Sent at 7/9/97; 7:13:13 PM;
Re:Mid-Afternoon CorrectionsThose of us who are committed to PowerPC (due to sunk hardware costs) but leery of relying on Apple are very interested in alternatives. Linux and BeOS (and NT, but c'mon, that's Microsoft) are our only choices. I don't want to have to buy into Windows just so I can keep using Frontier.
Hi, Dave. If any company should buy Apple, it's Motorola. Motorola has the reason--the fate of the PowerPC chip is inextricably intertwined with the fate of the Mac OS. Motorola has the ability to leverage the investment--it could set itself up as a system board supplier to the Mac clone universe, in the same way that Intel is the system board supplier to the PC clone market. And Motorola is a first-rate hardware company--it can deliver the right products on time and in the right quantity, setting the tone for the Mac clone market and filling Apple's position without a hiccup.
From: rlandry@newmedia.com (Richard Landry);
Sent at 7/9/97; 4:16:45 PM;
Re:"Mid-Afternoon Correction"oh my, the power you wield, you can bring a CEO down in exactly 2:41:41
From: luist@MICROSOFT.com (Luis Talavera);
Sent at 7/9/97; 3:11:44 PM;
Re:Amelio ResignsYipes! A lot to think about... My thought are such: I'm a Mac user, before that I was an Apple II user, so that adds up to 17 years of using Apple operating systems, wow! I guess I'm in deep, and I'll admit, I don't want to get out. I have too much invested in the Mac platform to leave it, and truthfully, I don't want to. I tend to agree that the MacOS will never disappear, hmmm, maybe Microsoft will buy the MacOS, then things would really be interesting! Your DaveNet seems in total contrast to the essay at http://rumors.netexpress.net/opinion.shtml I'm on the side of the essay.
From: raster@execpc.com (rasterboy);
Sent at 7/9/97; 4:50:35 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to BankruptcyWhat about the Frontier community? Right now the community seems to be made up of people who are pretty deeply into the Mac platform, I wonder if these people will transition to the Win32 environment. I have a Windows NT machine on my desk, I use it for email and browsing, but other than that I use my Mac for getting the job done. I just don't think I could ever be comfortable using Windows. It just somehow doesn't seem natural, it seems so, uncomfortable. I've used the BeOS and I'm much more comfortable with that that with Windows. I think if I could run the apps I really need under the BeOS, I'd be a happy camper!
What about NeXT? There's still plenty of people using NeXT machines for all sorts of stuff, and I'm sure plenty of people forgot about NeXT, or didn't even know NeXT existed until Apple purchased them. I do agree that Apple makes mistakes, hey, maybe they could be the 'Mistake Company' - offering a full line of mistakes for any situation. "Oops! we screwed up! Sorry! -signed Apple"
I guess the bottom line is that as long as I can use a computer to do what I want/need to do - AND - it provides me with a user experience I enjoy, I'll keep going. Right now only the MacOS can do that...
And that is so weird because a lot of us were SCREAMING as loud as we could that the Web was big, was getting bigger, was the natural pathway for eWorld and Apple. A lot of the screamers were those so-called researchers, people who couldn't understand why no one was listening to them. Were we screaming too LOUDLY? Was even Larry (maybe especially Larry) deaf?
From: naomib@cadence.com (Naomi Bloom);
Sent at 7/9/97; 2:56:10 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to BankruptcyEven after the decision to "go to the Web" was made, I never met a single management type at Apple who a) knew what the hell that meant, b) was willing to find out (i.e., ask a webhead) what it meant, or c) could not find his or her index finger because it was buried too deep.
Dave, regarding your previous email about Apple, it was either a world-class "called shot", or (if you got tipped off), a world-class mindfuck on your audience.
From: trebor@animeigo.com (Robert J. Woodhead (AnimEigo));
Sent at 7/9/97; 5:40:33 PM;
Re:Amelio ResignsEither way, I'm impressed. ;^)
Best R
PS: I share your opinion on Jobs. My impression of him was cemented the time an engineer at Apple was giving me a tour (I'd found a bug in the 128K Mac Rom) and we happened to pass him pontificating to a team. He stopped, asked who I was, and to the mortification of my guide, demanded I be removed from the building (I have no idea why, to this day. I guess he didn't like computer games?).
As it happened, I had a Rebazer with me (a very powerful rubber band gun). My one regret is that I didn't plink the bastard when I had the chance...
Simple explanation. They read DaveNet!
From: Richard_Shaffer@technologicp.com;
Sent at 7/9/97; 5:25:27 PM;
RE> Amelio ResignsThis is truly bizarre.
From: rduncan@xchg.peds.csmc.edu (Duncan, Ray);
Sent at 7/9/97; 2:35:56 PM;
Re:Amelio ResignsApple's researchers fought hard for years to promote TCP/IP, the Internet, and Mosaic within the company, but ran into brick wall marketing and finance people who would not listen.
From: cs@apple.com (Larry Tesler);
Sent at 7/9/97; 2:33:05 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to BankruptcyAccording to Steve Jobs, NeXT missed the web also, even though it started on a NeXT workstation.
So, how long have you known this was coming? :-)
From: siegel@barebones.com (Rich Siegel);
Sent at 7/9/97; 5:20:06 PM;
Re:Amelio ResignsI just sent you a message asking how you could back up your statements of Dr. Amelio's weak position. Wow! Are you familar with the Greek tragedic plays called the Orestia ? It tells of Agamemnon returning from the Trojan Wars with the Seer Cassandra. Agamemnon's wife Clytemnestra is already reeeal pissed that Agamemnon sacrificed their daughter Ifigenia to the Gods then took off for several years to fight a war for that idiot Paris who couldn't keep Helen. Anyway he returns with this slave Cassandra, and that makes Clytemnestra absolutely homicidal. Here's the twist, Cassandra was given the gift of seeing the future by Apollo. She also pissed him off so Apollo cursed her at the same time. Cassandra can see what will happen in the future (her gift), but if she tells someone, she won't be believed (her curse). Cassandra knows she and Agamemnon are toast when they return, Clytemnestra is sharpening the knife, but Agamemnon doesen't heed her warnings, and the first play ends with the murder of Agamemnon and Cassandra. My point? Do you sometimes feel like Cassandra with DaveNet?
From: joe@flaizer.com (Joe);
Sent at 7/9/97; 4:26:11 PM;
Are You Cassandra?I found your comments on Apple's future interesting. More interesting was the 'open arms' comment from the MS exec on your mail page. I acknowledge that yours is probably the prevalent attitude among developers with capital, time and pride invested in both OS'es. At the end of the day, despite brave words and nods towards blue skies you'll take your shelter in the camp of the mightier army.
From: rossm@enterprise.net (Ross MacKenzie);
Sent at 7/9/97; 9:32:18 PM;
Apple's SurvivalI hope your happy to realise that the end-user situation, at least from where I'm sitting is a lot more rosy. We see no realistic reason that the MacOS should not continue to serve us well. Even if Apple Inc goes under, its ridiculous to assume that the MacOS, the intellectual property and the technology will not continue (probably in a vastly sleeker form). As for continued software development, in a market economy one developer falling of the tree will be quickly replaced by another. Possibly hungrier, keener and more interested in future opportunities and not so concerned with past failures.
Here are some thoght after reading the The Sure Road to Bankruptcy and the email response:
From: kcheung@cyberpalate.com (kcheung);
Sent at 7/9/97; 4:26:39 PM;
The Sure Road to BankruptcyExcept for one thing (buy NeXT), I am totally with you. Actually, I don't think buying NeXT is a good move either, but Apple has no choice. Yes, maybe it can buy 100 small developers and bet on it, but they still need a robust, modern OS. Frontier will run much smoother in a preemptive, true multithreading, memory protected OS than what it's running on now. The classic Mac OS is not suitable in the Internet era.
My opinion is, they shouldn't let this (buy NeXT) happens at all. I agree with David Weingart, Apple owes us. They owes us Copland. In fact, it is the biggest computer industry lie in this decade. I won't be surprised that if they didn't promote the Copland lie, Apple would go out of business already. They kept us in using the Mac for almost 2 more years by promising a modern OS. What we get? Not even a developer release.
And I think you are right, Dave. Apple didn't get it, and they still don't get it. They simply don't know what customers want. They still think their users are loyal. NO! We are loyal to the great user experience that Macintosh brought us. We ARE NOT loyal to Apple Computer Inc. If someone comes up with an OS that provides better user experiences than the Macintosh platform can, we move. The Windows platform is getting pretty close and in a few area, they actually surpassed the Mac. The BeOS is promising, although it's too young. What the Mac platform can bring to us. Mac users are used to tell Wintel users what the Mac can do and what Wintel machine cannot do; it will also tell them what Mac has brought use and what Wintel just follows. Now, I don't see any significant advantage of using the Mac OS. I couldn't even think up of anying that the Mac invented and Microsoft will want to copy.
Microsoft get it. They totally get it. I was an anti-Microsoft, now I think they are the smartest company in the world. I don't like Windows, but I don't hate it any more and I don't mind using it. One day, I may even love it. Microsoft doesn't care. They doesn't care whether you love your machine or not, they just do what you want. You want this and they add it. The market want that, and they add that. Not Invented Here, no problem, we are fine, we will implement it and makes it better. You poor Mac people want a better browser, okay, we give you IE 3, which is at least better than Netscape 3 and maybe even Netscape Communicator. You hate us, FINE! We changed, now you will love the new Microsoft on Mac. They get the message, you can tell that by "Vic Gundotra"'s response of your article. Now where is Apple's response. I think that they will put you on a black list, Dave. Too bad, but who cares. They are dying!
It's too bad the Idea Futures site is off the air. You'd make a mint off the predictions in today's piece. They're dead on. (pardon the pun.)
From: cshotton@biap.com (Chuck Shotton);
Sent at 7/9/97; 3:14:22 PM;
NostradamusThe interesting question to me, from a Monday Morning Quarterback perspective is "why?" We know *what* Apple did to screw up, *how* they did it, *when* it happened, but it's not clear *why* it happened. Yes, there's a litany of fumbles, mistakes, misdirections, and other deviations that have placed them in the dire circumstance they find themselves in. But *why*?
Was it because strong personalities chased the wrong rabbits? Was it because weak personalities attempted to steer a big company? Was it because a self-serving board was asleep at the wheel? My gut feel is that the decline of Apple is a story about personalities, not business decisions, strategy, or technology. Too much talk, not enough action to back it up. Too many "better ideas" from too many individuals. Too many uncontrolled, unmanaged people flailing away in a million directions at once.
I love what Apple was, the people that worked there and the products they created. I was without a doubt one of their biggest fans, supporters, evangelists, cheerleaders, and defenders. But it's clear that the Apple of the past is just that, past. Perhaps we just loved Apple to death? Kept the people inside from seeing what was going on beyond the rows of groupies pressed up against their stage? Who knows why?
I know you're going to get a flood of mail from this piece. Please consider posting as much of it as possible!
OUCH! Dammit Dave, I was happy being ignorant and hoping Apple would find the magic bean (Java or other).
From: dansokol@woz.org (Dan Sokol);
Sent at 7/9/97; 12:06:07 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to BankruptcyAnd I don't want to change platform if it means working on Windows. I've got two machines here with Win95 and NT on them. I use them for testing and hate every minute of it. I've tird using them for simple things like writing letters and they drive me crazy.
I guess it's back to pens and pencils.
Dan Sokol
PS Damn good article and right on the money. Too bad.
Hey! Dave - just wanted to say - MORE rocks! Still using it to this very day on my new PowerCenter 150. An irreplacable program.
From: handy@wizzards.net (handy);
Sent at 7/9/97; 1:16:49 PM;
Re:"Outliners & Programming"And I didn't get to mention it when you were doing that live Apple web thing, but your remarks about Patti Smith really touched me. "horses ... horses ... coming in from all directions ...." Good them song for Frontier would be "People have the Power" from "Dream of Life".
Absolutely dead on, sad to say. I do think Apple could survive and prosper indefinitely, but I don't see them doing what it will take.
From: tlundeen@lundeen.com (tim lundeen);
Sent at 7/9/97; 12:50:33 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to BankruptcyI much prefer using a Mac, by far, and I will use one myself as long as hardware is available and competitive. All the software I develop has been totally cross platform for years, but up till now it has been easier to have someone else in the group do the Windows version. But I've ordered the software to be able to run Windows directly on my Mac, so I can start working with Windows personally.
We will support Rhapsody, though. Since we already run on Unix, this will not be a big deal. If I was selling desktop applications, I'm not so sure.
A world with no alternatives to using a Microsoft OS is very depressing.
From: cubsfan@cjnetworks.com (Mike Silverman);
Sent at 7/9/97; 2:38:55 PM;
Davenet commentaryI don't want to bash Windows - it fills the needs of most people most of the time.
But I personally dislike using it. I tried it, I used it often. Everything is just slightly different from the Mac, little inconsitancies are everywhere, asthetically it is unpleasing, and many of the tiny things we take for granted on the Mac just are not there. Things don't work together as smoothly.
But by the year 2000, will anyone have a choice?
The plaform is clearly no more than a niche today. Virtually all of the interesting and useful development is happening on NT, UNIX and Java. Too bad all those years of investment are down the drain. Yet, apple has really three strong assets for the creditors to ponder:
From: zellmer@virtualproperties.com (Jim Zellmer);
Sent at 7/9/97; 2:50:08 PM;
aapl1) User base: clients and developers
2) Quicktime, with 3.0, it will be truly cross platform
3) Colorsync
Beyond that, it's clear the neither IBM or Motorola are spending significant dollars building the PowerPC brand, so aapl is in no position to lead a hardware battle. They must also be held accountable for the mess. Who can forget all the PR announcements regarding PPC, taligent and kaleida....? Where have the millions gone?
This implies a much smaller company, something that should have been done years ago - certainly when amelio arrived.
Yes, it's on to Win32 (we've been there for awhile, it has pros and cons, like the mac) with some java thrown in.
the Wintel world is no nirvana. I spoke with a good client this morning who is confused: win95, win98, winNT ???? I don't like the Win32 support costs, stupid, time consuming irq problems, etc.
Maybe Gassee will have a role in all this?
I'm with the Frenchman!
From: wiegand@primary.net (Jeffrey L. Wiegand);
Sent at 7/9/97; 2:34:35 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to Bankruptcy
Take the security and rot!
I'll quit computers before I support a monopoly.
Monopoly or Oligopoly only means oppression of some sort.
Where's the spirit of American Anarchy, Dave?
And I just put you on my links page...I sincerely hope you're wrong!
From: verec@micronet.fr (Jean-François Brouillet);
Sent at 7/9/97; 12:21:18 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to Bankruptcy
Damned wrong!
It so sad...
May be you'll switch to WinXXX.
I'll quit the computer business entirely if/when this happens.
Not so good a day...Brave email Dave. Welcome to a new home. We love you here, and wish you many happy memories.
From: vicg@MICROSOFT.com (Vic Gundotra);
Sent at 7/9/97; 12:09:34 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to Bankruptcy-Vic Gundotra
Microsoft Developer RelationsVery depressing piece today. I agree that Apple faces daunting problems. I agree that they've made mistakes, huge, catastrophic mistakes. They've insulted their developers, they've let down their customers, and they've jerked around their partners (especially the clone makers).
From: rafec@burrito.insource.com (Rafe Colburn);
Sent at 7/9/97; 1:03:58 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to BankruptcyHowever, I have hope. I have hope for Rhapsody, because I think that if they deliver as promised, it will be the "Right Thing". In fact, Apple's current engineering strategy is the only thing I have hope for. It seems that the guys who are hunkered down working on improving the OS and building Rhapsody are the only ones getting it right. They've been delivering on schedule. I visited http://www.stepwise.com today. Reading their wrapup of the WWDC made me smile. I haven't smiled much when thinking about Apple recently.
It's everything else going on at Apple that scares the hell out of me. Apple alienates its developers. Apple's strategy with regard to cloners, distribution, and sales is all screwed up. Apple's management failed and is continuing to fail. All the great engineering in the world isn't going to fix these problems.
The bottom line for me is that I don't like Windows. I use Windows 95 and NT, but only because someone makes me. The fact that in the future I may have to render unto Microsoft just like 90% of the other computer users in the world is very depressing.
I still have hope.
This DaveNet hit me like a punch in the stomach.
From: dbw11@cornell.edu (David Weingart);
Sent at 7/9/97; 2:07:15 PM;
Re:The Sure Road to BankruptcyI wouldn't be surprised if you were flamed mercilessly for this piece. It will make people angry. Unfortunately, I think large parts of it are true. It saddens me to say it.
It verbalizes a lot of the thoughts I've been having about Apple lately. Apple is no longer a big player. It's all about momentum, and perception. Which is a bigger company, Apple or Netscape? Netscape is a much bigger company now, no matter what the accountants might say. Say what you want about Netscape, it's keeping up with a huge assault from Microsoft. Apple's momentum is going the other way.
It makes me angry to see that Apple acts as if it's not happening. Ignore it. It will go away. Wait for the next big thing.
Apple owes us. They lied to Mac users, for years, with the promise of a PowerPC native operating system. The answer to Windows 95. Someday the full story of Copland will be told. How much of our money did Apple waste on Copland?
Frankly, I'd like an apology.
So, they try to make up for it with Rhapsody. You'd think Apple would be in catch-up mode wouldn't you? There's an eerie amount of silence about the project. There's zero excitement. Zero buzz. They haven't even givcen it a real name yet. It's just a code name.
I want weekly updates on the progress, and a clear direction.
I don't blame you for taking a wait and see attitude.
Apple made us believe in the Macintosh. That's the attitude they intentionally foster in their customers (just look at evangelist). And I do believe. I don't like Windows, and I don't use Windows. (hey, how else would I use Frontier :-))
It will be a sad day when Apple files for protection from it's creditors. I hope that it doesn't happen. But Apple needs to act like the small company it has become. Oh well, maybe Microsoft will buy the rights to the logo.
p.s. The rumors are swirling around that Gil is on his way out. Don't know if they're true. I hope not because even if Gil is doing a bad job, yet another reorganization (YAR) would be disastrous.
I want to write to you for a long time. But everytime I tried to send you a message, I found myself an excuse (such as, I wrote bad English, I didn't have the time, you wouldn't read it...) not to do it. This time, I finally decide to go for it. Well, excuse my English if it is too bad, it is not my native language after all.
From: kcheung@cyberpalate.com (kcheung);
Sent at 7/9/97; 11:41:53 AM;
Can Apple Survive? hmmAlthough I am a big Mac (not the McDonald one) fan and I always tell other people that Apple will survive, in my heart, I think it will not. Contrary to what you and Steve Wozniak believe, I think Apple's only chance now is Rhapsody (I will explain this further). Apple, in the past few years, has made too many mistakes, and if you look close, except for launching the PowerMac, it has done almost NOTHING, successfully.
From Taligent, OpenDoc, Copland, QuickDraw GX . . . to quality in Performas, Apple Monitors, they did nothing right. The biggest joke is Copland. I recalled that, before Win 95 launched, they made joke about it and called it "vaporware". We all know who made the true "vaporware". There are million people using Win 95, but none of the planet Earth's resident is using "Copland".
One may argue, this is the way how the computer industry work? Well, I don't think spending 3 years in making one product and came out with nothing is something a real world company should do. Where are all those money go? Just read some of pre-pre-pre review of Copland, and you will find that Apple did not even accompanish 1/20 of what they promised during the announcement of the project. I strongly think that if Apple does ship the "Copland" OS 8, its situation will be much better than now. The main reason is because of the -- INTERNET.
Apple want you to think that it is an Internet company. But I don't think too many people will think so. It did almost nothing to help develop the Internet community. It's a player, but it is definitely not a pusher, an innovator. Without Apple, the Internet will keep going without problem, and I doubt that any Internet user will ever notice the difference if Apple goes out of business. As I mentioned, Apple want to be an Internet company. And before Microsoft did the dramatic turnaround, Apple tried to convince people that Internet will kill Microsoft and only Apple itself will survive in this end of century computer war. It turns out that Apple will be the victim of the war.
The rush to the Internet bring challenge to all the OSs. To survive, an OS has to be performed well in a multitasking environment, because the whole Internet experience is built on the multitasking model. With Win 95 and Win NT, Microsoft easily passed the test. If Apple has shipped Copland, which was supposed to be partially preemptive, it should also pass the test. But Apple didn't make it. So it brings Mac user a much worse experience in Internet usage.
Anyone who tried Netscape in Win 95 will know that it performs so much better than the Mac version, so does Internet Explorer. It is very often that during rendering a long text page, a Mac web client will make the OS to stop doing any other stuff, do the rendering, and not release the OS until it's finished. That doesn't happen on the Windows side. If a PC user feels too slow with the Internet experience, it's either their CPU is too slow or their connection is too slow, the OS is not something to blame on.
That is why I think Rhapsody is the only chance, or maybe even the last chance for Apple. It really need a preemptive and memory protected modern OS. Not to say other benefits, just imagine if Frontier can play under a preemptive environment, it will definitely perform much smoother than it does now. And, I couldn't argee with Steve Wozniak saying that Apple should use the money to buy NeXT in educational development. As Bill Gates pointed out, students and teachers will want to use the same kind of computers the rest of the world is using. If Apple fails to convince other people using the Mac, the educational customers will leave them too.
Well, I guess that's enough. Thanks reading this message, Dave.
Kam On Cheung
New Media Designer
CyberPalate LLC.
http://www.cuisinenet.com/