Re: Netscape, XyWrite, and the Media

["mike shupp" m.shupp@xxxxxxxx]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Robertson" 
To: 
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2000 4:55 AM
Subject: RE: Netscape, XyWrite, and the Media


> Dear Folks:
>
> If anyone "gave" anything away in this personal computer
> business, it was IBM, in the early days of this technologies
> development.
>
> Its worth remembering that in the birthing days of DOS....

Interesting account. My own recollection of the mid '80s
period is that computer software purchases had to be approved
or made by moderately busy low level managers (people with
say 30 subordinates to oversee) at the engineering shops where
I worked. They all wanted the benefits of word processing as
they understood them (chiefly text storage) but weren't worried
too much about writing efficiencies because in their model, writers
used pen and paper and gave handwritten copy to secretaries who
prepared typed drafts for endless review cycles.  The dominant
consideration in their minds was they did not want a secretary
interrupting them to ask questions every five minutes about the
operation of the s/w, and WordPerfect's menu system looked like
their salvation.  Engineers who wanted to write their own material
and do the word processing themselves with say XyWrite were
not encouraged-- they were obstacles on the road to standardization
which had to be overcome.........