7 May
2009
7 May
'09
6:05 p.m.
On 7 May 2009 at 12:09, Warren Wolfe wrote:
As I understand it, they wanted the ability to
TRANSFORM it into a
terminal, the IBM 3270 PC, not necessarily have it BE one. They were
legitimately out to make the PC market their bitch, as was the
mainframe market at the time. At least, that's how I saw it. It took
a while for it to register that the PC market was going to be big with
business, but when it did, the 400 pound bear started moving. They
would have done it, too, I suspect, except for the PS/2 debacle. It
must suck to be right, and STILL lose one's arse.
Actually, it wasn't the IBM PC, XT, AT or PS/2 that established the
market, but rather the proliferation of cheap far east clones. A
Taiwanese "XT" couldn't be touched as far as bang for the buck.
I've been trying to establish the truth of what a Taiwanese friend
told me at the time--that the Taiwanese government bankrolled a lot
of the groundwork and produced documentation and reference designs.
But all this is for now is just one person's account.
--Chuck