21 Aug
2015
21 Aug
'15
11:14 p.m.
On Fri, 21 Aug 2015, Jay Jaeger wrote:
The written records I have read state that Kildall
finally came to his
senses way way late, and realized what a market opportunity the IBM PC
represented. But by then he was too late. By every account I have
read, he blew off a meeting arranged by Gates that would have been a
chance to sell his operating system,
Yes
There are conflicting accounts of what happened, but it is undeniable that
he failed to take advantage of an incredible opportunity.
Most of the accounts have gaps in credibility. Flying up to Oakland to
deliver some documentation is certainly NOT a task that couldn't have been
delegated. Kildall's defenders make too much of IBM's NDAs; some of his
dtractors portray it as a purely cultural clash. A few years ago, I went
and visited the house, and I can easily see that.
so IBM asked Gates to see if he
could find an alternative elsewhere and found what eventually became
MS-DOS, and the rest is history, as they say. Even had IBM been somehow
responsible for the disparity in the pricing, DRI could have marketed it
on their own anyway. The truth of the matter seems to be that Kildall
just didn't have any business acumen, and Gates, who did, rolled right
over him after he blew his chance.
Yes.
Kildall didn't have any business acumen, and Gates did.