Microsoft vs. General Motors

by closer2fine 6 Replies latest social humour

  • closer2fine
    closer2fine

    At a recent computer exposition (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry, stating, "If General Motors had kept up with the technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon".

    In response to Bill's comments, GM issued the following press release:

    If General Motors had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

    1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

    2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

    3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason, you would simply accept this.

    4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

    5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive -- but would run on only five percent of the roads.

    6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "General Protection Fault" warning light.

    7. The airbag system would ask, "Are you sure?" before deploying.

    8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

    9. Every time GM introduced a new car, car buyers would have to learn to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

    10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

    closer

    Solid stone is just sand and water, baby
    Sand and water, and a million years gone by - beth nielsen chapman

  • one
    one

    today's car belong to the stone age.

    GM, in this case, is jelous of Microsoft a paradigm of innovations.

    Microsoft is only second, right now, to GE (the world biggest) in market capital.

    Gates is just a genius (that is what Clinton said).

    Thanks to Gates you are reading this message and learning the 'truth'.

    It is a shame Clinton Gov. took him to court, talk about contradictions?

    When i drive a car, for some reason a feel like riding a horse that drinks specially treated very expensive water from Venuezuela, Alaska, Texas and Bin Laden home land.

    Tell GM that i dont mind buying a car ($25) every week

    What about a truly electric computerized automovile?
    Go Bill Go, teach them something. And dont forget the Web training site to teach them how to build them.

    Alan, you would be designing a lot more chips...

  • SYN
    SYN

    Gates was just in the right place at the right time. Then he got an excellent marketing department. The rest is history.

    Seven006: "Have you tried drugs? Shooting up a little heroin might do the trick, it's hard to type when your stoned out of your mind. I don't know how TR does it!"

  • larc
    larc

    One,

    There is a very big difference between an electrical system (computer) and a electo-mechanical system (car). Automobiles have made vast improvements in their history, within the constraint of the system itself.

  • closer2fine
    closer2fine

    Guys, this is in the Jokes & Humor section.

    It was intended to get a little laugh :o)

    closer

    Solid stone is just sand and water, baby
    Sand and water, and a million years gone by - beth nielsen chapman

  • Xander
    Xander

    I'd argue, too that most of the critiques of 'computers' above deals with PCs ONLY, and very poorly configured ones at that.

    All the nations phone systems run on computers. Airplanes run on computers. Modern warships 'fight' exclusively with computers.

    If computers were REALLY as unstable as the above joke indicates, the world would be in a pretty bad shape now.

    a very big difference between an electrical system (computer)

    Not so big a difference, I think. Consider a hard disk. Fairly complicated device, several moving parts that have to move with considerably greater than surgical precision, and (in the case of laptops) while being bumped around. Yet, we've managed to quadruple the 'speed' of them within the past 5 years, all the while increasing reliability, reducing power usage, and decreasing size.

    Xander F
    (Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Ohio order)

    A fanatic is one who, upon losing sight of his goals, redoubles his efforts.
    --George Santayana

  • one
    one

    larc,

    are you in the automotive industry?

    It is no secret the conflict of interest involving the oil industry.

    Vehicles that went to the moon more than 3 DECADES ago were MECHANICAL devices used to transport humans. They "kept up with technology".

    But again there some say there was a very particular "interest" in getting to the moon. The French Concord airplane started flying about 3 decades ago. BTW it is safer to fly than to drive...

    There seems to be not "interest" that you and i get from here to there quicK, economic and efficently. Ask George why.

    As xander said, computers are more than pc deep. Your telco can put you in contact with any one anywhere in no time, using computers.

    Mr. Bell would be lost at a telco office for quite a while..

    If Henry Ford revisited one of his factories he would get up to date in a few minutes.

    BTW have any of you tried XP.

    Did you know that you can have a broadband wireless connection at your home, Boat or RV, tomorrow (literally). Very competitive in price with DSL and Cable-modem.

    I just started playing with it yesterday.

    close2fine,
    Who said i am not having fun?

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