NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #1/NN_1993_1.iso/spool/comp/os/os2/advocacy/11561

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-04 | 5.0 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!gumby!wmichgw!x90wardell
From: [e-mail]
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: DOS 6 Beta Looks for OS/2!!!!!!!!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 4 Jan 93 08:12:23 EST
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Organization: Western Michigan University
Lines: 115

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Phil Lafornara) writes:
> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>>In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Phil Lafornara) writes:
>>> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>>>>
>>>>    All this talk about FUD & Misinformation about OS/2 from Microsoft has
>>>>some NEW Merit!
>>>>
>>>>    I Recently talked to a Beta Tester of DOS 6.0. He Runs OS/2 with 2 Hard
>>>>Drives, One FAT, One HPFS. He decided to Install the DOS 6.0 Beta on the FAT
>>>>Partition, and got a Message saying, and I paraphrase:
>>>>
>>>>- OS/2 Detected! Due to the size of OS/2 you may wish to delete your OS/2
>>>>files before installing DOS 6.0 -
>>>
>>>      Interesting.  What is the problem with that?  If there was a
>>> similar message that said "Autocad detected.  Due to the size of
>>> Autocad you may wish to delete your Autocad files before installing
>>> DOS 6.0", whould that be bad too?
>>>
>>    It would be a bad thing to say if your were intsalling
>>say MS-CAD.  It is the same as if you were installing Word for Windows
>>and it detected Ami Pro.  I think it would be pretty slimey to have
>>Ms-Word say "Ami Pro Detected, due to its disk use, you should probably
>>delete it before installing Ms-Word."
>
>     We're still assuming that the message is as it was originally
> presented - I expect that this is not a very good assumption.
> I'll check on Monday.


    Agreed, we are assuming that his quote is very close to what
the actual message said.  But I have heard the same thing from beta
testers also.

>
>
>>    However, I think I could live with the DOS 6 message if it
>>also detects Windows NT.
>
>     If the message is what I think it is, it probably should.
> Then again, I would also expect that people running the Windows NT
> beta would be aware that it would be incompatible with certain
> features in DOS 6.
>
>
>>>>I Truely Hope This Beta Tester sends this one to the FTC!!!!
>>>
>>>     Please explain what in the above warning message is the
>>> slightest bit anticompetitive.  See if you can end your sentence
>>> with fewer than four exclamation points.
>>>
>>    What an amazingly arrogant comment.  I think I will have to buffer
>>that one.  I think anyone but a pre-programmed MS-Drone would admit that
>>such a message about a competiting product is wrong and anticompetitive.
>
>     Explain, then, exactly _how_ the message is anticompetitive.
> You can go on and on about my arrogance, but you haven't answered
> the basic question.
>     It all comes down to this:  Can the truth be FUD?
>
    I don't think it is FUD.  It is extremely unethical and downright
childish to have such a message.  OS/2 uses a lot of disk space.  However,
for MS-DOS to try to persuade you to delete OS/2 is pretty close to FUD.
A novice (and since it is in beta we can assume novices have not yet
touched this) might worry that OS/2 shouldn't be there and delete it.
If DOS 6 looks for NT and gives the same message I would be happy.


>
>>>>If this type of FUD and intentional Misinformation (apparently sanctioned by
>>>>management at M$ ) continues, the FTC SHOULD!!!! FINE and Split M$!!!
>>>
>>>     Please explain where in the above warning message is anything
>>> that is "FUD and intentional Misinformation".  Also explain
>>> how fining and splitting MS would do anything positive in
>>> this situation, which you apparently find so disturbing.
>>>
>>>
>>    Why?  Because it is blatantly anti-competitive.
>
>     Again.  Why is it anticompetitive?
>
>
    Because a competing product is trying to persuade the user to
eliminate a competitor's product.  I really don't think it is a
stretch at all to see this.



>>    I was just wondering, when you first start at Microsoft, do they
>>give you a set of subliminal arrogance tapes to listen to while you are
>>asleep or have you always been this way?
>
>     Heh.  Good one.  Very clever.
>
>                 -Phil
>
        While I admit I come into the Usenet rather light heartedly, I
still don't like people putting other people down on the basis of
punctuation or making a legitimate concern seem petty.  I am no
enemy (or friend) of Microsoft.  I have no concern in the matter except
to the point that I like OS/2.  This DOS message is clearly out of line.



                        -Brad


>
> --
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Phil Lafornara                         1 Microsoft Way
> [e-mail]                Redmond, WA 98052-6399
> Note:  Microsoft doesn't even _know_ that these are my opinions. So there.