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From: labb-2ae@e260-2d.berkeley.edu (Joe C.)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Industry Publications Ignoring the Amiga.
Message-ID: <1990Dec16.224728.19247@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 16 Dec 90 22:47:28 GMT
References: <1990Dec14.174951.1555@rice.edu> <49754@cornell.UUCP> <1990Dec15.215451.23153@rice.edu>
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In article <1990Dec15.215451.23153@rice.edu> jsd@boreal.rice.edu (Shawn Joel Dube) writes:
>In article <49754@cornell.UUCP>, johnhlee@piccolo.cs.cornell.edu (John H. Lee) writes:
>
>|> 
>|> It wasn't too long ago that "PC" meant Personal Computer, not a specific
>|> microcomputer, until IBM decided to corrupt computer jargon with the IBM PC.  
>IBM corrupted computer jargon?  How?  They called their machine the "IBM PC," 
>not just "PC".  Its is the IBM Personal Computer.  

IBM may not have corrupted the name, but nowadays when people say PC, they
usually mean an IBM PC, or more likely, an IBM PC clone.  This is because
the "PC's" have such a large piece of the market pie.  Everyone I've met who
has told me, "I have a PC," or "I'm gonna buy a PC" has always meant the
IBM clones.

This is not the first time that a trademarked name has become a common
everyday word; remember Xerox?  That trademarked name has become both a noun
and a verb in today's society.  Why?  Because everyone was using Xerox's
copying machine.

>|> 
>|> Yet even today, many people associate "PC" with Personal Computer.  How many
>|> people do you know will talk to you about "your PC" even when they know you
>|> have an Amiga, MacIntosh, or 3b1?  Hence "PC World" connotes more general
>|> coverage than actuality.
>|> 
>
>Yes, even I associate "PC" with a personal computer.  However, "PC" *can*
>mean either one.  So "PC World" is either for all pc's or just IBM PC's.
>Which name do you think sounds better, PC World or IBM PC World?

1. PC World is dedicated to all PC's
2. PC World only talks about IBM and the clones, from 8088 to 486.
3. Therefore, all PC's are either the IBM or its clones!

If you say 1, then you will end up on 3.

In conclusion Mark Barret, the originator of this thread, does have a point
when he states that the computer industry is ignoring the Amiga.

The "Other machine", the MAC got a small piece of the computer pie because
of two reasons:

1. They were the first to sport a Graphic User Interface, not that they were
the inventors, but they were the first to make it available to the end user.

2. They had a large company (APPLE), with a large enough budget to launch a
fierce ADVERTISING campaign.  That original spot they got in the one of the
Superbowls literally had their sales department phones ringing off the hook!

-jc
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