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From: ems@apple.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: What's a PC?
Message-ID: <865@apple.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 29-May-87 18:12:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: apple.865
Posted: Fri May 29 18:12:01 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 30-May-87 12:06:55 EDT
References: <852@vu-vlsi.UUCP> <587@ll1.UUCP> <474@houxa.UUCP>
Organization: Apple Computer, Inc., Cupertino, USA
Lines: 42
Summary: Nope!  Personal Computer belongs to everyone.

In article <474@houxa.UUCP>, mel1@houxa.UUCP (M.HAAS) writes:
> I think we all owe IBM one on the name "Personal Computer".
> They added the weight of IBM to the concept that one could do
> professional and useful work with what til then were considered
> to be "toys", "home computers", "micro computers".

Generally true.  IBM did lend legitimacy.
> 
> Before IBM entered the market, you couldn't even think of getting
> a "home computer" for office or personal use.  The few who tried

A surprisingly large number did.  That is part of why Apple grew so
large so quick.

> to show how useful an Apple II or S100 box was as a tool were
> viewed as being a bit off.
> 
> IBM's choice of the name "Personal Computer" was a genius at work.
> It exactly expresses the concept and coming from IBM, legitimized it.
> 
> I'll leave the legalities to the lawyers, and the functional arguments
> to the academics.    But, PC belongs to IBM by right.

Sorry, but IBM did not invent the term Personal Computer, nor PC as an
abbreviation.  It was in common use to describe 'home computers' long
before IBM entered the market.  (At the time I worked on Mainframe 
computers.  I only joined Apple in the last year or so.  This is a 
memory unclouded by bias.)  There were many folks who were upset that
IBM could try to trademark such a common name.  Personal Computer belongs
to the people, just as personal computers do.  If it is a small box bought
by an individual then it is a PC, regardless of manufacturer or operating
system.  If it runs MSDOS then it is an IBM/PC compatible (roughly.)


-- 

E. Michael Smith  ...!sun!apple!ems

'If you can dream it, you can do it'  Walt Disney

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