Xref: utzoo misc.legal:4433 comp.sys.ibm.pc:13947 comp.sys.mac:14646 comp.sys.apple:5049 Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att-cb!att-ih!pacbell!ames!ncar!gatech!mcnc!decvax!mandrill!neoucom!wtm From: wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew) Newsgroups: misc.legal,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: Apple Challenges HP New Wave, MS-Windows, Potentially OS/2 PM Summary: Pictures on 3/20/88 Infoworld, page 5 Keywords: Apple HP Microsoft Windows OS/2 New Wave Frivolous Litigation Message-ID: <1064@neoucom.UUCP> Date: 29 Mar 88 16:19:00 GMT References: <5480@well.UUCP> <4092@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine Lines: 40 The merit of Apples claims about HP copying their environment seems less to me after having looked that the photos in this week's Infoworld. New Wave, as shiped from HP doesn't really look very much like a MacIntosh desktop To quote breifly with attribution from the Inforworld article's sidebar accompanying the photos:... "HP calls New wave an `applications environment,' and users can reconfigure the interface and make it as much like -- or unlike -- the Mac as desired. A screen shot of New Wave supplied by Apple is virtually identical to the Mac Interface HP officials said, but differs greatly from the default interface HP will supply to users." It does seem like strectching things a bit for apple. It is like saying that MSDOS is a programming environment, and someone may write a program using msdos system calls that results in a MacIntosh-like display, thus MSDOS is a violation of Apple's visual copyright. As I said previously, what the Apple suit looks like to me is a shrewd business descission to throw cold water on IBM windowing software developers. I suppose that some developers will shelve their OS/2 plans and continue their MacIntosh development in the interim. This would help Apple keep its software lead for a while longer. Apple is really just using IBM's well known FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt) weapon. Personally, I don't like Apple's business descision. My office was making plans to add a MacIntosh II running A/ux; in light of the Apple suit, I am considering a change to the PS/2 mod 80 or Compaq 386/20 and SCO Xenix. Actually, at the moment, the Compaq looks like the best bet since we already have a substantial expense in XT/AT bus based peripheral devices. We had been interested in the Mac II because of its Nubus. Additionally, I had the oportuninty to set up an A/ux system in a consulting job, and disovered that A/ux still has quite a few unfinished corners. If Apple keeps behind A/ux, in the next year or two A/ux should be a nice product. --Bill