From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Subject: Re: [9fans] Plan 9 versus CORBA?
In-Reply-To: Message from "Boyd Roberts" <boyd@fr.inter.net>
   of "Tue, 25 Sep 2001 00:54:54 +0200." <018201c1454b$ed4684d0$a2b9c6d4@SOMA>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Message-ID: <24800.1001378235@apnic.net>
From: George Michaelson <ggm@apnic.net>
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001 10:37:15 +1000
Topicbox-Message-UUID: f2ab759c-eac9-11e9-9e20-41e7f4b1d025


> > it has to be said stone age s/w (MH) seems to be lasting a lot longer than
> > tree-borne reproductive organs wrapped in wrinkly wood.
>
> where were the bitmapped display, the ethernet, the laser printer invented
> and integrated with the mouse?
>
> Xerox PARC.

Boyd, that is *such* a non-sequiteur. Like, (a) bitmapped displays, ethernet
mice and printers are not email systems and (b) Xerox was notorious for
leading the way in developing rilly neat ideas that died in a ditch, such
as smalltalk.

You can't point to successes and say that makes the failures a success. Walnut
didn't fly. MH, shitfully concreted with #ifdef RAND as it is, persists.

Lets go sideways instead. if PARC was such a good idea, why did Xerox kill it?
Does Lucent share Xerox's ability to turn success into failure? I hope not!

cheers
	-George