Re: MAKEMONEY cmd

[nina jones <ddi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I dunno, I never got that upset about the "Magic Box" campaign.  Maybe I'm
> naive, but I don't think technical people necessarily control the decision
> to buy computers.  I thought the campaign was designed to make people feel
> warm and fuzzy about IBM. Admittedly that's a tall order. <g>


i think back to os/2.  we always used microsoft products, and went with
windows 95 when it came out.  i knew about os/2, but because no one used
it, we felt we needed to be where the market was.

and i was somewhat offended at ibm's attitude if you wanted their p/c
development products you had to switch to os/2.  

when ibm had their last hurrah for os/2, their ad campaign was the os/2
warp with flying nuns and kids with wild hair.  i knew what os/2 was,
but if i hadn't i'd have thought it was a video game.  not a serious
business operating system.

then, about a year after that, a friend of ours who works at an as/400
shop in our same town came by. he has os/2 on his p/c's, and got into
bill gates bashing when he saw windows on my p/c that i'd gotten to
replace my dumb terminal.  said os/2 never locks up, is very reliable,
etc.  

i was shocked. i had no idea.  i guess i thought p/c's were just buggy,
period.  and i was also jealous.  i'm not sure we would have made a
different decision, because we need to be where the market is.  but ibm
missed it totally.  they should have shouted from the rooftops that os/2
is a reliable alternative to windows.  that would have gotten attention. 

the same is true with the as/400.  all people hear is outdated and
legacy.  (and ibm didn't help with their hamburger ad!)  warm and fuzzy
can't get past that when you want to be modern and snazzy.  but solid
and reliable, and cheaper total costs, well, if i was an exec, that
would get my attention. 
 
nj
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