[IP] more on Apple's Unlikely Guardian Angel
Title: more on Apple's Unlikely Guardian Angel
------ Forwarded Message
From: Larry Tesler <tesler@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2005 07:57:43 -0800
To: <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [IP] Apple's Unlikely Guardian Angel
Dave,
Just so nobody repeats misconceptions in this year-old column:
"Microsoft, in fact, always has been closely associated with the Mac. Microsoft created some of the Mac's first software applications: Excel and PowerPoint, for example."
The company that developed PowerPoint was Forethought. Microsoft acquired Forethought in 1987 and ported PowerPoint to Windows.
"There was, of course, a multi-million dollar legal battle throughout most of the '90s after Apple accused Microsoft of ripping off the Mac interface in Windows. After years of wrangling, the suit was settled out of court in 1997, when Microsoft made a symbolic $150 million investment in Apple and pledged products for the next Mac for the next five years."
The 1980's user interface suit was decided in court, in Microsoft's favor, in 1992 (or 1994, if you count the appeal).
The 1997 investment was related to patent cross-licensing, interoperability, and the desire of both companies to ensure that Microsoft applications for the Mac continued to be sold. See http://www.industryweek.com/DailyPage/newsitem.asp?id=99.
The whole column can be summed up in one word, coopetition, a word that was spoken a lot at Apple during that period.
Larry Tesler
At 6:05 PM -0500 2/5/05, David Farber wrote:
------ Forwarded Message
From: Monty Solomon <monty@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2005 22:50:34 -0500
Apple's Unlikely Guardian Angel
By Leander Kahney
02:00 AM Jan. 08, 2004 PT
...
http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,61801,00.html
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