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I had some major misunderstandings about Microsoft’s Windows strategy. After some research I realized even more what a genius Bill Gates is. (Even though I might disapprove of some of MS’s policies, but that is besides the point.)

In one sentence Bill Gate’s strategy for Operating Systems can be called Portfolio of Strategies.

It was 1987, and MS-DOS was challenged by more graphical and intuitive Operating Systems. And Microsoft was still a $346 million minnow. The then giants were already eying the OS market in various ways:

1. IBM was building a multitasking OS/2 system.
2. AT&T in collaboration with Sun Microsystem and Xerox was making its own user friendly OS.
3. HP in collaboration Digital Equipment was building its own version of UNIX Operating system.
4. Apple already had a highly graphical OS, and it kept out-innovating Microsoft.

To say that odds were stacked against Microsoft would be an understatement.

Apparently Bill Gates had two options: (more…)

Tags: Apple, Bill Gate, IBM, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Operating system, Sun Microsystem, Windows