[Info-vax] AltaVista background information

[Phillip Helbig---undress to reply]

In article <j7e8sq$jm4$1 at solani.org>, Michael Kraemer <M.Kraemer at gsi.de>
writes: 

> > Marketing is essential.  As the recent blast from the past indicates, 
> > there was perhaps a real interest in using ALPHA from Apple. 
> 
> And who blew that deal, Olsen or Palmer?
> Or was it Apple?

According to the article, it was Olsen.  This was before Palmer would 
arrive.  Apple expressed interest, Olsen was against it since he didn't 
want the fortune of the company riding on ALPHA.

> > Apple is 
> > still around, of course, a master of marketing, 
> 
> They have products everybody wants anyway, so marketing is easy.

Yes, today, but one could argue that they created the demand.  They 
didn't invent the MP3 player, but created a demand for it.  One could 
argue whether they invented the iPhone or iPad (of course, in these 
specific examples, they did; the question is whether they are 
significantly different than other products).  In the case of laptops 
and desktop/deskside computers, they are a small player, but with a 
loyal base and development continues.