From an interview with Don Estridge

PC: Are you concerned about software piracy?

Estridge: Our plan is to protect the software in a simple way: by impressing users with the fact that unauthorized copying is illegal. If we were to find it being done flagrantly, we would probably take clear action. It is against the law, and it is stealing our assets. Beyond that, software piracy takes all the fun out of the very reason software authors want to participate, which is to be creative and to have a chance to strike it rich through royalties. It doesn't make sense.

PC: Still, even with copy protection, it is still pretty easy to copy a diskette.

Estridge: But it is still wrong, and it is disappointing to me to think that there are people who knowingly do it. It is a form of thievery. I think it is the single greatest threat to the viability of these machines.

PC: Do you think the price of software is a factor?

Estridge: I don't know if you were at the recent Boston Computer Society meeting, but Mike Markkula, from Apple, talked about something that turned out to be somewhat controversial. He said, in effect, "Why don't we forget about having copy protection, let's just don't do it. That way, we'll implement—that is, we'll not copy protect—the code but price everything the same. We could price it on the basis of the cost of manufacturing the diskettes rather than on the basis of the value of the material stored on them." This approach would be similar to that used in the record industry and there is a lot of merit to this idea, but none of the software authors will agree to it.

Philip Donald Estridge

This man started to work for IBM in 1959.

At the end of 1980, when VisiCalc rocketed Apple computers into the office, IBM decided to finally compete in the rapidly growing low-cost personal computer market. The company established what was then called the Entry Systems Division, located in Boca Raton, Florida, to develop the new system.

This small group consisted of 12 engineers and designers under the direction of Don Estridge; the team's chief designer was Lewis Eggebrecht. The division developed IBM's first real PC. This project was secret, hidden from the market and even more so from potential enemies inside IBM.

In that project Estridge did very uncommon and very important things: he decided on open specs, a published bus and easy programming, third party periphery and SW as well as more than one OS sources. He did so because they had analyzed the success of existing PCs and determined that the outstanding success of the Apple II was based on these advantages, mostly benefits that invenetor Steve Wozniak had designed into it.

To keep these things at the given point was historically even more crucial because Apple had already decided to put away with the crazy open ideas of Steve Wozniak and go for the closed architectures of Lisa and the Mac. So Don (together with his Boss Bill Lowe) saved the PC revolution.

He also turned down an offer Jobs made him to serve as president of Apple Computer, for US$1 million per year, US$1 million signing bonus, and US$2 million to buy a house.

He sadly died in a plane crash in 1985.

eine Fortsetzung

hier .... Let's do something crazy something absolutely dumb! tbc

Ultimate romantic Kitsch on April 7

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