From: becka@rz.uni-duesseldorf.de
  To  : mailing list GGI <ggi-develop@eskimo.com>
  Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 00:07:21 +0200 (MEST)

computers and cars ... [fun, offtopic]

Hi - in case some of you don't know this one.

It has probably translated english->german->english (last step by me), so
please excuse if you know the original and this version is worse:


At a trade show (last ComDex IIRC) Bill Gates has compared computer-industry
to car-industry and stated:

"If General Motors (GM) would have advanced in technology, as the computer-
 industry, then we would today all driver $25 cars that run 1000 Miles per
 gallon."

As an answer GM (Mr. Welch himself) published the thefollowing press-release:

If General Motors had developed a technology like Microsoft, we would today
drive cars with trhe following properties:

1. Your car would have an accident twice a day without any visible reason.

2. Every time, that road markings are repainted, you have to buy a new car.

3. From time to time your car would stop without visible reason on the
Highway, and you would simply accept that you have to restart and cruise on.

4. If you drive certain Maneuvers, like say driving a left turn, the car
would stop and refuse to restart. You would have to reinstall the engine.

5. You can only have one person on board, except if you buy "Car95" oder 
"CarNT". But then you have to pay for every extra seat.

6. Macintosh would build cars, that run 5 times faster on solar energy,
are reliable and are twice as easy to drive, but only run on 5% of the
streets.

7. The oil-warniung-light, as well as the warnings for battery low and
high temperature would be replaced by a "General Car Failure" indicator.

8. New seats would require everyone to have the same size butt.

9. The airbag-system would prompt "Are you sure ?" before engaging.

10. At times, the car would lock out out without visible reason.
You can only get access again using a trcik:
You have to simultaneously pull the door handle, turn the key and pull at
the radio antenna.

11. General Motors would force you to buy a deluxe set of road maps from
Rand McNally (a GM associated firm), even if you do not need or want that set.
If you do not opt for that, the car will run 50% slower.
Moreover GM would be subject to investigation due to that behaviour.

12. Whenever a new car is presented by GM, all drivers have to re-learn how
to drive, because none of the handles, levers, pedals and wheels would
function in the same way it used to.

13. You would have to press "Start" to shut down the Engine.

CU,Andy

-- 
= Andreas Beck                    |  Email :  <andreas.beck@ggi-project.org> =