Re: VHS versus Betamax (was: Let's unite to destroy Microsoft!)

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#66780

From: Michael Edelman
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 00:00

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Mark Sutton wrote:
> 
> Ketil Z Malde <ke...@imr.no> writes:
> 
> >Go on all you want about the technical merits of Beta vs. VHS (and let's
> >not forget Philips' 2000)  IMHO, the issue was Sony's or Philips'
> >marketing power compared to the combined marketing of just about every
> >other electronics manufacturer.
> 
> This is exactly correct.  And why was "the combined marketing of just about
> every other electronics manufacturer" behind VHS?  Because JVC (the inventor
> of VHS) licensed the technology FOR FREE to any manufacturer demonstrating
> that it was adhering to a certain minimum compatibility standard.
> 
> The PC enjoyed it's success for exactly the same reason.  IBM let any
> manufacturer copy the architecture FOR FREE.  Had either Apple or Comadore
> (Manufacturer of the Amiga) done the same thing, instead of leaving
> their architecture proprietary, one of those architectures may very well
> have emerged as the standard.
 
Bingo. Amazing how many people come up with nonsense like the "path
dependancy" arguments when the facts are so clearly laid out.

--mike

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From: Michael Edelman <m...@pass.wayne.edu>
Subject: Re: VHS versus Betamax (was: Let's unite to destroy Microsoft!)
Date: 1997/02/11
Message-ID: <3300C7E5.6575@pass.wayne.edu>
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