FW:

[ManishA@xxxxxxxxxxx]

> ----------
> From: 	Ranjana Padhi
> Sent: 	Thursday, September 07, 2000 11:11 AM
> To: 	Ranajit Mukherjee; Kavita Burra; Manish Agarwal
> 
> At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the
> computer industry with the auto industry and stated "If GM had kept up
> with
> technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving
> twenty-five dollar cars that got 1000 miles to the gallon."
> In response to Mr. Gates' comments, General Motors issued the following
> press release (by Mr. Welch himself, the GM CEO):
> If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving
> cars
> with the following characteristics:
> 1.   For no reason whatsoever your car would crash twice daily.
> 2.   Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you would have to
> buy a new car.
> 3.   Occasionally, executing a maneuver, such as a left turn, would cause
> your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have
> to
> reinstall the engine.
> 4.   Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you bought
> "Car95" or "CarNT".  But then you would have to buy more seats.
> 5.   Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun,reliable,
> five times as fast and twice as easy to drive.
> 6.   The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would be
> replaced by one "general car default" warning light.
> 7.   New seats would force everyone to have the samesize bottom.
> 8.   The airbag system would say ("Are you sure?" before going off).
> 9.   Occasionally for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out
> and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle,
> turned the key, and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
> 10.  GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of
> Rand McNally road maps (now a GM subsidiary),even though they neither need
> nor want them.  Attempting to delete this option would immediately cause
> the
> car's performance to diminish by 50% or more.
> Moreover, GM would become a target for investigation by  the Justice
> department.
> 11.  Every time GM introduced a new model car,buyers would have to learn
> how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in
> the same manner as the old car.
> 12.  You'd press the "start" button to shut off the engine.
> 
> 
> 

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