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How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

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Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#71

Post by vidarh »

dogma1138 wrote: post #18
martin-adams wrote: post #3

I think it's so ironic that the first version of Powerpoint was for Mac which ended up helping give Windows it's name when running Office. I've seen Powerpoint used for so many crazy things. Most notably non-technical managers designing a UI in Powerpoint. It's just one of those, lets just get the job done pieces of software.

Where's the irony? Microsoft started (ignore the DOS part) as a company that developed applications for Macintosh specifically word and excel which started on the Mac and only got Windows support in later versions with Word 4/Word for Windows 1.0 and Excel 2.0.

The Macintosh didn't exist when Microsoft started, and neither did the PC.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#72

Post by vidarh »

cloudjacker wrote: post #50
coldcode wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hedge fund bought Skype for around $1B and sold it to MS for $8B

So let this be a lesson in ROI 4.7m to 21B is more impressive

In sheer headline factor, sure. But it also depends on the time frame.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#73

Post by hackuser »

eli wrote: post #23
joshaidan wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> The keystroke-based interface was trashed by critics. It's kind of ironic how nowadays I prefer using Vim for coding and other tasks. And I also find myself preferring Markdown more and more whenever I can for a variety of tasks, from planning meetings to preparing presentations.

Vim is a tiny fraction of a percent of word processor usage. Most people like GUIs.

Vim is not a word processor.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#74

Post by vidarh »

Razengan wrote: post #13
pmarreck wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The first version of Excel was ALSO for Mac. I think the Macintosh doesn't get enough credit for what it inspired at the time.

As well as the first SimCity and a few other series that started in the Apple ecosystem. One of the bigger ironies is how Doom was developed on NeXTSTEP then went on to make the IBM PC cool among gamers. Also the first web server if I'm not mistaken. Thankfully, unlike the Amiga etc. the Mac didn't completely die and has been having a great resurgence in the past half-decade. Looking forward to this Monday and hoping…

The Amiga will never die [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] ;) (become irrelevant to the vast majority, sure).

That last link is for a new FPGA based M68k clone that adds additional instructions, pipelining and other fun stuff as an accelerator for classic Amiga's (it sprung out of the ashes of the now defunct "Natami" project to create a new M68k compatible Amiga-compatible machine).

[1] http://www.a-eon.com/?page=x1000

[2] http://amigakit.com/

[3] http://www.amigaos.net/

[4] http://aminet.net/

[5] http://amigaworld.net/

[6] http://www.apollo-core.com/bringup/

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#75

Post by MBCook »

extra88 wrote: post #67
cookiemonsta wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe Halo, one of the Xbox's most popular games, had its first version (first one you could buy, i mean) on Mac

No, Microsoft bought Bungie while Halo was in development, you could never buy Halo for Mac.

And the Mac version was a very different game from what Halo on the Xbox turned into. You can find old trailers. Among other things I think it was 3rd person with a heavier emphasis on vehicles.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#76

Post by a2tech »

extra88 wrote: post #65
Scarbutt wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Access seems way more cheaper and more advanced? and with access you get the whole suit(excel and word).

Access is Windows only and is way harder to build with. AFAIK, FileMaker also has an easier path for getting your data on the web or on mobile devices.

Yeah in FileMaker its as simple as opening the database configuration screen and checking 'web enable'. You need a FileMaker server install, but if you do you just drop that file in its serving directory and bam, web enabled.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#77

Post by kalleboo »

dogma1138 wrote: post #18
martin-adams wrote: post #3

I think it's so ironic that the first version of Powerpoint was for Mac which ended up helping give Windows it's name when running Office. I've seen Powerpoint used for so many crazy things. Most notably non-technical managers designing a UI in Powerpoint. It's just one of those, lets just get the job done pieces of software.

Where's the irony? Microsoft started (ignore the DOS part) as a company that developed applications for Macintosh specifically word and excel which started on the Mac and only got Windows support in later versions with Word 4/Word for Windows 1.0 and Excel 2.0.

The first version of MS Word was for MS-DOS, not the Mac

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#78

Post by meatsock »

chime wrote: post #33

Random trivia for tech history buffs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forethought,_Inc . under founder Rob Campbell sold PowerPoint to MS and FileMaker to Apple. Of course everyone knows PowerPoint but even most techies today have never touched FileMaker - it was the Django/Rails/WordPress/SquareSpace/RAD application back in the day. At a time when very few could code, FileMaker let anyone create a full-featured databa…

there are six fascinating hours of personal history with taylor pohlman of forethought here https://youtu.be/5i6mR3LHOB4

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#79

Post by dogma1138 »

kalleboo wrote: post #77
dogma1138 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where's the irony? Microsoft started (ignore the DOS part) as a company that developed applications for Macintosh specifically word and excel which started on the Mac and only got Windows support in later versions with Word 4/Word for Windows 1.0 and Excel 2.0.

The first version of MS Word was for MS-DOS, not the Mac

Looks like you are correct Excel 1.0 and Word 1.0 were released for the Mac in 1985, Word 1.0 was released for MS-DOS 18 months earlier. Excel was never released for the MSDOS and both it and Word came to Windows in 1987.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#80

Post by nashashmi »

cloudjacker wrote: post #50
coldcode wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hedge fund bought Skype for around $1B and sold it to MS for $8B

So let this be a lesson in ROI 4.7m to 21B is more impressive

After the first Billion, the same multiplier becomes more difficult.
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