Post APdvsOdxQGk8XmHp7g by ennedia@mastodon.social
(DIR) More posts by ennedia@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #AOvHkJ62ETprNzKpLE by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:30:32.555433Z
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Actually I now think 90s Apple is the coolest Apple of them all, it just so happened that all the cool stuff they were doing pointed at them hopefully being bought out by IBM or a direct competitor with the CEO not bothering about whatever the company was doing so he focused on lowering all costs and blindly hoping clones would flood out the cheap market only
(DIR) Post #AOvHsNmsfvCQFfE6Xg by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:32:02.201443Z
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for a business guy who wanted a quick pullout for a lifetime of retirement, Spindler surely didn’t realize how much Apple was worth :blobcatderpy:
(DIR) Post #AOvIk1msgdRzeoo4J6 by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:41:42.399134Z
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(actually, I do have to wonder if he thought selling Apple served a greater goal than just that, since he actually seemed to be unusually hard working and smart for a CEO, but Jobs proved that ultimately, as much of a cliché as it sounds, the vision is what matters the most… and his was cutting costs everywhere)
(DIR) Post #AOvIpPir7kghL3UZP6 by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:42:42.856141Z
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(actually, I do have to wonder if he thought selling Apple served a greater goal than just that, since he actually seemed to be unusually hard working and smart for a CEO, but Jobs proved that ultimately, as much of a cliché as it sounds, a vision for the company itself is what matters the most… and his was cutting costs everywhere)
(DIR) Post #AOvIylXvLyZLd6q1tA by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:44:23.572376Z
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(also it kinda shows how little it is about the tech you have, and how A LOT MORE it is about offering people something that they KNOW what exactly it can do and how to use)
(DIR) Post #AOvIzXU17nxsItNaSm by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:44:32.769243Z
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(also it kinda shows how little it is about the tech you have, and how A LOT MORE it is about offering people something that they KNOW what exactly it can do and how to use it)
(DIR) Post #AOvJRk02BOCrENnq3E by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:49:36.696742Z
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hell, Spindler sounds like an incredibly genuine person, almost like he was out of place in Silicon Valley… ok now I feel like I might be getting things very wrong https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Spindler-Takes-Blame-for-Apple-s-Loss-2986168.php
(DIR) Post #AOvJjrYwnmOttrm4si by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:52:54.105669Z
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“he spared no invective toward his former nemesis, Microsoft Corp. CEO Bill Gates. “He isn’t a visionary, he’s a damn good businessman,” Spindler said. “When he was in Latin America, a reporter referred to him as inventor of the Internet. S–, come on.”._”yup, I got my facts wrong, either he was an incredibly good actor and sociopath, or he actually had something going for him beyond cheapening and standardizing for the sake of jumping ship
(DIR) Post #AOvJlAoKitpvt2b0bo by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:53:09.314252Z
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“he spared no invective toward his former nemesis, Microsoft Corp. CEO Bill Gates. “He isn’t a visionary, he’s a damn good businessman,” Spindler said. “When he was in Latin America, a reporter referred to him as inventor of the Internet. S–, come on.”.“yup, I got my facts wrong, either he was an incredibly good actor and sociopath, or he actually had something going for him beyond cheapening and standardizing for the sake of jumping ship
(DIR) Post #AOvJnD3xJzCTRysGS8 by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:53:31.219994Z
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I now wish he was still alive so I could interview him, dammit
(DIR) Post #AOvJvXK5sUhubSORFI by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:55:01.638549Z
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at least 90s Apple remains the coolest Apple of them all
(DIR) Post #AOvJwVOQXVpAuGskKW by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:55:12.237130Z
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at least 90s Apple remains the coolest Apple of them all :blobcatrainbow:
(DIR) Post #AOvKCG8F30OUCzp7FA by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T10:58:00.872528Z
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sounds to me actually familiar: very quick at acting upon some clear objective, but as soon as it is not clear trembles upon decision-making
(DIR) Post #AOvKj6YXffBg49mruC by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T11:03:54.050137Z
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> “”Back in late 1995 early ‘96, when we were at our peak, we were literally hours away from buying Apple for about $5 to $6 a share,” former Sun President Ed Zander would later recall in 2011.”> “Things were so bad that the board eventually assigned Spindler the task of finding a buyer for the company.“oh my gosh, so it was a desperate attempt at saving Applehttps://www.businessinsider.com/sun-almost-bought-apple-in-1996-2016-1
(DIR) Post #AOvKlD5gLYwKuaIAbo by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T11:04:21.991521Z
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> ““Back in late 1995 early ‘96, when we were at our peak, we were literally hours away from buying Apple for about $5 to $6 a share,” former Sun President Ed Zander would later recall in 2011.“> “Things were so bad that the board eventually assigned Spindler the task of finding a buyer for the company.“oh my gosh, so it was a desperate attempt at saving Applehttps://www.businessinsider.com/sun-almost-bought-apple-in-1996-2016-1
(DIR) Post #AOvKoAHNFw1n3qAajw by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T11:04:53.932926Z
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“Spindler’s big failing was that he DIDN’T sell Apple to Sun for fire sale prices of $6 a share. Investors wanted some kind of return, so Spindler was ousted, too.“that’s sad as hell tbhhttps://www.businessinsider.com/19-years-ago-apple-was-at-its-lowest-point-ever-heres-what-people-thought-2016-6#sculley-was-replaced-by-michael-spindler-even-as-the-companys-fortunes-continued-to-sag-spindlers-big-failing-was-that-he-didnt-sell-apple-to-sun-for-fire-sale-prices-of-6-a-share-investors-wanted-some-kind-of-return-so-spindler-was-ousted-too-2
(DIR) Post #AOvKq63LwK78X6X5Xs by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T11:05:14.902347Z
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“Spindler’s big failing was that he DIDN’T sell Apple to Sun for fire sale prices of $6 a share. Investors wanted some kind of return, so Spindler was ousted, too.“that’s sad as hell tbhhttps://www.businessinsider.com/19-years-ago-apple-was-at-its-lowest-point-ever-heres-what-people-thought-2016-6
(DIR) Post #AOvL307bIurFtwfmEa by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T11:07:34.243295Z
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┏┓┃┃╱╲ in┃╱╱╲╲ this╱╱╭╮╲╲house▔▏┗┛▕▔ we╱▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔╲stan Michael Spindler╱╱┏┳┓╭╮┏┳┓ ╲╲▔▏┗┻┛┃┃┗┻┛▕▔(until we hear he was an abuser or something)
(DIR) Post #AOvL5AvY6GQrzf4Ygy by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T11:07:58.472214Z
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┏┓┃┃╱╲ in┃╱╱╲╲ this╱╱╭╮╲╲house▔▏┗┛▕▔ we stan╱▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔╲Michael Spindler╱╱┏┳┓╭╮┏┳┓ ╲╲▔▏┗┻┛┃┃┗┻┛▕▔(until we hear he was an abuser or something)
(DIR) Post #AOvLiWb1T9ooUaEcSG by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T11:15:02.423746Z
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you can really see the lack of (CW: I’m gonna say it again) vision that CEOs of the time had: https://www.wired.com/1997/06/apple-3/“get rid of all the well-dressed charismatic engineers and keep the ones who’ll fix the simple things wrong in the Mac OS, like getting quickly and reliably on the Internet““This whole NeXT decision seems to be a waste of time. It should have been sold to HP for $35 per share a year and a half ago.““The NeXT purchase is too little too late. The Apple of the past was an innovative company that used software and hardware technology together to redefine the way people experienced computing. That Apple is already dead.“Mac inventor Jef Raskin, oddly enough, also criticized Apple’s vision… which, from what I can tell, was actually the same as his lol (guess he just couldn’t see it from outside?)
(DIR) Post #AOvLz8B5Vd55gQ1S1w by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T11:18:04.481820Z
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everyone other than Raskin and the Microsoft guy seem to focus on what they imagine they want… which is why something something Jobs quote something
(DIR) Post #AOvPm0cCiPG0HQhj0a by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T12:00:30.953889Z
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“Marketing is heavily dependent on strategies, but running an organization takes more than strategies and intelligence. It takes people skills and the ability to delegate tasks. Spindler was lacking in these qualities“yeah that starts to make more sensehttps://lowendmac.com/2013/michael-spindler-peter-principle-apple/
(DIR) Post #AOvRxqfxhAT4pxEe8G by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T12:24:54.018570Z
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Jean-Louis Gassée sounds like a terrible person tbh
(DIR) Post #AOvS2yTC91CoSRhwNk by tomxcd@stereophonic.space
2022-10-25T12:26:00.636712Z
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@xerz he kinda was... i don't really know why i used to defend him
(DIR) Post #AOvTanL88FnDjqct84 by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T12:43:12.121340Z
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weird how no one seems to talk about this piece of Apple history where they designed their own CPU architecture just to throw it into the garbage bin (it’s Gassée’s fault) https://archive.org/details/scorpius_architecture
(DIR) Post #AOvU1Y0FGJprzUc8P2 by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T12:48:06.868790Z
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no branch prediction or System Management Mode equivalent, this platform was dead on arrival smhmyheadmyheadh
(DIR) Post #AOvXy4TUzT2hMItYjg by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T13:32:16.271671Z
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I do agree, killing that off looks like it was a good idea https://architosh.com/news/2003-08/2003c1-0812-jaguarstory.phtml
(DIR) Post #AOvXywLYhCmERJayrA by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T13:32:30.560024Z
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sarcasm aside, I do agree, killing that off looks like it was a good idea https://architosh.com/news/2003-08/2003c1-0812-jaguarstory.phtml
(DIR) Post #AOvYFAXNhdyv5Ircx6 by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T13:35:26.623873Z
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sarcasm aside, I do agree, killing that off looks like it was a good idea it’s just that they created another computer that went nowherehttps://architosh.com/news/2003-08/2003c1-0812-jaguarstory.phtml
(DIR) Post #AOvYWXcF9QnzaGQDYW by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T13:38:33.917364Z
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ultimately I don’t think the issue is that the projects at Apple were “too broad and ambitious“, as there already existed precedents (like what NeXT was doing on their own side) and nowadays tech is largely built on top of similar ideas… I would bet it was the lack of techniques like static analysis in the engineer side, and mismanagement because corporate culture in the… management side
(DIR) Post #AOvYziCas2AEoZKmEC by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T13:43:46.781698Z
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overall the LowEndMac article is amazing
(DIR) Post #AOvZBkoIzzaeNYiQa0 by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T13:46:01.288257Z
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particularly unsurprised about Spindler’s ego getting in the way, but at least it shows that he cared about what he was doing
(DIR) Post #AOvaYiZvYyF64UVKYC by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T14:01:20.580683Z
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also have a neat first hand explanation about how Mac OS used nanokernels in all PowerPC computers: https://groups.google.com/g/comp.sys.mac.programmer.help/c/tO0iuTNETGc/m/oTwfHPfuqXoJ
(DIR) Post #AOvagZVVAr4MFnBAlU by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T14:02:47.713188Z
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oh wow this still exists https://mklinux.org/
(DIR) Post #AOvauPOlYRUQxMcuO0 by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T14:05:17.859354Z
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(DIR) Post #AOvbCBsIZdu0E4v3Pk by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T14:08:30.434799Z
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(this is the 4th GIF I pin so far, before this one I had the 3D house, Java’s Duke, and that Cyberdog thingie)
(DIR) Post #AOvfyr1pGhK1ZvpsLw by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T15:02:05.079622Z
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also here’s an article explaining that Apple CPU that never was https://tenfourfox.blogspot.com/2019/12/and-now-for-something-completely_29.html
(DIR) Post #AOviDh1QxBjOnRr6pc by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T15:27:08.492654Z
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so in conclusionSpindler gets a D (didn’t understand computers and had a big ego that wanted a big CEO title, conspired to get the job while lying about getting only 15 minutes to choose, laid off a lot of people for very little in return, but ultimately still had seemingly noble goals in mind) Sculley gets a E (responsible for the start of the whole debacle, playing a game of thrones and pushing hard on huge projects that never delivered as he got bored of them, while being busy simping for Bill Clinton) Gassée gets an F (I refuse to elaborate)
(DIR) Post #AOviFVFpg1nUsXSBpA by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T15:27:33.428675Z
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so in conclusionSpindler gets a D (didn't understand computers and had a big ego that wanted a big CEO title, conspired to get the job while lying about getting only 15 minutes to choose, laid off a lot of people for very little in return, but ultimately still had seemingly noble goals in mind)Sculley gets a E (responsible for the start of the whole debacle, playing a game of thrones and pushing hard on huge projects that never delivered as he got bored of them, while being busy simping for Bill Clinton)Gassée gets an F (I refuse to elaborate)
(DIR) Post #AOvj8nxdpNhKp6Ja2C by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T15:37:30.471513Z
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…that’s what I would say if not for this“Spindler displayed his disloyalty to his staff at the beginning of the year. Diery had failed to account for a huge pent-up demand for the new Macs in the Christmas 1994 season. Eager to pass the blame to someone else, Spindler had Sullivan (HR director and longtime ally) create a reorganization plan at the posh resort of Pebble Beach. Sullivan created two versions, one with Diery as COO and another with Diery running Apple Pacific, the job he had left to become executive vice president. Spindler chose the latter, and Diery immediately submitted his resignation. Eager to quell the fears of outside investors, the reorganization and resignation were not announced until January.“so when do we start the proletarian revolution
(DIR) Post #AOvjoxs1NKOZidn0Bk by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T15:45:07.557936Z
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usually I try to first get a reasonable look at a topic before starting to write about it, but ngl, it’s been fun to see how I reacted myself as I changed opinionsit feels quite spammy tho, so I’ll make sure to avoid threads this long and with this much :blobcatpopcornsweats:
(DIR) Post #AOvnb7bgmHflg9nxKq by bhaugen@social.coop
2022-10-25T15:57:36Z
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@xerz That thread did not seem spammy to me. I don't hang out in Apple circles and so while most of what you tooted was hints rather than stories, they were interesting hints...
(DIR) Post #AOvnb8S9dDdkIsLr72 by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-10-25T16:27:20.806066Z
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@bhaugen welp, glad it was useful and entertaining in some way then! If you ever want an in-depth explanation tho, I think sticking to the LowEndMac article is a good idea :blobcatuwu:
(DIR) Post #APTJ96w6fi6Eku9hUO by schoedland@digitalcourage.social
2022-11-10T20:20:24Z
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@bhaugen @xerz I second that. Nice stuff you dug up. Did you read „in the firing line“ by Gil Amelio?
(DIR) Post #APTJ97ZSJPZiiwZ7p2 by xerz@fedi.xerz.one
2022-11-10T20:26:24.753960Z
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@schoedland @bhaugen hey there! It’s a pending read of mine, so far I have only read the Low End Mac pages on Amelio as well as Sculley and Spindler
(DIR) Post #APdvYC4uQkn7mWG9fk by storiesofapple@bitbang.social
2022-11-15T20:22:09Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
@xerz René A. Vega's MacOS's rewrite of the nanokernel was a godsend for Apple and particularly for PowerBooks and their battery life. I only recently discovered (thanks to one of the CHM's oral histories) that he stood on the shoulder of a giant, if not a colossus, Gary Davidian, which Vega mentions in the thread.
(DIR) Post #APdvsOdxQGk8XmHp7g by ennedia@mastodon.social
2022-11-15T20:12:45Z
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@xerz there's so, SO MUCH stuff Apple did or tried out. I hope I live long enough to properly research and write about some of it.