"Most influential" tech products survey

is_that_so

Interesting survey here about the most influential tech products. Of more interest is the fact that many of the products listed are old, by modern technology standards. Even though it was done by a Redmond-aligned organisation there is something on the list for everyone as long as you are not an open source enthusiast. I'd like to add my own little list in no particular order.

* Internet Explorer - Going to have to go with this. Probably the best example of world domination until recently.
* Windows Technology - Not the operating system, the idea , borrowed from Apple.
* Apple - Made computers sexy.
* Microsoft Word - Yes this as well. Just made writing docs so much easier.
* Linux - Reminded the world that not everything is Microsoft.
* Palm Pilot - Original of the species and pushed us into the really portable world
* Netscape Navigator - This also deserves a mention for encouraging standards.
* Hotmail/Yahoo Mail - Inspired us all to write and send emails
* Norton Antivirus - Lately it has been out of control and but once it was de facto standard.
* Walkman - A real granddaddy at this stage but the first version of personal music on the move. It led to CD players and ultimately iPod/Mp3 players

BKtje

A mouse would have been top of my list.

Capt'n Midnight

* Internet Explorer - Going to have to go with this. Probably the best example of world domination until recently.look up DOS, all PC manufacturers had to pay microsoft for a DOS license on EVERY pc made regardless of what OS it was shipped with, totally illegal but PC Dos and Dr Dos were dead by the time the judgement came through
Also they bought IE
* Windows Technology - Not the operating system, the idea , borrowed from Apple.who borrowed it from Amiga/Atari and it can be traced to Xerox - who also invented the Mouse
* Microsoft Word - Yes this as well. Just made writing docs so much easier. You obviously don't remember WordStar or WordPerfect or for how long word was vapourware. Also Lotus123 and it's clone Excel only exist because Visicalc wasn't patented
* Palm Pilot - Original of the species and pushed us into the really portable worldPsion
* Netscape Navigator - This also deserves a mention for encouraging standards.yeah right

* Norton Antivirus - Lately it has been out of control and but once it was de facto standard.not anytime recently and McAfee as was should have the award, Norton deserve recognition for their utilities but that was 20 years ago.

Snowbat

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

* Windows Technology - Not the operating system, the idea , borrowed from Apple.who borrowed it from Amiga/Atari and it can be traced to Xerox - who also invented the Mouse

According to Wikipedia, Xerox was given Apple stock in exchange for engineer visits and an understanding that Apple would create a GUI product. The Apple Lisa was released in January 1983 when the Amiga was still in early development. Amiga and Atari ST didn't appear until 1985. Given the timeframe, it seems unlikely Apple borrowed anything from Amiga or Atari - maybe the other way around?

As well as the mouse, Xerox PARC also brought us the GUI, ethernet, and laser printers.


I'd like to throw in an honourable mention for Trumpet Winsock - an early shareware TCP/IP stack that brought the internet to multitudes of Windows 3.X users.

Capt'n Midnight

Lets not forget that windows NT ( WNT ) is one letter removed from VMS , not much of a coincidence when you remember who microsoft bought in to write it. Or was it more based on the joint venture with IBM that produced OS/2 ?
Then again lots of dos based stuff still there , how much of it was Seattle university Qdos ?

In Vista have microsoft finally got a stable secure TCP/IP stack ?


Steel is not the most common metal in use, Iron is, because it's what you make steel from. In a similar way almost every influential microsoft product has been copied or bought in. So IMHO the original products are the influlential ones.

Visicalc - first spreadsheet.
McAfee - early shareware / antvirus
Wordstar - first defacto standard word processor / first big product to offer amnesty for illegal use ( £30 got you media and manuals )

Capt'n Midnight

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39288335,00.htm?r=1

Internet Explorer, which garnered two-thirds of the vote, was launched in 1995. Originally based on the little-known Spyglass Mosaic browser, its main competitor at the time was Netscape. By the time Internet Explorer version 5 was released in 1999, it had become the world's most popular browser. It still holds that position today, although it is facing steadily increasing competition from the open-source browser Firefox, seen by many as a more stable and secure product.

Actually the real story is slightly different.

Microsoft ignored the internet for ages. Then in a panic they realised they'd nearly missed the boat. And Netscape was making money. So they did a deal with Spyglass for a small sum up front and a percentage of the profits. They then released Internet Explorer for free , killing Spyglass and Netscape.

And Spyglass Mosaic wasn't little known. At one time it was THE browser, the original GUI browser. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic_(web_browser)


IE is mainly infuential because of market share gained through shap practise and downright illegal tactics. Yes IE7 is much better than IE6 but would it have happened if Firefox and opera and tabbed front ends for IE6 hadn't become commonplace.

Peteee

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Steel is not the most common metal in use, Iron is, because it's what you make steel from. In a similar way almost every influential microsoft product has been copied or bought in. So IMHO the original products are the influlential ones.

Visicalc - first spreadsheet.
McAfee - early shareware / antvirus
Wordstar - first defacto standard word processor / first big product to offer amnesty for illegal use ( £30 got you media and manuals )

Excel might have been 'copied' from Visicalc, but that does NOT make Visicalc more influential then Excel.

You are mixing up pioneers with influential. There is no doubt that the Wright brothers were pioneers with aircraft, but it was Boeing who made air travel influential worldwide.

While there is no doubt what the wright brothers (Or Visicalc, Wordstar) did was great, they are in no way as influential as Excel or Word, except as 'inspiration' (And I use that loosely) on future products.

UNIX is the better operating system, but Windows is more influential (Has more effect on more people)

in·flu·en·tial [in-floo-en-shuhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective 1. having or exerting influence, esp. great influence: three influential educators.

–noun 2. a person who exerts or can exert strong influence: according to influentials of the fashion industry.