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The NT Files
MARKETING, HYPERBOLE, & EXAGGERATED
CLAIMS
Unix
trounces Windows NT in testing
In the latest round of testing conducted annually by D.H.
Brown Associates, Microsoft's Windows NT finished last
overall when stacked up against several Unix variants,
including AIX from IBM, Digital Unix from Compaq, Sun's
Solaris, Silicon Graphics' Irix and HP-UX from
Hewlett-Packard. In fact, Windows NT ranked last in every
area tested except for PC client support, where it placed
second. According to the study, "NT still falls short of
Unix for advanced Internet protocols and extensions. NT also
lags in features for scalability, reliability, availability,
serviceability, and system management." (CNET, 1 Dec
1998)
IBM
Debunks Microsoft TerraServer
Claims
Whose online database is really the biggest? Despite what
they may say, it isn't Microsoft's TerraServer, according to
IBM -- their online U.S. patent
database is significantly larger.
(TechWeb/Computer Reseller News, 10 July 1998)
Microsoft
photo site overwhelmed
Microsoft's launch of its TerraServer database site was
intended to demonstrate the "scalability" of its Windows NT
database and Web servers. However, demand quickly
overwhelmed the NT servers, and many users were met with
"Access Forbidden: Too many users are connected" error
messages. (CNET, 24 June 1998)
Microsoft
claims trademark on "NT"
Companies other than Microsoft are prohibited from using the
initials "NT" in their products or company names. As many as
100 or more companies with NT in their names may be
affected. The move was seen as an hypocrisy by some,
including one anonymous executive, who commented: They
"didn't mind us helping promote NT when it was getting
started. Now that it's taken off, they're shutting the
door." (CNET, 12 Sept 1997)
Microsoft Retracts NT
Sales Claims [no link]
Microsoft's claim that Windows NT Server outsold all
versions of Novell NetWare during 1996 are untrue. A company
press release stated, "Sales of Microsoft Windows NT Server
Outpace NetWare Sales in 1996," and claimed that in the
fourth quarter of 1996, NT Server outshipped NetWare 3.x,
4.x and NetWare Loadable Modules (NLMs) combined. As proof,
Microsoft cited a report from International Data Corp., but
it turns out that Microsoft had very selectively quoted the
IDC report. In its defense, Microsoft claimed "an honest
mistake... in editing." (26 March 1997)
Published: 21 July 1998; Last revised: 18
December 1998
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If you look at Microsoft's successes over the
years they have been rarely done by innovation. They bought
DOS, they copied effectively a lot of what was in the
Macintosh into Windows. In fact, Windows has gotten to look
a lot more like that in 95 and 98. Windows NT is basically
being built by the guy that built the VAX/VMS operating
system. It is an Intel-based implementation of VMS. So where
is the innovation? The innovation is the talking paper clip
in Microsoft Office. Is that real innovation?
MITCHELL KERTZMAN, Chairman
and CEO, Sybase
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