Computer Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Computer Assignment - Essay Example PARC's success has led Xerox to spin off new companies based on their accomplishments, and many of their researchers from the early days have gone on to join or create successful computer businesses of their own. The future is happening today at PARC. Cringely described Bill Gates as a "megalomaniac" and Steve Jobs as a "sociopath" (Cringely: x) their differences do not end there. They came from two very different worlds to succeed in personal computing. They are also similar in many respects and some of these similarities have been a problem for them. Bill Gates came from an influential family and has strived in life to be recognized in his own right and succeeded, even though he dropped out of Harvard as a sophomore. Microsoft's operating system, MS-Dos, was bought by one of the largest computer manufacturers in the world, IBM. Windows and Internet Explorer have set the standards that other software developers have tried to copy and compete with. Microsoft itself, along with PARC, has influenced the way that corporations in the computer industry are run. It has also influenced how these businesses conduct business. Steve Jobs never knew his real parents and it is believed that this fact accounts for his volatile nature and the need to be recognized in hopes that his parents will find him. ... Microsoft's operating system, MS-Dos, was bought by one of the largest computer manufacturers in the world, IBM. Windows and Internet Explorer have set the standards that other software developers have tried to copy and compete with. Microsoft itself, along with PARC, has influenced the way that corporations in the computer industry are run. It has also influenced how these businesses conduct business. Steve Jobs never knew his real parents and it is believed that this fact accounts for his volatile nature and the need to be recognized in hopes that his parents will find him. Unlike Gates, Jobs was already working, at a video games manufacturer, when he entered the industry. Apple computers are his claim to fame. It was his idea to refine and perfect Steve Wozniak's original computer, and then market it. Unlike Gates, he has left Apple and moved on to other things. The NeXT computer was his creation. He is always looking for a new idea and better ways of computing and communicating. In that respect both men are similar. They both want to improve the way that we work, play and communicate with personal computers. Neither of them was afraid to use other's ideas and products, by adapting them to their needs, and turn them into their own successful products. Jobs appropriated the mouse and Gates rewrote BASIC. They saw the possibilities and with a few changes of their own created new products which revolutionized the industry and how we use computers today. They are both excellent salesmen: enthusiastic, driven, and influential. They are able to captivate audiences with their energy and belief in their products and turn them around to their way of thinking. Neither of their initial products was perfect, but people bought into