[Rhodes22-list] In response to Ed K's Bill Gates question:

[Jim White]

   This happened recently (according to my sources). If you've already
   seen it, sorry for duplicating things.
   Jim White:
   For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way
   computers have enhanced our lives, read on. At a recent computer expo
   (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with
   the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like
   the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that
   got 1,000 miles to the gallon."
   In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release
   stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all
   be driving cars with the following characteristics:
   1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.
   2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to
   buy a new car.
   3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason You
   would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the
   windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before
   you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
   4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause
   your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would
   have to reinstall the engine.
   5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was
   reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would
   run on only five percent of the roads.
   6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all
   be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation"
   warning light.
   7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
   8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out
   and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door
   handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
   9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn
   how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate
   in the same manner as the old car.
   10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.