L
LAN-Manager MS’s first network operating system
laptop PC Portable PC or notebook
l’audace French, audacity
Legend PRC-based PC manufacturer, now called Lenovo
Lenovo Same as Legend, bought IBM’s PC business
LG Lucky Goldstar, Korean-based electronic conglomerate
license Legal instrument governing the usage, redistribution, and replication of software
Lieven, Theo CEO and cofounder of Vobis
Linux Linus Torvalds’s UNIX version
Lisa Apple’s first workstation computer
Logitech Swiss-based PC peripheral manufacturer
Lotus ISV producing office applications, now part of IBM
Lotus 1-2-3 Lotus’s spreadsheet product
M
MA The state of Massachusetts
Mac Apple’s Macintosh PC
Mac OS Operating system for Apple’s Macintosh PC
mainframe Largest multiuser computer system for scientific and commercial use
Mao Communistic leader of the PRC from 1949 to 1976
marines One of the four branches of the US military
Maritz, Paul Former group VP of MS’s system-development group
MBA Master of business administration, college degree
McKinsey Management consulting firm
MDA Market development agreement, contract regulating marketing incentives
Me Millennium
media tablet See tablet
melee French, confused struggle
micro Microcomputer, early PC
Microsoft Largest ISV and PC-device manufacturer
middleware Software components needed to connect to the Internet
minicomputer Class of midrange computer systems located between PCs and mainframes
minimum commitment Purchase guarantee in a contract
MINIX Andrew Tannenbaum’s version of UNIX
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MLB Master League Baseball
Moltke the Elder Helmuth von, nineteenth century German field marshal
Morpheus Greek mythology, the god of dreams
Mosaic First popular Web browser
Mostek Integrated circuit manufacturer
motherboard Circuit board containing crucial electronic components like the CPU for a computer system
Motorola Semiconductor manufacturer
MS Microsoft
MS-DOS Microsoft’s disk operating system for IBM-compatible PCs
MT State of Montana
Multiplan MS’s early spreadsheet version for MS-DOS
Mustek South African PC manufacturer
N
NAP Non-Assertion of Patent, clause restricting the use of patents lawsuits
Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of France from 1804 to 1815
Napoleon complex Alleged type of inferiority syndrome supposedly affecting men short in statue
Nat Semi National Semiconductor, electronic-component manufacturer
Navigator Name for Netscape’s Web browser
NBR National Bureau of Asian Research, Seattle-based think tank
NCSA National Center for Supercomputing Applications
NEC Nippon Electric Company, Japanese IT conglomerate
netbooks Stripped-down, lightweight, and inexpensive notebook PCs
Netscape Web browser ISV
Netware NOS produced by Novell
network Interconnected computer web allowing sharing of resources and information
networking effects How the number of users of goods and services impact their values
Neukom, Bill MS’s general council from 1985 to 2001
NFL National Football League
NH State of New Hampshire
Nintendo Japanese game-console manufacturer
Nixdorf German computer manufacturer
nom de plume French, pseudonym or pen name
NonStop computing Name for Tandem’s server
NOS Network operating system
NOOK Barnes & Noble’s brand of e-book readers
notebook PC Portable PC
Notes Program allowing communication and collaboration between computer users
Novell ISV specializing in NOS and its development tools
North, Oliver Retired Marine Corps officer, center of attention during Iran-Contra affair
NT New Technology, MS’s OS for enterprises
NVidia Semiconductor manufacturer for graphic subsystems and ARM processors
NYC New York City
O
object oriented Programming paradigm using data structures and fields and their interactions to develop software
OEM Original equipment manufacturer, exchangeable with PC manufacturer
Office MS’s suite of office productivity software
Oki, Scott SVP of MS my first boss
Olsen, Ken Cofounder and former CEO and chairman of DEC
open standard Publically available specifications
Oracle ISV producing databases and commercial applications
OS Operating system, software managing computer resources and providing services for application programs
OS/2 Name for an OS jointly designed by MS and IBM
Osborne Early PC pioneer
P
PAC Political action committee, organization advancing political outcomes
Palmisano, Sam IBM’s chairman
Panthera leo Latin, lion
Pascal Procedural programming language
path-dependent outcomes Results influenced exclusively by decisions made in the past
Patton, George S. WWII US general
PB Packard Bell
peripheral Device attached and managed by a host computer
PC Personal computer, range spanning from netbooks over notebooks to desktops and workstations
PCjr PC junior, IBM’s first consumer PC (1984)
PDP-11/20 Programmed Data Processor, one of DEC’s 16-bit minicomputer models
Pentium Intel’s successor to the 80486 CPU
per-copy license Pay-as-you-go software license
per se rule violation Illegal act by statue, constitution, or case law
per-system license Licensing on a per-model basis
Pfeiffer, Eckhard Former CEO of Compaq
PGL Price guideline, comparable to a price list
Phillips Netherlands-based consumer electronics company
Phoenix ISV engaged in PC software tools
PlayStation Game console created by Sony
Pogo principle Shooting yourself in the foot
Posner, Richard Judge at the Chicago appeals court, legal theorist, teacher, and book author
PostScript Programming language for electronic and desktop publishing
PowerPoint MS’s version of a slide-presentation program
PowerPC IBM’s workstation computer
PPC PowerPC
PR Public relations
PRC People’s Republic of China
prima donna Italian, someone who behaves in a temperamental fashion revealing an inflated image of him or herself
Printaform Mexican enterprise engaged in paper and PC manufacturing
processor Short for CPU
program Instructions written in a programming language to complete a computing task
programming language Artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a computer system
Prussia Kingdom and historical military state located in the northeastern part of Germany
Psion UK manufacturer of rugged mobile handheld computers
Pyrrhic victory Inflicts more long-term losses than immediate gains
Q
quid for pro A favor for a favor
QDOS Quick and Dirty OS, written by Seattle Computer Products Company
R
RadioShack Tandy Corporation
RealNetworks Provider of media software and services
Reback, Garry
Attorney specialized in antitrust law, hostile to MS
Red Hat ISV, Linux distributor and support agent for Linux
Redmond Town near Seattle, WA, where MS’s headquarter is located
rep Representative
RISC Reduced Instruction Set Computer, computer architecture containing only simple instructions for speedy execution and lower heat consumption
Rockefeller Standard Oil American oil company in the early twentieth century
ROM Read-only memory
ROMable OS OS residing in ROM
Rose, John Former DEC and Compaq SVP
royalty Payment made by a licensee to a licensor
S
SA South Africa
Sacramento Seat of the CA state government
Salt Lake City Capital of the state of Utah
Santelli, Tony GM IBM power PC and VP IBM PC company
Samsung Electronics conglomerate located in South Korea
sans lumière French, without light
SAP German ISV engaged in database software
Scharnhorst, Gerhard von Prussian General and chief of staff (1755–1813)
Schneider Once a German PC manufacturer
SCO Santa Cruz Operation, ISV specialized in a UNIX version called Xenix and its development tools
SCP Seattle Computer Company
Sega Japanese game-console manufacturer
Seoul Capital of the Republic of South Korea
server Computer linking others together and providing storage and communication services across a network
server farm A collection or cluster of connected computer systems
Shanghai Large city in the eastern part of PRC
Sharp Japanese manufacturer of electronic products
shell User interface for operating a computer
Shirley, Jon President of MS from 1983 to 1990 and board member until 2008
Siemens German electro conglomerate
Silicon Valley Southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern CA, home to many high-tech companies
sitz Fleisch German, the flesh one sits on
SmartSuite Lotus’s office productivity suite
SoCal Southern California
software Entities of programs, procedures, and algorithm providing computer instructions
software piracy Illegal reproduction of computer software
Solaris Sun Microsystem’s UNIX version
solid state drive SSD, storage unit containing computer memory and no movable parts, acting like a hard drive
Sony Japanese consumer electronics conglomerate
source code Text written in a computer programming language
Soviet Union Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics, from 1921 to 1991
spreadsheet Application program simulating an accounting worksheet
Spindler, Mike Former CEO of Apple
SR Sales representative
Stac Electronics SoCal ISV selling hard disk compression programs
stock options Right to buy stock at a fixed price, corporate grants to employees
Sugar, Allan Founder and former CEO of Amstrad
Sun Microsystems Workstation manufacturer and ISV, now part of Oracle
SVP Senior vice president
Sybase ISV for relational database software, now part of SAP
Symantec ISV engaged in security software
system builder Tiny PC-assembly outfit
T
tablet Lightweight, touch-operated computing devices not containing a hard drive
Taligent ISV engaged in OSs and development tools, now part of IBM
Tandy Reseller and producer of electronics goods
TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, rules Internet messaging systems
Technology Achievement Medal National Medal of Technology, granted by the president of the USA to American inventors and innovators for significant tech contributions
Texas Instruments Semiconductor manufacturer
The Research Board International think tank headquartered in NYC
thin client Slimmed-down PC relying heavily on cloud computing
TI Texas Instruments
TLC Tender loving and care
Tokyo Capital of Japan
TopView IBM’s text-mode interface for MS-DOS powered PCs
Toshiba Japanese IT conglomerate
touché French, expression for acknowledging a telling remark
Triumph Adler German company producing a variety of office systems
TRS-80 Tandy’s microcomputer model 80
Twitter Phone-messaging network for short messages
U
UNIX OS originated by AT&T and ported on several computer architectures
US/USA United States of America
USB Universal Serial Bus, cable, connector, and protocol standard for computer peripherals
V
Viglen UK PC manufacturer later bought by Amstrad
virtual machine Isolated guest OS working independently from the main computer OS
VisiCalc Early spreadsheet realization by VisiCorp
VisON Early GUI for MS-DOS powered PCs by VisiCorp
Visual BASIC Advanced BASIC version from MS
VP Vice president
VTech Video technology, HK based manufacturer of consumer electronics
W
WA State of Washington
Waitt, Ted Cofounder and former CEO and chairman of Gateway
Warp Name for late versions of OS/2
WikiLeaks Organization publishing submissions from anonymous sources
Wind River ISV specialized in tools and OS for industrial devices
Windows MS GUI for PCs
Windows CE Mini version of Windows for use in consumer electronics and industrial controllers
Windows NT Third-generation Windows OS, since 2001 the tech underpinning of all MS Windows versions
Windows X GUI for UNIX systems
Word MS word processor for MS-DOS, Windows, and the Mac
word processor Application program used for composing, editing, formatting, and printing text material
WordPerfect Word processor for PC OS from Corel
WordStar Word processor produced by MicroPro International
Workbench GUI for Amiga home computers
workstation Stationary computer used for graphical design or heavy engineering work
Wright brothers Two Americans credited for building the first self-powered airplane and making a successful flight in 1903
WTO World Trade Organization
WW Worldwide
WWI World War I
WWII World War II
WWW World Wide Web, the Internet
X
Xbox MS game console
Xenix MS’s and later SCO’s version of UNIX
Xerox Global document-management company
Y
Yahoo! Internet portal provider for search and e-mail services
YouTube Video-sharing website owned by Google
Z
Zenith Consumer electronics manufacturer
Zilog Z (the last word of) Integrated Logic, microcontroller manufacturer
REFERENCES
Auletta, Ken, World War 3.0: Microsoft and its enemies, Random House, 2001
Banks, David, Breaking Windows: How Bill Gates fumbled the future of Microsoft, Simon and Schuster, 2001
Clausewitz, Carl von, Vom Kriege (About the war), Ullstein, 1980 (Dümmler 1832/1853)
Condell, Bruce and Zabecki, David, On the German Art of War: Truppenführung, German army manual for unit command in WWII, Stackpole Books, 2009
Eisenach, Jeffrey and Lenard, Thomas, Completion, Innovation and the Microsoft Monopoly: Antitrust in the Digital Marketplace, Kluwer Academic, 2001
Ellig, Jerry, Dynamic Competition and Public Policy: Technology, Innovation, and Antitrust Issues, Books LLC, 2010
Evans, David and Fisher, Franklin and Rubinfeld, Daniels and Schmalensee, Richard, Did Micro
soft harm Consumers: Two Opposing Views, The AEI Press, 2000
Gerstner, Louis, Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance: Leading a Great Enterprise through Dramatic Change, Harper Collins, 2003
Gordon, Allan, Antitrust Abuse in the New Economy: The Microsoft Case, Edward Elgar 2003
Isaacson, Walter, Steve Jobs, Simon & Schuster, 2011
Jordan, Jonathan W., Brother Rivals Victors, Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley and the Partnership that Drove the Allied Conquest in Europe, NAL Caliber, 2012
Kotter, John P. et al., “On Leadership”, Harvard Business Review, 2012
Levy, Robert, Shakedown: How Corporations, Government, and Trial Lawyers Abuse the Judicial process, Cato Institute, 2004
Levy, Stephen, In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works and Shapes Our Lives, Simon & Schuster, 2011
Liebowitz, Stan and Margolis, Stephen, Winners, Losers and Microsoft: Competition and Antitrust in High Technology, The Independent Institute, 1999
Maxwell, Fredric, Bad Boy Ballmer: The Man Who Rules Microsoft, Harper Collins, 2003
McKenzie, Fredric, Trust on Trial: How the Microsoft Case Is Reframing the Rules of Competition, Perseus, 2000
Miller, Fredric and Vandome, Agnes, and McBrewster, John, Bill Gates, Alphascript, 2009
Page William and Lopatka, John, The Microsoft Case: Antitrust, High Technology and Consumer Welfare, University of Chicago Press, 2010
Phelps, Marshal and Kline David, Burning Ships: Intellectual Property and the Transformation of Microsoft, John Wiley & Sons, 2010
Posner, Richard, Antitrust Law, University of Chicago press, 2002
Rand, Ayn, The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought, Penguin Group, 1991
Reback, Gary, Free the Market: Why Only Government Can Keep the Market Place Competitive, Penguin Group, 2010
Simson von, Ernest, The Limits of Strategy: Lessons in Leadership from the Computer Industry, iUniverse, 2009
Sugar, Allan, What You See Is What You Get: My Autobiography, Macmillan, 2010
ENDNOTES
1 We called them OEMs, original equipment manufacturers.
2 An operating system originally developed and licensed by AT&T.
3 Führungsstil in German.
4 See http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Robert_G._Ogilvie.
5 A programming language called Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.
6 Large computer systems used for commercial and scientific computing tasks.
7 The book Steve Jobs published in 2011 sheds some light on this.
8 Central processor unit, electronic component capable of executing the binary instructions for a computer system
9 Santa Cruz Operation
Resolve and Fortitude : Microsoft's ''SECRET POWER BROKER'' breaks his silence Page 42
