Quote:
Originally Posted by rhadin
Actually, I think the problem was when WordPerfect Corp. was sold to Novell. .
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FWIW, Novell bought WordPerfect in 1994, *after* it was too late.
It was Satelite Software International that fell in love with cross-platform and lost sight of market behavior. They were so in love with UNIX license fees they failed to track the migration to Windows and the decline of minicomputers.
Early Windows was limited but by 1990 it was already clear it was where the bulk of the market was headed. (Again the DRAM price fix conspiracy was getting started). Plus, once IBM refused to license MicroChannel and Apple refused to license NuBus to the Compaq/Dell gang, which led to EISA, the handwriting was on the wall.
WordPerfect wasn't the only outfit that died trying to stick it to Gates. Lotus was another though they had an excuse early on. But holding grudges and emotional reactions aren't good business. Adobe lost control of the font business for similar reasons. Totally unnecessary; business is no place for emotion. Dispassionate decision making was probably the only thing Jobs and Gates shared; they were able to set feelings aside when it came time to make money.