General Motors  Versus  Microsoft
     
      At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly
      compared the computer industry with the auto industry and
      stated: "If General Motors had kept up with technology like
   the
    computer
      industry has, we would all be driving twenty-five dollar
cars
      that got 1000 miles to the gallon." In response to Bill's
      comments, General Motors issued a press release
      stating(by Mr Welch himself):  If General Motors had
   developed
      technology like Microsoft, we would all be drivingcars with
      the following characteristics:
     
      1. For no reason whatsoever your car would crash twice a
      day.
     
      2. Every time they repainted the lines on the road you
would
       have to buy a new car.
     
      3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no
      reason, and you would just accept this, restart and drive
on.
     
      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. Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you
      bought"Car95" or "CarNT." But then you would have to buy
      more seats.
     
      6. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the
      sun, reliable, five times as fast, and twice as easy to
   drive,
      but would only run on five per cent of the roads.
     
      7. The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights
      would be replaced by a single "general car default" warning
      light.
     
      8. New seats would force everyone to have the same size
      butt.
     
      9. The airbag system would say "Are you sure?" before going
      off.
     
      10. Occasionally, and 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
      grab hold of the radio antenna.
     
      11. GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a
      deluxe set of Rand McNally road maps (now a GM
      subsidiary), even though they neither need them nor want
      them. Attempting to delete this option would immediately
      cause the car's performance to diminish by 50% or more.
      Moreover, GM would become a target for investigation by the
      Justice Department.
     
      12. Everytime GM introduced a new model 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.
     
      13. You'd press the "start" button to shut off the engine.