CompuServe Messages

Exactly my point….with no 'standard' everyone went their own way with no possibility of interchange. With a 'standard' interchange is possible or at the very least…the use of common parts across different hardware systems. Exactly the same reason we have standards for anything…if you have a broken part X in manufacturer's Y's machine, you can buy a part from manufacturer Z and it will work (or fit as the case may be). The developement of a standards was one of the major driving forces behind the industrial revolution. Prior to that, almost everything was 'hand made' and broken parts had to be custom made. Even nuts and bolts didn't have standard threads. A nut from Joe's Foundry wouldn't necessairly fit a bolt from Bill's Iron Works even thou they 'fit' the same hole. Think of what it would cost if the Amiga used 3 3/8" drives while Apple used 3 5/8" drives and IBM used 3 1/3" drives. Guess who'd get disk production priority? Guess who'd be paying $2.00/disk and who'd be paying $25.00/disk.