billr said:
Sega was doing fine. M$ convinced them to use Windows CE in the Dreamcast,
providing web connectivity and all. Microsoft did a pretty lame job, never really
providing much more than beta quality add-ons. But... they got Sega to open the
kimono enough that they could launch the Xbox. Sega dropped out of the hardware
biz, both because of the PS2, but also M$ intimidation.
This whole story is false.
Sega was dead already after Sony released Playstation, the first fully 32-bit console just few weeks after Sega's Saturn. It was 10x easier to develop anything for PSX than Saturn, thanks to its architecture (Saturn had dual RISC CPUs and nobody could use it effectively back then) and better tools.
Intially they were set to be released at the same time in US but when Sega learned Sony's plans, they suddenly released 43-4 motnhs earlier (I don't remember exactly), screwing up their developers, marketing plans, everything.
Sony silently corrected everything they've learned from Sega, got a free ride to build up a perfect marketing plan against Sega - and pirced Playstation $100 cheaper. Nail, hit, bang - Sega screwed up everything royally..
After this point Sega was bleeding heavily, continuously until they stopped console manufacturing. BTW it took 4 years for Sega to come out with its 128-bit Dreamcast (1999) - four years of consistent loss killed the company financially, they stopped Dreamcast roughly a year later (2001 March).
Sega's death has nothing to do with MS.
On DirectX, Rick Belluzzo was running SGI. M$ came calling, and contrived with Belluzo to start building machines based on NT, as well as IRIX, SGI's Unix varient.
As part of providing the port to NT, SGI disclosed everything that gave SGI it's edge in graphics, especially GL/OpenGL (which SGI invented).
First and foremost: OpenGL != IRIX GL
Second: OpenGl v1.0 was published
in 1992, already under
open standards.
Windows NT 3.1 was introduced in 1993, v3.5 a year later.
Third: Kurt Akely was the man behind the OpenGL API - he started developing it
in 1989.
M$ got cross liscensing of OpenGL technology, the NT systems pretty much were expensive, and delayed and bombed. Belluzzo leaves SGI with a golden parachute, goes to Microsoft, waits for a year, gets promoted to CEO, leaves with another golden parachute for his reward for delivering SGI on a platter. DirectX moves from a lame also-ran against OpenGL, to moving in front of it. SGI almost dies but is starting to come back, mainly from large government super computer contracts, bit a shadow of it's former self.
As I said: OpenGL was
open from its beginning.
SGI move on this was intentional: they were against a multi-consortium backed PEX/PHIGS standard.
Before you think only MS had monopolistic moves, take a closer look on SGI as well...
WebTV started out great, a real contender for getting internet into the living room.
An innovative product from very bright people. Totally absent from any Microsoft code. M$ comes in and offers an incredible amount of money to buy them out.
It happens, they put out a "new" release based on WinCE. It sucks. They kill
development of Java support and just milk the existing customer base but don't advance it, encouraging WebTV owners to move to Windows PCs. It stagnates for years, evolving into a mutant mix of 4 year old software with an MSN graphics front end pasted on.
Whereas WebTV idea was very good, the approach, the technical execution was permature and lame at the time and became obsolete when broadband exploded in the US and PC for less than $500 arrived.
It's the kiss of vampire death of Voom gets into bed with them.
Nice but false.
