GM vs. Bill Gates (fwd)

[Dan Mann <dmann@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I know this is a little off subject....somewhat amusing.  If you don't
think that this is appropriate, I'm wearing flame retartdant underwear so
I'm ready.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 18:06:40 -0400
From: Chris Maresh <turboboy@geocities.com>
To: GN/T-Type Mailing List <gnttype@gnttype.org>
Subject: GM vs. Bill Gates

    I thought you guys might get a kick out of this.  I hope it's not too
long or too off-the-subject.

    At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the
computer industry with the auto industry and stated: "If GM 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, the GM CEO): "If GM had developed technology
like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars 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 percent 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 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.
12. You'd press the "start" button to shut off the engine.