“AOL Chief [technology officer, Mark Andreessen,] Opens PC
Expo With Customers-First Call”
“Opening PC Expo ’99 with a somewhat jarring message, …
Andreessen said today that the computer industry is failing its
customers by not making its product simpler and easier to use.”
“Noting the success of Apple’s iMac and of AOL’s online
services, Andreessen noted that consumers want their experience to
be easy and prefer name brands to megahertz and bandwidth. ‘This is
why, after 10 years of trying to kill Apple – often with the help
of Apple management – Apple is still around and doing well,’
Andreessen said. ‘They have a brand that people know and trust.’
“
“This marks the first year that vendors for the open-source
operating system have exhibited at PC Expo. Despite the poor
placement, booths hosted by Red Hat Software, Caldera Systems and
Cygnus were overrun with enthusiastic Linux users.”