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- If Operating Systems were more like beer...
-
- Scott P
-
-
- There is nothing better than a good beer...
-
-
- DOS Beer:
- Requires you to use your own can opener, and requires you to read the
- directions carefully before opening the can. Originally only came in an
- 8-oz. can, but now comes in a 16-oz. can. However, the can is divided
- into 8 compartments of 2 oz. each, which have to be accessed separately.
- Soon to be discontinued, although a lot of people are going to keep
- drinking it after it's no longer available.
-
-
- Mac Beer:
- At first, came only a 16-oz. can, but now comes in a 32-oz. can.
- Considered by many to be a "light" beer. All the cans look identical.
- When you take one from the fridge, it opens itself. The ingredients list
- is not on the can. If you call to ask about the ingredients, you are
- told that "you don't need to know." A notice on the side reminds you to
- drag your empties to the trashcan.
-
-
- Windows 3.1 Beer:
- The world's most popular. Comes in a 16-oz. can that looks a lot like
- Mac Beer's. Requires that you already own a DOS Beer. Claims that it
- allows you to drink several DOS Beers simultaneously, but in reality you
- can only drink a few of them, very slowly, especially slowly if you are
- drinking the Windows Beer at the same time. Sometimes, for apparently no
- reason, a can of Windows Beer will explode when you open it.
-
-
- OS/2 Beer:
- Comes in a 32-oz can. Does allow you to drink several DOS Beers
- simultaneously. Allows you to drink Windows 3.1 Beer simultaneously too,
- but somewhat slower. Advertises that its cans won't explode when you
- open them, even if you shake them up. You never really see anyone
- drinking OS/2 Beer, but the manufacturer (International Beer
- Manufacturing) claims that 9 million six-packs have been sold.
-
-
- Windows 95 Beer:
- The can looks a lot like Mac Beer's can, but tastes more like Windows 3.1
- Beer. It comes in 32-oz. cans, but when you look inside, the cans only
- have 16 oz. of beer in them. Most people will probably keep drinking
- Windows 3.1 Beer until their friends try Windows 95 Beer and say they
- like it. The ingredients list, when you look at the small print, has
- some of the same ingredients that come in DOS beer, even though the
- manufacturer claims that this is an entirely new brew.
-
-
- Windows NT Beer:
- Comes in 32-oz. cans, but you can only buy it by the truckload. This
- causes most people to have to go out and buy bigger refrigerators. The
- can looks just like Windows 3.1 Beer's, but the company promises to
- change the can to look just like Windows 95 Beer's - after Windows 95
- beer starts shipping. Touted as an "industrial strength" beer, and
- suggested only for use in bars.
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-
- Unix Beer:
- Comes in several different brands, in cans ranging from 8 oz. to 64 oz.
- Drinkers of Unix Beer display fierce brand loyalty, even though they
- claim that all the different brands taste almost identical. Sometimes
- the pop-tops break off when you try to open them, so you have to have
- your own can opener around for those occasions, in which case you either
- need a complete set of instructions, or a friend who has been drinking
- Unix Beer for several years.
-
-
- AmigaDOS Beer:
- The company has gone out of business, but their recipe has been picked up
- by some weird German company, so now this beer will be an import. This
- beer never really sold very well because the original manufacturer didn't
- understand marketing. Like Unix Beer, AmigaDOS Beer fans are an
- extremely loyal and loud group. It originally came in a 16-oz. can, but
- now comes in 32-oz. cans too. When this can was originally introduced,
- it appeared flashy and colorful, but the design hasn't changed much over
- the years, so it appears dated now. Critics of this beer claim that it
- is only meant for watching TV anyway.
-
-
- VMS Beer:
- Requires minimal user interaction, except for popping the top and
- sipping. However cans have been known on occasion to explode, or contain
- extremely un-beer-like contents. Best drunk in high pressure development
- environments. When you call the manufacturer for the list of
- ingredients, you're told that is proprietary and referred to an unknown
- listing in the manuals published by the FDA. Rumors are that this was
- once listed in the Physicians' Desk Reference as a tranquilizer, but no
- one can claim to have actually seen it.
-
- END
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