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Ironically, I learned the meaning of "atari" in high school and it took me about three years before events made me stop to consider that, maybe, the company I'd vaguely heard of while playing NES and SNES games as a young child might have chosen that name because it was a pre-existing word.

...but then that's the problem with getting familiar with words at a young age. You often forget to re-evaluate them once you're old enough to appreciate their context.

Edited 2013-01-15 19:41 UTC

Atari was well known when I grew up, but long after their demise did I learn the meaning.

Well, we had no Wikipedia or Internet access back then.

If anyone of you is bored it can be fun to find out how companies got their names. Epson, Sharp and Sony are very nice ones.

touché!

I mention Atari in response to Thom: "People should really stop bringing that up. Apple WAS dead." - yes, for most people Apple was on exactly same path as Atari, Commodore, IBM (in PC sector), NeXT, SUN, SGi... and all other GREAT companies... and before that, it was truly amazing time until...

...they all went down thanks to Microsoft (and sheep-like users)!

but Apple/Steve Jobs prove that MIRACLES are possible
- return of Apple to mainstream computing AND beginning of Microsoft downfall today is biggest thing ever happened in computer world for last three decades

...and I am very happy that WORLD finally recognized RIGHT path!


for end, let me quote Douglas Adams which beautifully illustrate 80s and 90s:

"The idea that Bill Gates has appeared like a knight in shining armour to lead all customers out of a mire of technological chaos neatly ignores the fact that it was he, by peddling second rate technology, led them into it in the first place, and continues to do so today."

Edited 2013-01-15 20:29 UTC

I agree, with one exception: NeXT wasn't really a great company. They had some interesting ideas and technology, but could barely shed their start-up skin.

It was a rather small company. If it hadn't been for Steve Jobs and his return to Apple I suspect most people would never have known about it.

I don't know how bad this would influence computer prices, because PC OEM were the ones driving them down.

But I really miss the Software+Hardware (without bloatware) experience that the other systems had, before the PC became the only game in town.

Sure it has portability issues, as the older from us can remember, or see again in the mobile space. On the other hand it really forces everyone, even against their will, to play nicer with each other in data formats.

kovacm, you are detached from reality. ALL custom platforms died out, also Macintoshes (they are now completely generic PCs under the hood, with mostly generic software).

Wintel ecosystem was and is simply better than those "GREAT companies" http://www.osnews.com/thread?522221