Triumph of the Nerds: Part 2

In concluding this video, I was surprised to see how IBM literally went down.  In all honesty, I really didn't have much knowledge about the computer industry to begin with. I had heard of Bill Gates but didn't really know or understand in detail how he became one of the top wealthiest men in the world. What I found most interesting in this last piece of the video was the process of reverse engineering, which is essentially taking something like hardware or software that already works, breaking it down, and re-creating it in a way that is better from it's original status. It's through this process that allowed other upcoming companies such as Compaq to benefit from IBM's profit and made them a huge competitor. 

I found this to be interesting because it seemed so effortless. Compaq did just that and sold their PC's at a lower cost.  Not to mention that the pieces used to build these more compact PC's were being sold off the shelves for anyone to buy! It would seem to me that IBM didn't do a very good job of protecting themselves. Anyone could re-create what they founded. It was the software, however, through Microsoft, that in my opinion set them apart from the rest. But because of differing views and maybe even a bit of pride, IBM chose not to join Bill Gates and Microsoft in their launch of Windows-a multibillion dollar mistake. You honestly can't help but feel bad for IBM, knowing of the huge company they once were and where they are today.