Archive for the ‘letters’ Category

112C The Human Songbirds’ Story

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

January 25, 2009 — by Lyno Sullivan

112C The Human Songbirds’ Story

While still in the womb the baby listens to the song of its mothers body. From birth the human songbird listens to the song of its parents and other humans in its midst. From infancy the human songbird listens to the song of its family and seeks to imitate that song. When the human ceases singing its song it is preparing to die.

The following letter is kind of a birthday card to my father. This blog continues the story “The words ‘honor thy father’ are important to me”

http://digg.com/people/The_words_honor_thy_father_are_important_to_me

http://peaceengine.com/blog/2008/12/06/111c-oliver-r-sullivan/

My dearest father,

Today would have been your ninety-third birthday. I miss you so very much. You were and remain an inspiration to me. It broke my heart to watch your decline of old age. I so admired your tenacity as you continued to exercise by walking even after you had your stroke. You said that exercise kept the body alive.

You said that reading and talking were essential to life. You likened the human to a songbird and said that “when the human stops singing its song it is preparing to die.” You explained it thusly.

Even while still in the womb the human listens to the song of its mothers body. From the moment of birth the human songbird listens to the song of its parents and other humans in its midst. From infancy the human songbird listens to the song of its family and seeks to imitate that song.

Human song imitation is a primal urge, begun upon birth with its first wail and unto death with its final whimper.

I once asked you to speak the sentence that best summarized the fundamental nature of human existence. You told the story of the journey of the human songbird. You taught me that the human song was of the fundamental essence of human life. I have remembered your lessons and have begun to tell your story upon the Internet, at my blog, and I have begun to promote your story at various social networking websites.

The lessons you taught me are now being taught by me through my writings. I will soon share your journals but mostly I will share with humans the lessons you taught, and that I observed, of how to live a long life of good health and enjoy an old age of dignity, in your case these together comprising a life of honor and service to humanity.

You remain the most extraordinary man I have ever known. I am so grateful that I was blessed by fate to have been your son. It is a great joy of my life to be able to sing the human song lyrics you taught me concerning mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and philosophy–the lessons you taught me concerning the application of science and technology to human life.

The story concerning the human songbird’s drive to mimicry and self-expression is a fundamental lesson of human life. It best sums up the fundamental nature of human existence.

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1126 The Death of OS2 in 1995

Saturday, January 10th, 2009

1126 The Death of OS2 in 1995

Perhaps it was the death of OS2 that moved IBM in the direction of Linux. Maybe OS2 would have prevailed over Microsoft’s Windows, had IBM taken this letter’s advice in 1995. Who can know for certain.

August 9, 1995
206 S. 5th. St.
Stillwater, MN 55082

Lou Gerstner, Chairman
IBM Corporation
Old Orchard Rd.
Armonk, NY 10504

Dear Mr. Gerstner:

I would like to present the strategy that IBM should follow to attain the best chance at prevailing over Microsoft. Microsoft is planning to release Windows 95 on August 24. IBM needs to make announcements on or before August 23rd and on August 24th to coincide with Microsoft’s release of Windows 95. IBM’s objective is to announce something so revolutionary that the average consumer will halt or slow down any plans to upgrade to Windows 95.

Please review the enclosed announcement suggestion. I have much that I could have explained and I have many supporting ideas. However, I chose to keep this letter short. Thank you for any attention you might give to this idea. If you ask, I would be honored to share my thinking on any matter. With my signature at the bottom of this page, I hereby give this idea freely to IBM Corp. and claim no rights thereto.

Yours truly,

Lyno Sullivan

[ATTACHMENT]

Make the following announcements to coincide with Microsoft’s release of Windows 95.

Announce on or before August 23 that:

IBM plans a major product announcement on August 24th, 1995 concerning new plans for our OS/2 Warp product family. IBM will announce a revolutionary packaging, pricing, and support strategy that will change the market. IBM’s announcement will create immediate consternation and confusion among our competitors. We advise you to sit back and watch the show for the next few months. As a consumer, you will love what IBM announces. You will find no reason to choose any other provider of your computer software. I ask only that you remember, when the dust finally settles, that it was IBM that brought you this market innovation.

Announce on August 24th that:

IBM will soon deliver a new $100 product license called “Warp Desktop.” This license will give you the right to use everything in IBM’s current and future desktop product line. The license fee of $100 is payable yearly. For the initial fee you will receive the current release of the common desktop core which will include the basic operating system plus full multi-media capability and connectivity features for LAN, tele-commuting, and Internet. Provided that you keep the license in force, this $100 yearly fee is guaranteed for 10 years with only adjustments for inflation. Because CD-ROM capacity is too small to contain everything, IBM has created Warp Desktop Personality CD-ROM discs. For example, there is a CD-ROM for the home user, another for the business user, another for the student, and other similar discs. Most people will find one Warp Desktop Personality disc to be sufficient for all their needs. These additional Profile CD-ROMS are priced at $10 each. At any time that your license is active you will be able to order a current core disc or any disc in the Warp Desktop Collection for a $10 cost. These Personality discs contain the fully featured applications that you would expect. There are no hidden charges and there are no more powerful products that will cost extra. These discs contain the best that IBM has to offer.

In addition, IBM will deliver a new $1,000 product license called “Warp Server.” This license will give you the right to use everything in IBM’s current and future server product line on a single server. This $1,000 license fee is payable one time. An additional $200 fee is payable yearly. The same $10 per disc fee applies to the Warp Server Collection. This offering includes all products necessary to connect to any desktop running any of the popular desktop systems, to any micro-computer or mini-computer server running any of the popular network operating systems, and to any IBM mainframe.

Finally, IBM will deliver a new $500 product license called “Warp Developer.” This license will give you the right to use everything in IBM’s current and future developer support product line. This $500 license fee is payable one time. An additional $100 fee is payable yearly. The same $10 per disc fee applies to the Warp Server Collection. These tools will provide a developer with everything necessary to develop applications and multi-media documentation and training for Warp Desktop, Warp Server, and Warp Developer.

You might have noticed that I didn’t mention printed documentation manuals. That is because IBM is committed to providing documentation on the CD-ROM. The Warp Desktop will contain a context sensitive, multi-media help facility. You will be able to purchase printed manuals but most will find them unnecessary.

These three product licenses cover every product now existing and yet to be developed for the Warp series. There are many more things that I would like to tell you about now but I want to keep this announcement focused. Specific product features and supporting services will be announced in the coming weeks.

. . . Commentary . . .

http://digg.com/linux_unix/The_Death_of_OS2_in_1995

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1125 IBM and GNU/Linux Letter of 1998

Saturday, January 10th, 2009

1125 IBM and GNU/Linux Letter of 1998

I believe that sometimes a man can effect change by means of a letter. In 1998 I sent the following letter to IBM. Mr. Gerstner handed the matter to an executive named Tom, who contacted me for clarification on the ideas. Perhaps my letter opened the door for IBM and perhaps it did not. Who can know such a thing for certain.

October 22, 1998
206 S. 5th. St.
Stillwater, MN 55082

Lou Gerstner, Chairman
IBM Corporation
Old Orchard Rd.
Armonk, NY 10504

Dear Mr. Gerstner:

I would like to ask for IBM’s support of my Free MN Initiative (document attached). Specifically, I would like you to consider the following IBM customer oriented strategies, and make an announcement, at a permanent web address, that I can cite in my Initiative document.

1) IBM will offer consumers the choice of a free software alternative, the GNU/Linux operating system and application suite, on its Intel based server and desktop hardware systems. Pursuant to this, please see my letter to Joel I. Klein, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust (document attached).

2) IBM is ready to provide enterprise support for the GNU/Linux operating system, on the
servers and desktops, of any customer who desires IBM’s support.

3) IBM will disclose parts of its proprietary hardware technology, to the free software community, so that the necessary operating system drivers can be written. IBM is willing to patent and retain commercial exploitation rights over certain inventions of the free software community and, in exchange, IBM will grant a free of charge license, to the free software community, to exploit these patents and will make a 501(c)(3) donation to the Free Software Foundation, of any royalties that result from these free software community patents.

4) IBM will begin to target its Notes and enterprise software to the GNU/Linux operating system.

IBM is my one stop shopping vendor of choice in this matter. If I lose hope, by November 16, 1998, I will approach IBM’s competitors with these strategies. If IBM will support my Free MN Initiative, then I have a much better chance of prevailing at the Minnesota Legislative hearing, which I plan to request in the Spring of 1999. If you review the political climate in Minnesota, you will find that its citizens are likely to support my Free MN Initiative.

Thank you for your consideration of this innovative partnering opportunity.

Sincerely,

Lyno Sullivan

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