Lessons learned: Classic debates aired first by mainframe developers, then by minicomputer makers are discovered anew by the PC industry

After a decade of designing and building personal computers, manufacturers have learned some painful lessons that, in retrospect, should have been obvious. The idea that a design engineer knows exactly what users want, for example, has proved false, Flexibility in design and architecture has been the hallmark of successful PCs, although there are a few specialized markets where this does not apply. As one design engineer put it, “A PC is a tool, not an appliance.”