• markstos@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    27
    ·
    1 month ago

    I remember that this existed, but I don’t remember why.

    Corel was known for a drawing program and later for WordPerfect. They were never well known for their involvement with Linux.

    • schizo@forum.uncomfortable.business
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      28
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 month ago

      Linux was the NFT or Blockchain or AI of 1999, so every tech company was jumping on board.

      The sales pitch, as I remember, was that you could run your Wordperfect or CorelDraw shit on it, and not need to have Windows to use it and instead could join the future, which was Linux. Though, amusingly, their version of the future was running Windows binaries via Wine on Linux which, eh, okay but…

      Of course, nobody used Wordperfect or CorelDraw at that point in history so I’m not entirely sure how that was supposed to sell you on buying not-Word and not-Photoshop.

        • schizo@forum.uncomfortable.business
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 month ago

          Yeah, I’ve read about that. But, then again, the legal industry was probably exceedingly low on the likely-to-change-to-Linux probability list in 1999, as well. I’ve worked for some lawyers in the past and they’re a shockingly traditional dont-change-anything-ever group. (Not particularly shocking.)

      • elucubra@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        1 month ago

        Corel was, and still is, used in a lot of industries, like signmaking, embroidery, etc. It has been losing share in the general vector graphics space for years though.

        • Possibly linux@lemmy.zip
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          1 month ago

          Honestly it wouldn’t be too incredibly crazy for them to make a Linux graphic suite. They could even start maintaining a Linux distro.

          However this is would be high risk with a high chance of failure as Linux users don’t usually have big wallets unless you count enterprise servers

    • eldavi@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      1 month ago

      they were trying to make a windows alternative since microsoft was using their leverage w windows to make corel lose money and courts were doing little more than slapping microsoft on the wrist for doing it.

      • m0stlyharmless@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        1 month ago

        I find it reminiscent to what Valve is doing with SteamOS and Proton today. That is, establishing a viable alternative to MS Windows through using Wine/Proton in order to not be reliant on a competitor for running their software.

        • Possibly linux@lemmy.zip
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 month ago

          Just keep in mind that value can lock you in any day. Steam is proprietary after all.

          We don’t need wildly successful companies. We need options and completion

      • Crashumbc@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        1 month ago

        Yeah, Bill Gates destroyed a lot of other companies with his OS monopoly, Dbase (Access) and Lotus 1 2 3 (Excel)…

        • eldavi@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          edit-2
          1 month ago

          and now he’s a “philanthropist”

          emphasis on the quotes since he’s put his wealth into a charity; like most of the utlra wealth do; to avoid taxes so now he’s legally required to spent 5% of it in philanthropy.