Why Japanese did not make an operating system that compete with Microsoft windows or Mac Operating system ?

Question

Why Japanese did not make an operating system that compete with Microsoft windows or Mac Operating system ?

Answer 1

hp has the same patent problems

Answer 2

Installed base / compatibility .. once one OS became 'dominant' it was almost impossible for any other to gain market share (because no user wants to throw away all their existing software) ...

The initial Operating System came from Microsoft because the Microprocessor chosen for the IBM PC was made by Intel in USA .. and Bill Gates 'sold' MS DOS to IBM  .. if some other Processor chips had led the world (eg UK 'ARM' chip etc) then it's likely that a local company would have been chosen by IBM to produce the OS ..

So why didn't a Japanese (or some other Nation) lead the world in creating 'Personal Computers' - after all, many other 'personal computer' companies existed (including Apple :-) ) so why didn't one of those become the "PC" ??

I suggest the following factors :-

1) Existing market conditions - the major 'player' in the computing field was IBM - 'only' IBM had the installed base of computers (mainframes) to make it worthwhile to design and promote the 'PC' to businesses (it was initially intended to be a 'terminal' for IBM mainframes) ...



2) Language - after the PC was launched, almost everyone with sufficient money to purchase one spoke English (sometimes as a second language)

3) Market / Economy - when the PC was launched, the USA was it's main (only) Market and the only Economy that was expanding fast enough to create sufficient demand

HOWEVER the SINGLE overriding factor was that IBM published the specifications of the PC and allowed others to build 'compatibles' .. ALL other personal computers where 'proprietary' and this factor (more than anything else) put them at a massive cost disadvantage to the 'PC'