Lord_Majestic - 1:52 pm on Oct 16, 2008 (gmt 0)

So far as I am aware, Microsoft did not conceive any single aspect of the GUI

And Tesla did not conceive a lof of things in their car like actual batteries, steering, brakes, yet the whole thing - in a package, is a very innovative thing. Same with Windows - Microsoft managed to get a good package with elements of unique design, some or even many ideas certainly borrowed however as a package it was a very good one, very innovative for the time.

Simply buying companies that have new ideas is not innovation.

Buying those companies was a way to hire individuals who worked for them and started working for Microsoft. In some cases Microsoft hired directly (like with .NET), so what, you think nobody else does it? I don't really care how exactly Ford made his model T, some say he stole some ideas but his package was the winning one and that in itself was the innovation of Ford, just like Windows is for Microsoft.

And here's another major innovation that Microsoft had nothing to do with - Object Orientated Programming.

So what? Why won't you list a million of other things that Microsoft had nothing to do with, they sure are important however it would be endless discussion (like it seems now), the focus of this thread is on Microsoft, not some other entities that certainly did also many innovative things.