Low end computers 1985

[nbla000]

Have you seen the C64 production line at 6:42 ? is it in Taiwan or were ?

I must admit that I'm not able to full understand all the english used of this video (I lose some words) btw I don't know why but I understand very well Jack Tramiel, Fun

Who is Leonard Tramiel, his son ?

[carlsson]

I'm not sure if Commodore had any manufacturing in Taiwan. They had plants in Hong Kong, The Phillippines and Malaysia, I believe. Fast forward to the bankcrupcy and some of those factories were guarded with armed guards to prevent the current Commodore management to take any assets out of the factories and disappear.

Since Jack was located in Toronto, would you say he speaks with a typical accent of that area despite once have immigrated? Generally I find Canadians easier to understand than many other natively English speaking.

[gklinger]

Since Jack was located in Toronto, would you say he speaks with a typical accent of that area despite once have immigrated?

There is no accent distinct to the Toronto area although because of the ethnic diversity of Toronto's population, it could argued be argued that the lack of a distinctly foreign accent constitutes a local one. Regardless, Tramiel's accent clearly marks him as not being from around here.

[nbla000]

Who is Leonard Tramiel, his son ?

The speaker says that Jack is his father so I deduce Leonard is the Jack's son

And what about Lunar Lander cartridge for C64 final assembling test, fun

Was never released the laptop displayed at the end ?

[English Invader]

I'm not sure if Commodore had any manufacturing in Taiwan. They had plants in Hong Kong, The Phillippines and Malaysia, I believe. Fast forward to the bankcrupcy and some of those factories were guarded with armed guards to prevent the current Commodore management to take any assets out of the factories and disappear.
.

The Amiga 600 was manufactured in the UK .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiga_600

[Jeff-20]

There is no accent distinct to the Toronto area although because of the ethnic diversity of Toronto's population

I disagree. Much like Chicago, Toronto is very diverse but, in my opinion, has a very clear accent. On my few trips there, it didn't take long for my ears to adjust to it. It's very similar to our midwest talk. But different, eh?

[Kweepa]

Everyone thinks their region has no accent!

[gklinger]

I didn't say that people born and raised in Toronto didn't have accents, I said that there was no distinct accent to the Toronto area. You'll hear pretty much the same accent everywhere in the Province of Ontario and Ontario is a rather large place. For example, I'm sure you'd agree that Boston and New York have distinct accents and they're about 3.5 hours apart by car. Get in a car and drive 3.5 hours east, west or north of Toronto and let me know if you hear a different accent.

As for the ethnic diversity, the majority of people in Toronto are foreign born (not just foreign to Toronto, foreign to Canada) so were you to survey Torontonians you'd find a small percentage speaking with what you perceive as the Toronto accent.

[PaulQ]

Tramiel often made it clear that he saw the Japanese businesses as a threat to domestic businesses such as his own. For example, when he said, "The Japanese are coming, so we must become the Japanese!" illustrates that he harbours no racist undertones, as racists tend to believe themselves to be superior; why would they want to become that which they hate? Could you imagine a Nazi exclaiming, "The Jewish are coming, so we must become the Jewish?" Or a white supremist stating they must become black? It's a ridiculous notion. Instead, this clearly illustrates that when he refers to the Japanese or "Them," he's clearly talking about business and economics rather than race. It's not unlike our reference to Russians as "Commies" in the 80's; it had nothing to do with their race, but rather their economic model and culture and also a response to feeling threatened that our way of life may be changed.

Of course, there's always people who are itching to play the racist card at every opportunity to justify their own outlook on the world, so some things are not unexpected.

[rhurst]

... at every opportunity to justify their own outlook on the world

Just like I play the "them Democrats" card all the time.

[Jeff-20]

For example, when he said, "The Japanese are coming, so we must become the Japanese!" illustrates that he harbours no racist undertones, as racists tend to believe themselves to be superior; why would they want to become that which they hate? Could you imagine a Nazi exclaiming, "The Jewish are coming, so we must become the Jewish?" Or a white supremist stating they must become black? It's a ridiculous notion.
...
Of course, there's always people who are itching to play the racist card at every opportunity to justify their own outlook on the world, so some things are not unexpected.

I think the term racist is far more complicated. A supremacist is just one form of racist. In my opinion, racism can be hate or intolerance or any sort of doctrine that chooses to delineate human beings based on some assumption of inherent differences.

I think we should be careful when making assumptions about anyone's life outlook. I'm not calling Jack a racist. But I also feel we are too quick to dismiss things when we see it.

Your Nazi example is easy to use now that it's history, but at the time, many would make the argument that it wasn't about race at all. As supported by Mein Kampf (Chapter 11): "It's not about inner aversion but hunger." Even Hitler claimed that the race card (in our contemporary lingo) was being inappropriately played. Economy and survival were his motivating factors.

History may confidently look back on today's conflicts as religious and cultural wars, but political leaders and citizens of our time will probably deny it.

[gklinger]

I think the term racist is far more complicated.

I agree. Racism need not have anything to do with feelings of superiority but rather a tendency to make broad judgements based on racial (ethnic, nationalistic etc. etc.) differences. I'm reminded of Jimmy Snyder proclaiming that 'blacks were naturally superior athletes' (I can't be bothered searching for the exact quote). The comment could be characterized as positive or complimentary in nature but it's quite clearly an expression of racism.

Meant to respond to this earlier...

There is no Japanese race, just as there is no Jewish race, etc. The concept of biological "race" is ambiguous enough as it is, but for clarity's sake I think that we shouldn't equivocate the term with "ethnicity" or "cultural background", both of which are not necessarily related to genetics.

According to the UN there is no difference between racial and ethnic discrimination and I think we've all come to understand the broader if not semantically precise meaning of the word racism.

[Jeff-20]

Yeah, I hate when someone uses "positive intentions" to mask ignorance. The athletic example comes up often. Then there's the "No, I wish I were as good at... as your people." How could it be racist if I claim to desire it? Asians are good at math. Black people are athletic. Etc.

I personally think it's racist when people get drunk on St. Patrick's Day in my country and claim "everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day." What a horrible thing to associate with being Irish! But you can't bring this up without someone thinking you're spoiling the fun. It seems as socially difficult to point out racism as it is to be racist. haha

[PaulQ]

I think we need to be aware of how we apply the term "Racist," so as not to dilute its meaning. For instance, at a time of war, it's natural for the people of the country being threatened to harbour a general hatred towards those who would attack them; but this hatred isn't based on race, but rather the perception of being attacked.

Jack Tramiel often stated that "Business is war." The biggest threat in the late 1970's to the early 80's for North American businesses was coming from businesses in Japan. Japanese businesses were decimating the very electronics market that Tramiel was doing business in. He saw what they did to television and radio, and rightly saw the Japanese as a genuine threat.

To suggest this makes Tramiel a racist not only dilutes the meaning of the word, but is also an insult to both Tramiel and genuine victims of racism. The definition of racism is pretty clear. If a person suggests they believe there are inherent differences among the various human races that determine cultural or individual achievement, then they are a racist. Tramiel's suggestion that we become the Japanese demonstrates he did not believe in this doctrine. Racism also includes discrimination based on those perceived differences; Tramiel showed no evidence of discriminating against anyone. Finally, there is the hatred or intolerance of another race or races. I find it difficult to believe that someone would want to emulate something they hate or are intolerant to.

[pitcalco]

I was struck most by the verbiage. Everyone was trying to hard to sound intelligent and professional that they ended up speaking largely in gobbledygook. As much as I loved the 80's, I cringe when I think about how phony and superficial things were.

P.S. Is it just me or did anyone else's racism detector go off when Tramiel started talking about the Japanese (aka "those people")?

Just you on the racism detector; however seriously, the sentiment toward such formidable competitors was probably as vitriolic.