What is with using the "$" in "M$"?

[Homeroids]

The use of M$ does not derive from the console wars or from console fanboys. I think it goes back a bit further than that.

I've been around probably longer than most who are on this forum. Damn, I just gave my secret away, :). In the good old days of the 80's there was literally a plethora of computer platforms. Of course, the 2 famous ones were IBM PC's with an MS O/S and there was Apple. There was also Amiga, Atari, Archimedies, Texas Instruments, BBC Micro, Acorn and probably a whole bunch more. I am talking the 16/32bit era. We all know history, we all know how MS came to dominate. The Wintel system basically obliterated everything in it's path. As a side note, the fanboys of that day were not just about the O/S but also about the CPU family. The good old Intel x86 vs Motorola 68k. Basically MS aligned with x86 and the rest were Motorola 68k.

MS made 2 cash cows out of this - Windows and Office. These 2 divisions are still what makes MS tic today when it comes to the cash flow. It is where their dollars all stem from. MS are trying to desperately diversify. Their game division with Xbox and Zune. Their search division with Bing.

At the end of the day, the long memories of all the other computer makers and software makers from the 80's and 90's probably spawned the M$ idea. It's got little to do with console fanboy culture. It's just a carry over from the early days.