We can't confirm that this actually happened, but there's a lot of rumors going around about the following:

At a computer expo (COMDEX), Microsoft founder Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated: "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving twenty five dollar cars that would get 1000 miles per gallon.

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

* For no reason whatsoever your car would crash twice a day.

* Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you'd have to buy a new car.

* Occasionally your car would die on the expressway for no reason and you would just accept this, restart and drive on.

* Occasionally executing a maneuver such as a left turn, would cause your car to shut down and refuse to start, in which case you'd have to reinstall your motor.

* Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you bought "Car95" or "CarNT", but then you would have to buy more seats.

* Macintosh would make a car powered by the sun, reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive, but would only run on 5% of the roads.

* The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would be replaced by a single "general car default" warning light.

* New seats would force everybody to have the same size butt.

* The air bag system would say "are you sure?" before going off.

* Occasionally and for no reason, your car would lock you out and not let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turn the key and grab hold of the radio antenna.

* GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of Rand McNally road maps (now a GM subsidiary), even though they neither need them nor want them. Attempting to delete this option would cause the car's performance to diminish by 50% or more. Moreover, GM would become a target for investigation by the Justice Department.

* Every time GM released a new model car buyers would have to learn to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.