Remember the world had DOS before MS bought it and sold it to IBM.

The world hardly cared about QDOS.

In my bubble, the world was about ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amiga, Atari ST, before PC clones became relevant.

All equally vertically integrated as Apple.

I still prefer vertically integrated OS's. Documentation and troubleshooting is more difficult when spread across vendors.

You talk of vertically integrated contraptions. What are they for?

In the 70's and 80's, they were called home computers.

Yeah, I know. I just consider that "vertically integrated", or more precise closed system, approach inferior for general purpose computing.

They were general purpose computing for most of us, and much better experience.

Well, at least you got to experience the "innocent" and magical beginnings of the extremely integrated general-purpose computer, still very open to tinkering. Its overspecialized modern logical conclusion, and I'm not talking about the retro scene here, is not something I want to be associated with.

My personal computing life began much later, in the early 90s, in a very strange place filled with people whose very personal philosophies, and computer experiences, were a much better fit for x86 land. But this is something you rarely see explored in the thinkpieces that often make the rounds here.

General purpose computing.

The world hardly cared about DOS. QDOS,cp/m or otherwise.

Indeed, so what blessing?