Not all inventions had competing types. Some were just so cool that the world took them on. Like the need for a bowl when the ice cream purveyors ran out of bowls on a hot Chicago day, and you invent by necessity the ice cream cone. Or like the drive through window mentioned earlier, and you, the world completely changes to accommodate drive thru’s in every conceivable way. Even blind people use drive thru’s I guess. Why else is there brail at the drive through?
So, back to the examples. Beta versus VHS. 220 volts or 110? DC versus AC (electrical supply). Steam or internal combustion? How about dirigible aircraft carriers, or traditional ocean going aircraft carriers? Space launch from a rocket pad, or dropped from a carrier plane? Drugs versus wellness via vitamins and prevention? Rail or trucker? Well, there may be a different story for that. Each of these merits its own in depth analysis. Wanna? Maybe later.
Phil Brewer's Blog 