Apple // emulation contention

[Gabriel Morales <Togega@concentric.net>]

Brian Hammack wrote:
> 
> If you have the real computer, why would you need an emulator?  :)

And I reply:

        I have an Apple IIGS as well as an Apple //e (enhanced), and I use
Bernie on
my PowerMac from time to time.

        I don't know what some people have against emulation of a (fantastic)
computer not being manufactured anymore for quite a few years now. Emulation
ensures that Apple II software can be run in computers that are now being
manufactured, as well as future computers.

        If you're an informed Mac user, you know that the Power Macintosh
(every Mac
being made today) actually runs in emulation mode when running programs made
for non-PowerPC Macs. I don't see many Macintosh users complaining. They know
that they can run most every Mac program on their computer while taking
advantage of a more powerful system. Like the 16-bit IIGS and 8-bit Apple //s.

        On the "hobbyist side", there's nothing quite like owning an original Apple
II- which is why I have two, and there are a great number of useful tasks an
Apple II can still accomplish. That is why I agree with Supertimer: Authentic
Apple IIs come first, emulators second. On the other hand, it would be a good
move to offer these programs in emulator format at some future date, when the
specific version of some program is no longer being sold, or, perhaps, as a
commercial program also, at the same price as the Apple II version.

        As far as the hardware goes, I believe that what real Apple II users (like
myself) want to preserve is the �spirit� of the machine, in hardware, besides
it's software. But does the Apple IIGS have the same "spirit" of the Apple
//e? Could we recapture the essence of this spirit through upgrading the IIGS
or making a new computer? And, can there really be a new Apple II without an
Apple? One must analyze these questions thoroughly before making swift judgments.

Gabriel Morales