Re: On this day, 10 years ago...

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article Matt Portune <mportune@telerama.com> writes...

>Mitchell Spector <spec@vax2.concordia.ca> wrote:
>>     I still have fond memories of the day I unpacked my (then brand
>> new) GS and set it up. I doubt any other computer I buy in future
>> will provide as much excitement as the GS did for me on that day.
>
>It's amazing how many of us share that sensation.  I haven't figured out
>if it was just the time period, or the computer itself, or a mixture of
>both.

    Looking back on my own experience, I think a large part of it
had to do with the enormous leap -- from an Apple II Plus to the IIGS.
After years of 4 color Hi-Res graphics, DOS 3.3 and internal speaker
toggling for sound, I was pretty much in shock when I began running
GS-specific software for the first time. :-) The Ensoniq chip was a
real shocker at that time, don't forget things like even the lowly
AdLib card for PC's (FM-synthesis) were still years anyway.

    Back in the mid 80's there were only three computers, IMO, that
really stood out from the rest. One was the Amiga, the other was the
Atari ST and the last one, of course, was the Apple IIgs. Maybe I'm
a little biased in my thinking, but I think the GS was probably the
most interesting as it could perfectly mimic the old classic Apple II,
while still do the neat new things the other two machines were doing.
It also did them with more style and class, the Apple GUI was so much
more professional looking than the Amiga Workbench at that time. Also
the machine was so much more aesthetically pleasing to look at than
a clunky Amiga 1000/2000 box, or the C64-ish look of the 500 and ST. :)

>I remeber that day too, everything down to the squeak of the
>styro-foam as I pulled the plastic-wrapped keyboard out of it.  
>That was a good day.  :)

    Funny, those are some of the same fond memories I have (I was
lucky enough to go through that a second time; When Apple agreed
to replace my system under a special extended warranty, the ROM 3
and all its replacement components came in sealed boxes. :)

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca