Re: FORWARDING: Message from Steve Buggie

[wsmith@NOSPAM.ctron.com (Will Smith)]

Please remember...  i'm only making points here.  i'm NOT trying to
continue a flame war...

On 19 Dec 1997 14:45:30 GMT, john1970@iamerica.net wrote:

|>   >>>        Note the memo that follows from the Computer Boss of our
|>   >>>branch campus.  The message decrees, "IBM ONLY."

|>   And this proves??? The only theory I can see for this is that I
|>   wouldn't want to buy a network from this company for my computer
|>   system.

he's apparently a teacher at a college (so i gathered from the
original post), and he being a Mac user, wanted to know about his
options since the administration would onlt support IBM machines (and,
i think, compatibles)....

|>   ...... (I rember a friend with an early MAC that
|>   had to buy a special cable to use a Hayes brand modem... Why? The
|>   RS-232 interface works fine for DEC, IBM, Tandy, etc. why re-invent
|>   the wheel?)

because Apple, in being different, had a different serial interface.
(it is basically the same thing they had on the ][gs, which is one of
the reasons i prefer external modems-- so long as you have a cable to
connect the modem to your system, you're all set!)

|>   I agree with the blind devotion, but unfortiantly, Responsibilities,
|>   Duties and "Rights" are all tied in to each other... Rember back in
|>   Civics class, you probably said "I have the right to freedom of
|>   speech, why did that cop tell me to turn down the music, or that I
|>   couldn't cuss out the principle???"  Then he'd reply "Because I also
|>   have the right to not have to listen to that trash, and your 'Rights'
|>   are infringing upon my rights, which is where the law draws the
|>   line..."  Sound familiar?

aye, but within the scope of Mr. Buggie's request, i think it's just a
case of his school's "right" not to want to support anything more than
absolutely necessary.  it's easier to find a techie that knows either
PCs or Macs than it is to find one that is familiar enough with BOTH
to be able to get things running in a short period of time....

...not to mention the fact that a person that is that well-versed in
multiple systems would be (theoretically) worth paying more....

|>   Likewise, we have the right to say "My computer's better than your
|>   computer" and they have the right to say "No it isn't"  But
|>   understand that while you have the right to believe your computer is
|>   best, they are not some kind of mutant from another planet, and in
                                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
hmmm...  you haven't seen some of my friends yet, then....  <evil
grin>

|>     IS this BAD???  When I ran OS/2, I setup pages on the web to help
|>     others, what's wrong with this?  It's cheaper than calling
|>     Macintosh and saying "Help, I forgot how to format a disk, can you
|>     mail me a disk pre-formatted??? Please?  Pretty please???" etc.

that's okay...  i forgot how to change directories in ProDOS....  any
ideas?  please?  (i'm serious on this one...)  i'm a DOS 3.3 kinda
guy.  what can i say?

|>   I have no problems with companies that understand that it IS POSSIBLE
|>   to connect to the internet with something besides a MAC, and
|>   windows'95... What I do have problems with is if I tell them I have
|>   an IBM Compatible running DOS only and will be using my own software
|>   to connect on the internet, then they tell me it doesn't work.... If

that's why i told AT&T WorldNet to disconnect my service.  if it
wasn't WinDOZE, then they didn't want to hear it.

|>   Commodore64 had Internet packages for it as well... But many
|>   providers would say its Physically impossible... I'd love to place
|>   bets with those companies... Say "If I can login to your service with
|>   a commodore 64, will you give me 1 year free internet service?"
|>   Be the cheapest 1-yr internet service I ever saw....

hehehehehe....  that would be a GOOD one...  unfortunately, it's a bet
you can only make once.  <shrug>

|>   Try maas.net ... They'll try to... not for MAC or IBM, but... They
|>   swore up and down that it was impossible for me to run a Telnet'able
|>   BBS from my dial-up PPP connection.... I mainly wanted it for a few
|>   friends, but low and behold they said it was impossible because their
|>   software would not allow that much information to flow through the
|>   dialup line.... (yeah right, guess he didn't go to internet-101
|>   before he became the system administrator....)

maybe the guy was referring to the idea that the software caused the
hardware to reset if a certain amount of traffic was passed for a
certain time period?  try pushing line-rate through SOME things and
they'll make like a Christmas tree in no time....

|> Another reason to not
|>   use what the internet providers recommend.... Microsoft's got this
|>   little bug that can crash your computer if someone sends an
|>   "Out-of-Bounds" message to your computer.... 

there's a patch out that'll prevent attacks from some of those
programs...

|>  Similiarly, Netscape is
|>   notorously known for their newer browsers to crash (yet many
|>   providers act like you can't connect to the internet without
|>   Netscrape)

....or Internet Explorer....

|>   Netscape's office... There's a lot of programmers there to worry
|>   about getting "Angry" - imagine they get a letter "we're laying off
|>   200 employees at the end of the month..." Think they're going to say
|>   "Oh yeah, nice working with you, while we're at it, I just finished
|>   this code, no problem... Good luck with the next release..." Some
|>   might say that... Others might say "I gotta set the timer on my
|>   Virus, to enable it next month...."

...others won't know about it until security comes up and says "you
have two minutes to gather your things.  don't touch the computer in
any way.".....

ttyl....

---
William Smith
#include <disclaimer.h>

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