Re: Apple Drops Backward Compatibility for Next MacOS

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

In article mportune@telerama.lm.com (Matt Portune) writes...

>>In article <3284d84a.0@news.netVIP.com>, 
>>burger@logicware.com (Bill Heineman)
>>I, to this day, still have the original and the 2.0 prototype source
>>code. But unless I get in WRITING from Quality computers that I can use
>>the source. I am powerless to distribute ANYTHING.
> 
>So, does this mean,  that the entire story that we've heard so far from QC was 
>a load of bull?!?!  I can't believe this!  Why won't they pay you?  Have they 
>just given up on the II market altogether?  

    I would say Quality Computers has given up on the average Apple II
user, they seem to have shifted their focus to the K-6 education market.
This became apparent ever since they spun off that "Nothing but Apples"
booklet from their main catalog (IBM PC and Macintosh items only now).
That so-called Apple II catalog looks like a coloring book for a pre-
school child! I wonder what Macintosh users would think, if they had a
spin off catalog with cartoon images of frogs, rabbits, turtles, letters
of the alphabet and gumballs. ;-) 

    Most of the pages in the catalog are filled with educational software,
towards the back you'll find a page or two dedicated to hardware. You can
also tell they've targeted schools by examing prices. For example, Vol.2
of their Nothing but Apples catalog lists a 270MB SCSI hardrive, with SCSI
controller, for US$349. A 4MB RAM card for US$200 and a 2400 bps external
modem for US$75. Rather pricey, although educators quite often don't
realize this or don't even think twice when purchasing.

    I doubt we'll ever see any new Apple IIgs products from SQC, or even
updates to existing software. I have the feeling AppleWorks 5 won't see
any more updates either at this point. So with their 'II-Alive' magazine
publication ceasing as of next month, I see SQC becoming nothing more
than a reseller/distributor as far as the Apple II is concerned. Not that
this should be sneezed at (in this day and age, any Apple II support at
all is becoming rare!) but I just feel they could be doing more and still
profit. It's too bad really...

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca