Re: Apple Drops Backward Compatibility for Next MacOS

[glhansen@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Gregory Loren Hansen)]

In article <54pkhl$j25@darla.visi.com>, Nathan Mates <nathan@visi.com> wrote:

>   What bugs most people is not the lack of Apple II support *now*
>(when it's far less of an issue), but lack of support when (1) Macs
>came out, and (2) when the GS came out. When the GS is outselling
>macs, despite near zero publicity and advertising, you'd have to be a
>technology dweeb with your head up your *** to not try and support it.

I have mixed feelings about that.  The Apple II line still had a lot of
life left in it back then, but Apple was clearly counting on the Mac for
the future.  I don't know if they could realistically have supported two
incompatible computers.  

>Some form of bridge (such as a //e card for the Mac SE or whatever)
>would have done wonders for narrowing the gap, but that never
>happened.

I don't know when software emulators started appearing, but there sure are
a lot of them now.  I haven't bothered with any, though, because all my
Apple II software is on 5.25" disks.

>   Speaking of older computers, a 386 or 486/25 may not be able to
>play most of the latest games or OS from MickeySoft, but good, clean,
>and fast OSs like Linux and other un*x variants for PCs have given
>them a use to geeks. One of those boxes with 4-6MB of RAM does wonders

I've seen some very fast and capable BBSes running on an Apple II, a
386/anything with Linux should easily be able to handle that.  In fact,
I've been looking for precisely that, a 386 or other dirt-cheap Linux
machine.  But my definition of "dirt cheap" is a little lower than the
sellers' definition, and I've put that project on hold since school
started.  Sure, I have MacMkLinux, but I wanted to explore networking and
work sharing.

>[1] Of course, this kinda breaks down when games also require a fairly
>beefy computer as well. As long as they're doing a darn fine job with
>the actual gameplay and look/sound, I don't mind requiring a good
>computer for that. However, if Mickeysoft comes out with Tetriz'95
>requiring 16MB RAM and plays no better than the original, their
>programmers need to be taken out and shot.

I was really impressed with Microwave on the Apple II.  It's a PacMan-like
maze game with two-voice music during play.  Considering the Apple II's
speed, and the way you make music on it, I'm not even sure how such a feat
could be done.

-- 
*==============================================*
2*3*3*37 -- the prime factorization of The Beast
*==============================================*