Re: What's so Great About the IIGS?

[chrisw@eagle.ais.net (Chris Wicklein)]

Will Baguhn (wbaguhn@nyx10.cs.du.edu) wrote:
: In article <4m367e$nck@news.smart.net>, E.G. Land <land@smart.net> wrote:
: >
: >	It seems to me IIGS owners get all misty-eyed and excited when
: >	they talk about their machine; moreso, perhaps, then other
: >	Apple guys, save the early 512 & Mac+ guys.
: >
: >	Why?

: Because the IIgs was the first "really neat computer with lots of colors
: and extremely great sound ability".  While everything else has come and
: gone, the IIgs still remains.  The software (OS) doesn't need to be upgraded
: every 4 months.  There's very little Microsoft dominance.  There's very little
: intel influence.

	Well, arguably the Atari has held on as well, and the Amiga far 
better.  But the IIGS is unique in that it supports semi-modern hardware 
(multi MB RAM, VGA, SCSI, etc.) and can run semi-modern applications, yet 
is also able to boot up a 13-sector DOS (I think, I have't actually tried 
anything before 3.3 on my own computer...) and run software that written 
for the first ][ in 1977.  Being able to mix and match hardware and 
software that was developed last year or twenty years ago is really kind 
of neat.  Also, since the computer family is nearly twenty years old, 
there are people in this readership who have literally had an Apple II of 
some sort to play with/program since pre-school.  The degree of techincal 
knowledge of the IIGS many people have owes to the relative simplicity of 
Apple II hardware and the fact that it is (almost) completely static.  
It's unlikely that people who want to know how their computer works are 
going to understand any future computers as well.

--
Chris Wicklein - EMAIL: chrisw@ais.net - URL: http://www.cl.ais.net/chrisw 
"He strode down the hill amid the tumult of suddenrisen vapours of 
 wounded pride and fallen hope and baffled desire." -- James Joyce, POA