Re: Second Sight Card

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

In article supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer) writes...

>spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector) wrote:
>
>>    Somehow, 3-4 years later--with the Apple II market virtually non
>>existent and the relatively few number of people out there who own
>>Second Sight boards--I doubt an update will happen. Already it's
>>been 5 years since there was a new release of ProTERM in general.
>
>There is no need to keep complaining like this.  If C64 and C128
>users kept complaining like this, do you think they would have TWO
>new accelerators today?  Talk like this will scare away any developer
>even THINKING of writing or designing for the Apple II.

    I'm not complaining, I'm simply stating the reality of things.
As for scaring away commercial developers, I doubt that is going
to happen as the size of the remaing Apple II market is not some
well guarded secret that I'm exposing (and I really doubt companies 
base their decision on whether to develop a new product or not soley 
on my own personal vision of things. I don't dedicate the market 
potental, I am just _observering_ the way things are).

    Another fact is the C64 market has always been larger than
the Apple II market, or at least it was some years ago. You may
recall long after the major companies ceased development of new
Apple IIgs software, C64 game titles were still highly abundant.
(You may recall Origin released Ultima VI for the C64, yet they
cancelled the Apple II version. Why do you think that was--was
it people complaining on comp.sys.apple2 or do you think it was
the numbers of potential buyers?)

>You may not think the Apple II was as "cool" as it used to be and
>compared on the same level as 90s computers, it is not.  You don't
>have to ruin the fun or ruin the chance for users who still want to
>use the computer, however.  There is still life in this market.  A level
>of activity equivalent to the Commodore market is possible IF we
>quit complaining.  Not all computing is measured against Microsoft
>or Apple.

    I'm still very fond of my Apple IIgs (and 8-bit Apple II's).
If I weren't, some might find it very strange that I continue to
keep a highly upgraded GS sitting next to my Pentium (and beside
the GS, an IIc Plus with LCD screen).

    I may occasionally I make reminders about the state of the Apple
II market, or tell people they're being unrealistic when they claim
their 13.75 MHz GS is faster than a 486--but that's different from
trying to kill its future or ruin people's enjoyment. It's not like
I come in here and tell people to stop using their machines.

>If Intrec kept hearing Apple II users talk the way you do, they will
>do far worse than not update.  They will kill ProTERM A2.  Is that
>what you want?

    InTrec has already killed ProTERM for the Apple II. While they
haven't officially announced the discontinuation of the program,
they also haven't updated it for over 5 years. By your logic, a
System 7.0 release of IIgs System Software is just around the
corner, give or take a few years. ProTERM is still available and
being sold (so it is still alive in one sense), but I don't see
an update being very likely.

    I'm not trying to discourage people from writing or updating
software, I'm just stating things the way they are (sure it's a
good thing to think optimistically and keep an open mind, but
you should do so within reason).

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca