Re: not there yet (FAQ info)

[Toby Reiter <treiter@cs.oberlin.edu>]

On 29 Mar 1997, Nathan Mates wrote:

> In article <Pine.ULT.3.96.970328123215.7029A-100000@occs.cs.oberlin.edu>,
> Toby Reiter  <treiter@cs.oberlin.edu> wrote:
> >In any case, through thick and thin, it's still much easier to
> >download onto any II from a Mac, no matter what Nathan says.
> 
>    Tip: if your "any II" doesn't have a 3.5" drive on it, start
> stringing the serial cable from "a Mac". Or "a PC". Or "a Unix
> box". Or anything else. Yeah, there's the rather rare Apple II card
> for some Macs, or Appletalk (probably rarer than 3.5" drives on non-GS
> Apple IIs, and you're still stringing that serial cable), but we're
> again in the realms of "pretty darn rare."

No, then we're in the realms of "This is as hard to do as transferring
from a PC to an Apple II, meaning that, in the long run, you can't do any
worse transferring from a Mac then from a PC, and in many cases can do
better.

>    Not every Apple II is a GS. I acknowledge that fact and list
> solutions that'll work for everyone. Also, not everyone with an Apple
> II has (or cares to have) access to a Mac. An "extra step or few"
> shaved off downloading (tip: you left off a few from the Mac side) is
> not reason enough for a lot of people to pick up a Mac. 

Not every Apple II that is not a GS is an Apple II without a 3.5" drive.
The system I listed gives the steps for transferring between a Mac and any
Apple II with a 3.5" drive, not just GS's. (GS's are, as I've stated in a
previous post, _much_ easier.

It doesn't matter whether not everyone has a Mac, because not everyone has
a PC, yet you accurately outline the steps for transferring files with it.
It doesn't matter whether people have or want access to a Mac, those who
do should have a FAQ which accurately shows that information.  I wonder
what steps I did leave off from the Mac side?  I'd like to see.  I'm not
trying to get people to "pick up a Mac".  I came to Apple IIs _after_
having used a Mac.  As someone who regularly uses both (and infrequently
uses a PC), I'm not going to accuse you for trying to promote PC hardware
just because you outline the steps for transferring from a PC.  

> [Once again,
> not everyone is like you. In fact, most of the world is not like you,
> judging by how many Macs are in use compared to other systems]

Basing any sort of differentiation based upon computer choice is rather
silly because, a) most of the world struggles daily for the fulfillment of
basic necessities, i.e. most people don't own a computer, and b) because
the real issue here is not whether people should or shouldn't use a Mac or
PC, but whether the knowledge for using one will be equally accessible as
the other (in this case, I would feel most people would want equal access
to such information, and therefore _are_ like me.)

Toby