Re: All this fuss about Backward Compatibility

[hochstrasse@ubaclu.unibas.ch (Urs Hochstrasser)]

In article <5NOV199618044800@vax2.concordia.ca>, spec@vax2.concordia.ca
(Mitchell Spector) wrote:

[snip]

>  Rarely, if ever, will a Mac owner point out limitations, shortcomings
> or flaws in the Macintosh.
Why should we? We know about them, so why mention them? :-)

No, seriously. I have my PowerBook 160 (3 year old technology...) and my
GS on two desks side by side, so a direct comparison is possible. Some
drawbacks of the GS jump to the eye at once:
- smaller vertical screen resolution (smaller screen real estate)
- choice of color on the screen too narrow for GIFs (important for a
  graphical web browser)
- much slower processor (even with a zip)
- ProDOS partition size limit way too small (sorry a HFS FST doesn't
  help me on a Vulcan...)

Of course the Mac isn't perfect:
- OS uses a lot more RAM (but offers more possibilities like QuickTime)
- OS is getting more and more clumsy. Perhaps I use too many Inits, but it
  takes at least as long to boot as the GS with its slower Vulcan...
- Perhaps I'm short of arguments against the Mac because there are not
  so many... :-)

No, I think it's a natural evolution of expectations. When I had my GS I
didn't feel the need for a Mac for a long time. But after I got one, I saw
what I had missed in performance and versatility. Moreover I was a fan of
the Macintosh way of computing (especially the GUI) from the beginning.

> They're very quick to point the finger at other 
> systems (ie, PCs, Apple II's, Amigas) and pick out their limitations

Well, anyway, for me the two systems (Mac and GS) are similar enough that
it was logical for me to choose a Mac and no other platform. My personal
encounters with MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 made clear that these systems
wouldn't be fun for me. I don't know the Amiga too well but having been a
user of Commodore machines (PET/CBM) before, I didn't expect much of that
machine.

Food for discussion... :-)

Cheers
--Cody

_____________________________________________________________________
Urs Hochstrasser   ('Cody')    internet: hochstrasse@ubaclu.unibas.ch
Official Computer Wizard (CV) of the Botanical Institute Hebelstrasse
                  University of BASEL (Tel int. 7 23 32)
                webmaster of http://www.unibas.ch/bothebel
_____________________________________________________________________