Re: Apple Drops Backward Compatibility for Next MacOS

[shack@deimos.frii.com (Randy Shackelford)]

In article <54u17v$1i9i@uni.library.ucla.edu>,
 <pubpc1@library.ucla.edu> wrote:

[major snippage since it's pointless to discuss what could/should have been
done at this point]

>WHAT new apps can you run on the Plus?  You can run new apps created by
>GS programmers on the GS.

The current versions of Wordperfect and Microphone Pro, to give examples of
apps I use regularly.

>Ask Nate about TCP for the GS, he's beta testing.

Suppose I'm beta testing some whiz bang new app that runs on a Plus. What's
your point? Can you run TCP on your IIgs?

>>We're talking system software. Windows NT 4.0 doesn't run on less than a
>>386 but apps still run. That's how system 8 will work.
>
>You don't understand.  I'm not saying we should force the OS to work on old
>model computers.  GS/OS dosn't run on a //e.  I'm saying we should maintain
>BACKWARD compatibility.  The Pentium can run MS-DOS!  The GS can run ProDOS!
>This does not mean you have to make Windows 95 run on an XT or GS/OS run
>on a //e!

Listen up, because I'm only gonna say this once. The Mac Plus can run the
current Mac system. The //e could never run GS/OS. When you say "force the
OS to work on old computers", you're trying to say make something run on a
box it could never run on. When I talk about running systems on old boxes,
I mean maintaining compatibility with an old box which could at one time run
that system. There's an important difference. Microsoft is axing compatibility
with old boxes the way I say axing compatibility.

>>Dream on. AE went out of business because it couldn't compete with its 
>>overpriced products. If you think that people would buy IIs with their under-
>>powered apps over MacOS or wintel, marketing notwithstanding, you need a 
>>reality check.
>
>AE was doing well as long as the Apple II market did well.  If Apple kept
>improving the II(GS) and kept it alive, AE would have stayed alive because
>it would have had a market!

It couldn't compete in other markets because its stuff was overpriced. It was
becoming uncompetitive in the II market with the likes of AI and Sequential
to contend with. Just take a look at an old II mag and see what a 100 mb Vulcan
hard disk's list price was compared to your average SCSI drive and card for
example. I don't have a solitary AE product in any of my IIgses for this
reason.

>>These at some point become mutually exclusive. System software support for 
>>68000, '020, and non 32 bit '030 Macs is being axed so that performance on
>>newer boxes can improve. Windows NT 4.5 will not run on 486s. That's the
>>nature of the beast.
>
>Well GS/OS dosn't support the //e!  I'm not talking about making system
>software compatible with older models!  I'm saying make new models, make
>new system software, but give the new models the ABILITY to run the old
>apps.

Read my explanation again if you still don't get it. They're axing support
for machines which once were supported for the sake of improving performance
on newer boxes, not trying to support old stuff that never had support before.

>Have you ever used a Mac Plus?  I have.
>Have you ever used an Apple IIGS?  I have.
>The Apple IIGS was a better machine.

I own one Mac Plus and five IIgses. I can do more up to date, real world stuff
with my Plus than I can with my IIgses. They are nice boxes, but they never had
very many quality native apps. So like I say, depends on how you look at it
which one you say is better. If you look at each sitting on a desk running the
finder, you'd say a IIgs is better. If you try to get some work done, you'll
give the Plus the nod.

>Macs are fine machines today.  If a fine Mac could evolve from a sucky Mac
>Plus, a GREAT Apple II could have evolved from the superior GS!

So what would be the point, in these days of affordable Macs? The appeal of
the II in the olden days was to allow mortals to experience Apple computing.
Since mortals can afford a Mac now, who's gonna buy a non Mac Apple product?
-- 
Randy Shackelford                                 
shack@frii.com