To Slot or Not To Slot (was Re: Ultima 6)

[xyzzy@ponyexpress.net (Edward Franks)]

RUBYWAND says...

[Snip]

>     The notion that a computer needs Slots to support major upgrades is
> passe'. For example, Pentium 166 motherboards now sell for about the same
> as the top PC Video cards. Slots are necessary; but, it makes sense to put
> all major systems on the motherboard and just swap-in mb's every 2-4
> years.
> 

	Shades of the original Mac!  Slots are *not* passe.  Slots allow a 
microcomputer to have an open architecture.  A micro without slots only 
is as good as the original hardware designer.  A micro with slots can be 
more than what the hardware designer envisioned.
	Slots are one of the strengths of the Apple2 (or the IBM PC for 
that matter).  Slots also allow a perfectly good micro to use technology 
that didn't exist when the micro was designed (SCSI for example).
	The lack of slots, that is the lack of expandability, was a major 
strike against the Mac in the early days.  Steve Jobs _wanted_ the Mac to 
be a totally integrated micro.  Thank god the people on the Mac project 
added some (limited) expandability to the original Mac.

	Remember,
		Slots = open architecture = good
		No slots = closed architecture = bad

Edward




-- 

Edward Franks
efranks@msn.com
xyzzy@ponyexpress.net

-==(UDIC)==- Fortran Dragon

Microsoft Certified Product Specialist: Windows 3.1

"Ain't I a stinker?" - Bugs Bunny