Re: Grandson of Flame-O-Rama

[bazyar@netcom.com (Jawaid Bazyar)]

daye@CSOS.ORST.EDU (Critical Mass) writes:

>I mailed Dan Perlberger a reply to his second post here.  He *asked* me
>to post his response, so here it is.  Pop up some nice popcorn, grab something
>with some caffeine in it, and try not to spray it on the monitor when you
>laugh ;)

>Date: Sat, 30 Apr 1994 13:04:27 EDT
>From: dp02@Lehigh.EDU (DANIEL PERLBERGER)
>X-Mailer: SENDM [Version 2.0.11]
>Subject: Re: ZipGS 12MHz on ROM 01?
>To: Critical Mass <daye@CSOS.ORST.EDU>
>Status: RO

>I will try to address each of the points you made.  First of all, when I was
>referring to if the GS was all powerful, it was a figure of speech.  People
>wrote to me claiming it was as good as a 386 40 or even a 486 Dx...so what I
>was saying is if it was that great (with 80's technology), then it would have
>never been canceled and it would have been supported..but since it was not,
>therefore it sucks and the companies knew it.  And you can claim all you want
>about a IIGS being faster than a 386...but I know from experience that that is
>just B.S.   I have argued that with people, so I will just say that a 16-bit
>computer running at 12 MHZ (very comparable actually to a 16-bit 286 running
>at 12MHZ) is not going to be as fast as 32-bit 386 running at any clock rate.

  A 16-bit 286 takes 4 processor cycles to make a 16-bit memory fetch;
the 65816 takes two processor cycles to make a 16-bit memory fetch.
The 286 instructions take, on average, twice as many cycles to execute
as their 816 counterparts. A 12MHz 65816 is thus about 4 times as fast,
on average, as a 12-MHz '286, and _my_ experience shows this. A 12-MHz
816 _in a GS_ averages, of course, slower than 12MHz, but the point
is still valid.

>Win NT is a breakthrough
>in GUI, multitasking environments.  

  Win NT is a breakthrough for memory manufacturers & hard drive
manufacturers.

>Think about it. Why would someone upgrade when all they are keepin on
>theirold machine is the case?  Apple would have to charge basically the same
>amount as for a new IIGS.  The answer is that you are wrong...the IIE upgrade
>did not replace the complete motherboard...It was an UPGRADE not a replacement.
>The microprocessor was replaced and basically it was an addon board that
>superceded the 8-bit bus and made it IIGS compatible.  Get you facts
>straight...your IIGS, like I said, is nothing mroe than an upgraded 8-bit
>computer.  

  Look, Perlberger, I've seen IIe that were upgraded to IIGS's. It was
a motherboard & case backplane swap. I have my facts straight, you don't.
I will give you _Apple part numbers_ for the motherboard swap if you like.

> My PC is not.  There is no way of upgrading the 8088 to a 386 or
>486..no matter what you do.  The IIGS is just an updated form of late 70's and
>early 80's Technology.  

>The PC of today did of course come from the early
>8088's ..but it was completely changed (but still keeping it backwards
>compatible).  

  The IIGS is a completely new computer that maintains backward compatibility
with the IIe.

>For instance, the 8086 had a mere 29000 transistors on it...the
>486 today has 1.2 million..and the pentium has 3.1 million.  The more
>transistors it has, the more functions it can perform.  The 386 has 275000
>transistors, while the 286 has 134000 transistors.  Here's a simple test..how
>many does the IIGS have?  Well, I left you with something to think about.
>Have a great time playing your Apple II software on your IIGS...I have to go
>do some real work on a real computer...something you wouldn't know about.

  The more transistors it has, the more power it sucks, the hotter it
runs, the more likely it is to fail, the harder it is to ensure 100%
operational reliability in the manufacturer's testing phase, the
lower yields manufacturers get - all of which adds up to much higher
prices for users. Have you ever heard of a 65816 blowing up just sitting
there? 486's & Pentiums do that all the time.

   Real work on a real computer? I won't even bother to list the
real things Apple II's/GS's are being used for every day, in education,
therapy, scientific research, and on, and on. 

-- 
 Jawaid Bazyar              |   Like UNIX? Like your Apple IIGS? Then ask
 Procyon, Inc.              |   me about GNO/ME for the Apple IIgs!   
 bazyar@netcom.com          |   P.O Box 620334
 --Apple II Forever!--      |   Littleton, CO 80162-0334   (303) 781-3273