Grandson of Flame-O-Rama

[daye@CSOS.ORST.EDU (Critical Mass)]

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.
Next, you complained about me changing processors.  Don't you ever understand
when I am talking in a non-literal sense.  I was discussing if a IIGS had a 30
MHZ expansion board..that it would still be restrained by its 16-bit
architecture and it would not even come close to a comparable clock speed 33
MHZ 386 dx.  That was my point, sorry if I confused you or something..I'll try
writing in shorter sentences next time for ya.  As far as what I called
"fictional" companies.  Again, I did not mean that literally..I was poking fun
at how no one outside of your little IIGS fantasy world knows about these
little specks of dust that call themselves companies.  I know even when I
owned my IIGS I could find no software...so I don't but it that all of these
magical, wonderful companies exist..since I remember the frustration of
finding even one bit of software for my IIGS.  It really sucked when I saw my
friends getting anything they wanted for their PC's.  Then, you started to
bust on PC software Technology like the advanced NT.  Win NT is a breakthrough
in GUI, multitasking environments.  Unlike you blindly claim, on a proper
machine (at least 16 Meg of Ram, big big big hard drive , and probably at
least a DX2 or Pentium), it is virtually uncrashable.  That has been
documented.  I read an article once that was called "Is the NT really crash
proof?"  It talked about how well it guarded against one of its multitasked
programs going down.  NT also has preemptive multithreadibility, and the
unique ability to work with two or more processors.  Which allows on processor
to work on one task, and the other to work on another task.  NT is not a
desktop GUI, it is made for workstations.  SO no, it is not an example of bad
programming..it is of the highest quality when used correctly.  YOu can not
even start to claim that PC products are going to be any less than 1000 times
better than IIGS products.  Too much money and quality time is spent with PC
products.  Also, when I said that the IIGS would die from PC software...again
it not said literally.  My point was that if the IIGS could run PC software
(let;s say I raise my magic wand and make the iIGS completely PC compatible),
then it still could never run the processor-intensive programs made for the
PC.  It would bog down...it could never handle it..that was my point.  To
justify this, just look before at my comments about 16-bit vs. 32-bit.  ONce
again I will say generously, a IIGS running at 12 MHZ can be loosely compared
to a 286 12MHZ.  Also, the IIGS coul never handle the Video output of such PC
programs.  The IIGS does a measely 4-bit color...pathetic.  Instead of using
the IIGS to draw wwith...I shoud use my old 64 color crayon set and get more
colors out of it.  Of course you're gonna say .."no, the IIGS has 4096 colors
possible"..but I say who the hell cares...the PC has a standard 262144
colors..and most today come with 16.8 million.  And you want ot talk about
sound...please be my guest!  The IIGS of course has a better standard sound
config than any PC.  Pc has a 1 voice little cip inside and the IIGS has a 15
voice chip inside.  But most Pc's are upgraded very cheaply to much much much
superior sound than a IIGS.  Fm Sound production like the IIGS is obsolete.
THe IIGS has this one single MONO (don't even claim Stereo cause I know it
isn't!) sound chip...the inexpensive 16-bit sound cards of today blow away the
IIGS little sound.  They have 16-bit CD quality sound, 44.1 MHZ playback,
direct SCSI hookup to any multimedia CD-ROM player, actual SOFTWARE SUPPORT
fully utilizing these cards (unlike the IIGS which never had any software that
ever used its limited capabilities), some have wavetable synthesis, etc.
The last thing I think was about upgrading.  The 386 is not upgradable
directly to a 486.  Those other non-Intel companies come out with cheap
upgrades; however, they do not match the quality of true 486 computers.  Intel
386's (33dx or 40dx) are better than an upgraded 386.  But what you claimed is
false.  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.  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).  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.


                                            Dan

                                            
-- 
|Evan Day                | "Plans made in the nursery can change the
|daye@CSOS.ORST.EDU      |  course of history.  Remember that."
|"Redneckers, they get us|                         - M. L. Gore               
| pissed" - Black Francis| They've got the guns but we've got the numbers.