Re: What computer would you buy to replace your //* ?

[philip@utstat.toronto.edu (Philip McDunnough)]

In article <CC5H6B.498@wave.scar.utoronto.ca> 90taobri@wave.scar.utoronto.ca (Brian Tao) writes:

[ ]
>
>    You must be referring to the PowerPC.  That platform is currently in
>the lead for my choice of next computer.  :)  Apple plans to put a
>PowerPC chip into a future Powerbook (POWERbook?!?) model.  That won't
>be for a couple of years, at least.  The first one out (MPC601) isn't
>the low-power version designed for notebook computers.  Pardon my
>language, but it will kick the Pentium's a*s.

A PowerPC computer can't\be purchased at this time, so you have no idea 
how an Apple/IBM/etc...computer based on it running (???) will be. These
demonstrations put on by various companies are often misleading. Apple will
not have that easy a time moving away from the 68k family. As for your
Pentium comparison the only obvious advantage, and this has been the case
with Intel and Motorola for a long time, is the floating point advantage
that the PowerPC has over the 586. Since floating point operations are
relativelt rare this is almost meaningless when you consider the very real
possibility of (1) a triple speed 486 (2) 486's and 586's shipping in 
massive volumes. It will be years before the PowerPC approaches 10% the volume
of Intel's units. Perhaps when Talligent comes out in the 22cond century...
 
-- 
Philip McDunnough
University of Toronto
philip@utstat.toronto.edu
[Where sheep may safely graze...]