Re: Replacement fan for the IIGS

[Roger Johnstone <rojaws@orcon.net.nz>]

In <NOGdnYwxf_yH58TeRVn-pw@comcast.com> Michael J. Mahon wrote:
> Sean Fahey wrote:
> 
> <snip>
> 
>> You have to understand Apple's thinking at the time: they didn't 
>> expect users to fill up all the slots. The main reason the slots 
>> existed were for flexibility and backwards compatibility to create 
>> marketing leverage. Apple wanted to make it easier for users to 
>> migrate and preserve their expensive peripheral investments. Apple 
>> really did anticipate all those II Plus and //e users to want to 
>> upgrade to the GS. There was also the huuuge peripheral aftermarket 
>> to take into account - getting rid of slots would have fundamentally 
>> changed the peripheral market and made a lot of people/companies mad. 
>> Anyway, back to the point, Apple engineers expected most users to 
>> rely on the built-in ports.
> 
> And they certainly didn't expect card designers to completely ignore
> the per-slot power consumption specs--which many, and particularly
> the TransWarp cards, do.

I always wondered why the IIGS designers gave it the full seven slots. 
It would have made more sense to me to have reduced it to four slots (
like the Apple III) and use the control panel to map each physical slot 
to a slot address space. That would have maintained full compatibilty, 
and have left enough room on the motherboard for four SIMM slots, and 
enough room in the case for a built-in 3.5" floppy drive.

I know someone's going to argue that they need all their slots and wish 
they had more :-P but most users never had more than one or two cards 
installed in a IIGS.

-- 
Roger Johnstone, Invercargill, New Zealand
http://roger.geek.nz/
________________________________________________________________________
  No Silicon Heaven? Preposterous! Where would all the calculators go?

              Kryten, from the Red Dwarf episode "The Last Day"