Re: What's Next for the Apple II?

["Byron Q. Desnoyers Winmill" <byron@desnoyers.org>]

Dan wrote:
> Rubywand wrote:
> > Since it looks like neither PC nor Mac (i.e. the machines and their
> > cultures) will ever succeed in putting the user back in control, the
> > lure of the Apple II Idea remains.
>
> Exactly what "control" do I have over my Platinum //e and ROM 3 IIgs in
> a WOZ case that I don't have over my B&W G4 Mac and my  half dozen
> Windows PCs and laptops?

I think Rubywand meant that users control the future of the Apple
II platform, while the interests of large businesses (such as Apple,
Intel, and Microsoft) drive the future of Macs and PCs.

In a certain respect, this clearly isn't true: if you need something
for your Mac or PC, you can buy.  You can even pick up a compiler
and write the software.  On the otherhand, businesses frequently
generate artificial demand for their product: do you really think
that 50% of Mac users would have switched to Mac OS X if Apple
didn't discorage developer to drop Mac OS 9 and if Apple didn't
prevent Mac OS 9 from booting on new machines.  I have even seen
the odd System 6 or 7 (Macintosh) compatible application go Mac OS
9 and Mac OS X only, simply because that is the future (eg. OzTex).

Now nobody is going to insist that you run DOS33, ProDOS, or even
GS/OS on your Apple II.  Nobody will protest if you run an old
version of FrEd writer, instead of the latest version of AppleWorks.
If new software is written, it is to satisfy the interests of the
author or the needs of the community at large.

Byron.