Date:         Tue, 22 Jul 2003 18:58:47 -0700
Reply-To:     Aristotle Sagan <killer_jupiter@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Aristotle Sagan <killer_jupiter@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: It's a Beautiful Day in America!...
Comments: To: jrasite@eoni.com
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

OK, OK... This has gone on far enough. This is a vanagon list and I
apologize for rising to the apple/windoze bait.

Gates wrote essencial applications for the Mac, not the OS. Are you all
happy? This had to do with one person gloating about all the damned
technical advances (very few) Apple and VW have made while the rest of the
world just looks on and copies their good work. Marginal products... period.

tim in san jose


>From: Jim <jrasite@eoni.com>
>To: Aristotle Sagan <killer_jupiter@HOTMAIL.COM>
>CC: "vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM" <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>Subject: Re: It's a Beautiful Day in America!...
>Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 18:43:08 -0700
>
>I was going to stay out of this, but.....
>
>Most of the comments I've read here today preface with, "Personally I don't
>use a Mac..." I'd offer that that's akin to saying, "Personally, I don't
>drive..." when posting a criticism of or comments regarding Vanagons on the
>Vanagon list. Drive a Mac for a year or two, THEN experss your opinion.
>
><OPIN>
>Personally, in my business I support both Windows and Mac systems.  With
>the release of XP and OS X, the operating systems are very similar in 'look
>and feel'. The advantage of the Microsoft product is the 95% market
>penetration.  The advantage of OS X is Apple's control of both the hardware
>and the software.  The disadvantage of Microsoft's product is that it must
>run on an incredible variety of hardware configurations. This leads to
>bloated software. The disadvantage of Apple's product is 5% market
>penetration. (Actually something like 3% these days...) However, I can run
>nearly any Windows program (including the all important ETKA) on my Mac.  I
>don't think you can run iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto or Safari on your Windows
>platform..... I work on both platforms, and my home systems are Macs and
>Mac clones. Eventually, the open source initiative may do them both in.
>(One can always hope. )
></OPIN>
>
>But... The reason I had to write was to question the statement, "You mean
>like Microsoft who wrote the first Apple operating system?" Aristotle, cite
>your source... My research shows,
>
>"DOS and ProDOS are operating systems designed by Apple Computer, Inc. to
>run in the 8-bit Apple II line of computers. DOS was released for the Apple
>II in the late 1970's and was later replaced with ProDOS. ProDOS is much
>easier to use than DOS. Apple has always had an ease of use philosophy. You
>can tell by reading their older Apple II DOS or ProDOS manuals. They have
>always strived to make the computer experience as humanistic as possible.
>DOS and ProDOS are text-line OS's and as such are inherently harder to use
>than a GUI OS. Attempts to add a GUI to the older 8-bit Apple II's (not
>withstanding the 16-bit IIgs) have all pretty much fallen flat. The Apple
>II simply does not have the graphical capabilities to support a convincing
>GUI. The Apple II, excluding the later IIgs, is a text-line machine, take
>it or leave it. You might expect that as a text-line machine, it would be
>hard to use and cryptic, especially if you are familiar with text-line
>operating systems like MSDOS. DOS and ProDOS were designed with as few
>keywords as possible. It was designed to make the levels of abstraction as
>few as possible. These OS's are simple, elegant, and fun to use. They do
>not tax the user with multitudes of cryptic commands and hard to remember
>procedures. It is no wonder that the company that produced these powerfully
>simple text-line OS's eventually changed the world with the MacOS GUI."
><http://homepage.mac.com/vectronic/appleii/dos.html>
>
>You might also take a look at
><http://www.chips.navy.mil/archives/02_fall/index2_files/briefhistory2.htm>
>
>I'll shut up now.
>
>Jim
>
>
>

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