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From: dcw@lcs.mit.edu (David C. Whitney)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Apple II / Mac discusson (was:Re:Official"No New Apple II's")
Message-ID: <1990Nov1.214909.18927@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>
Date: 1 Nov 90 21:49:09 GMT
References: <9538.apple.net@pro-angmar> <8432@darkstar.ucsc.edu>
Sender: daemon@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu (Lucifer Maleficius)
Organization: MIT Spoken Language Systems Group
Lines: 42

In article <8432@darkstar.ucsc.edu> unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (The Unknown User) writes:
>
>In article <9538.apple.net@pro-angmar> kgreen@pro-angmar.UUCP (Kevin Green) writes:
>	What can the Mac do that the GS can't do? And I'm not trying to
>take this argument to such an absurd level where someone can say "What can
>the Mac do that the Commodor PET can't?"
>
>	Maybe to make it a little more even playing field, we'll assume the
>GS has a Zip GS in it.
>
>	Now I'll ask my question now from an application perspective.. meaning
>that obviously you can say the GS doesn't have the resolution the Macs have.  

Well, theoretically, nothing. Any computer can "do" what any other
computer can "do." In reality, the GS can't do whatever program hasn't
been written for it. For example, MacroMind's Director. A truly
amazing Multimedia preperation tool for the mac. We use it at work
extensively to make videotapes describing what our group does (and we
show these tapes to bigwigs at the Fed). Director doesn't exist for
the GS, so you can't do that on the GS *right now*. It's also unlikely
that you ever *will* be able to do it simply because the general view
among publishers (whether accurate or not) is that the GS is not
suited to do that sort of thing.

Now, if everyone had a Zipped GS and gobs of memory (Director is a
hog, BTW - we run out in our 8meg machine), MacroMind might be more
inclined to port it. Why don't they anyway? Well, it's hard to do
seeing as there aren't any VERY powerful tools like a GS version of
MacAPP available (we need a OOP compiler first).

The GS can do only what you can buy off the shelf. In terms of that,
the Mac can do more and that's all there is to it. Note that I'm
trying to be objective here - I'm not pointing out cost of
hardware/software or what real people are likely to do. Just pointing
out availablility of programs - which is the real measure of what any PC
can do.

--
Dave Whitney
Computer Science MIT 1990	| I wrote Z-Link and BinSCII. Send me bug
dcw@lcs.mit.edu			| reports. I need a job. Send me an offer.
Every now and then one makes a mistake. Mine was probably this post.