Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucsd!ucrmath!alchemy!hzink
From: hzink@alchemy.UUCP (Harry K. Zink)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Apple II / Mac discusson (was:Re:Official"No New Apple II's")
Message-ID: <213@alchemy.UUCP>
Date: 3 Nov 90 22:51:10 GMT
Reply-To: hzink@alchemy.UUCP (Harry K. Zink)
Organization: Alchemy Software Designs
Lines: 48

If you are asking the question : "What can the Mac do that the GS can't?", the 
only logical reply would be: "Well, the GS can pretty much do ALMOST everything
the Mac can do!".

For the sake of this argument I will leave out such trivial matters as that it 
is not System 7.0 compatible :-) or that it can't multitask (no matter what 
some of you might argue, it really CAN NOT do multitasking, not even to the 
peonic degree of MultiFinder...), nor can it handle Virtual memory.

Now, some hard core techno freaks might say that these are relevant factors, 
but they really aren't.  What counts is really what you can do in terms of 
productivity with the two machines.

Well, there is a counterpart to Mac software on the GS side for quite a few of 
the applications:  You can Telecom (Proterm, AWGS), DTP (Publish It, AWGS), 
Word Processing, and what have you.  In many ways, the concept of AWGS in my 
eyes is a great bonus on the GS sides, as it indeed integrates all important 
applications a user might need.

The difference between the two platforms is that simply on the Mac side you can
do all the same things except that you can do them faster, better and with more
versatility.

For starters, the GS/OS does not support Adobe Laserfonts (nor will it ever 
according to apple) and that makes it hellish to do any serious DTP with a 
variety of standard fonts.  The lack of decenty color capabilities in 640x400 
mode hampers any hopes of serious color processing.  The lack of square pixels 
makes any precision work like DTP or WP a chore.

My point here is that the GS is a very good machine for the home and 
educational market, no doubt about it, but if you are looking into any more 
complex applications or more flexibility, the Mac has the advantage.  The GS 
does not have any of the vast functionality of INITs and DAs and CDEVs the Mac 
sports, nor do many developers invest in good software for it (with the 
exception of a select few like Vitesse) - and those are usually treated like 
little pets (or worse) by apple (that is, until they start on the Mac).

Sad but true, while I like the GS as a machine, I also fail to see the 
advantage of a GS emulation card for the LC, as the only functionality it lacks
is Apple //e emulation.  The GS part is more than adequately made up by being 
able to run Mac software.


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