Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!emory!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!mucs!liv-cs!rkl
From: rkl@and.cs.liv.ac.uk
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: ROM System Disk...now where have I seen that before ?
Message-ID: <1990Nov2.165421.3985@and.cs.liv.ac.uk>
Date: 2 Nov 90 15:54:21 GMT
References: <10123@ur-cc.UUCP> <1990Oct30.231717.29002@hoss.unl.edu>
Organization: Computer Science, Liverpool University
Lines: 38

In article <252u3129@fergvax.unl.edu (Mike Gleason) writes:
> Is there anyone out there besides me that thinks that this is just another
> lie cooked up by MacTheKnife? [Bootable ROM Mac Classic]

It is true apparently [according to a colleague] and the Filo Info windows
show that it's "hidden inside this machine" or some such bemusing message.

> For one, how could they fit an entire, decent,
> bootable system file in only 357k?

Poor old 128K Mac owners only had 400K floppies remember :-)

> A better idea would be for apple to supply
> some sort of SIMM slot for a ROM disk.  Then, *when* they find bugs in the
> System software, they could just supply a new ROM SIMM (for a hefty fee of
> course).

Sounds just like the system Acorn are currently employing with their
Archimedes. The general public only get the major ROM releases and the
software developers (ISVs - Independent Software Vendors - in Acorn's
parlance) get intermediate releases on disk. The Archimedes OS is completely
modular and sections of it can be replaced by loading and replacing the
ROM versions by disk versions. However, I *love* the power-on-and-go
mentality of the Archimedes...it just encourages you to crash the machine
in the cleverest way :-)

I'm not a fan of Apple's method of releasing an ever-growing and often
buggy intermediate release of the System software every few months. I
believe that 6.0.6 is too bug-ridden to be usable...at least RISC OS 2.00
on the Archimedes is pretty well rock solid (and has nearly all the features
of System 7 (co-operative multi-tasking, anti-aliased scalable fonts,
inter-application communication) about 2 years ahead of Apple.

Richard K. Lloyd,       *** This is a MicroVAX II running VAX/VMS V5.3-1 ***
Computer Science Dept., * JANET     : RKL@UK.AC.LIV.CS.AND or              *
Liverpool University,   *             RKL@000010500211.FTP.MAIL            *
Merseyside, England,    * Internet  : RKL%and.cs.liv.ac.uk@cunyvm.cuny.edu *
Great Britain.          ****************************************************