Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!maverick.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!bria!mike
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: How wrong is MS-DOS? (or: What is the definition of obsolete)
Message-ID: <343@bria>
Date: 10 Jan 91 21:30:51 GMT
References: <1991Jan6.183213.27136@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> <1991Jan06.204401.21579@turnkey.tcc.com> <1991Jan6.232549.2764@isis.cs.du.edu> <1991Jan08.040128.22819@cs.fau.edu> <339@bria> <3111@crdos1.crd.ge.COM>
Reply-To: mike@bria.UUCP (Michael Stefanik)
Organization: Briareus Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 38

In article <3111@crdos1.crd.ge.COM> davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.com (bill davidsen) writes:
>  The people who are content with DOS don't see as anything but a way to
>do a job. They solve problems with existing resources instead of
>worrying about new ones. They are the people who put Skylab up several
>decades ago. The scientists who now say that we can't put up a space
>station because it will need constant repairs don't use DOS. They never
>get anything done because they are always sharpening their tools.

I disagree with this generalization that DOS users are productive computer
users, and UNIX users are not productive becuase they're too busy building
better mousetraps; if this were truly the case, Ken would still be working
on the PDP-11 cranking out the "mousetraps" that we all take for granted.

Certainly I would agree that UNIX users are more "tools" oriented than
DOS users, but would a likely reason be that UNIX tools are considerably
more powerful (and, yes, *fun* to use) than the meager portions doled
out by Microsoft?

UNIX users *do* see their machines as tools, and use them as such.  The
point I'm trying to make is why not try something better, even if your
needs are met?  By way of analogy (a true one at that), consider the
telephone.  When the phone first came out, messenger boys were common.
The people said, "Why would we use a phone?  We use our messenger boys,
and all of the businesses we deal with are close by."  This is the same
mentality of many DOS users: "Why should I upgrade?  My AaackBlatz
package does what I need."  All the while they are shutting their eyes
to something that could increase their productivity ...

True, not *everyone* needs the latest and greatest.  However, I have found
that DOS users are on the order of contented cows, happy with the pasture
in which they graze, and not interested in anything else but chewing
their mediocre cud ..."
-- 
Michael Stefanik, Systems Engineer (JOAT), Briareus Corporation
UUCP: ...!uunet!bria!mike
--
technoignorami (tek'no-ig'no-ram`i) a group of individuals that are constantly
found to be saying things like "Well, it works on my DOS machine ..."