Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!helios!tamuts!n138ct
From: n138ct@tamuts.tamu.edu (Brent Burton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: give me solid facts: why is the mac better than MeSsy DOS/WINDOWS
Message-ID: <12608@helios.TAMU.EDU>
Date: 25 Feb 91 21:25:38 GMT
References: <91.056.16:01:18@ira.uka.de>
Sender: usenet@helios.TAMU.EDU
Followup-To: comp.sys.mac.misc
Distribution: comp
Organization: Texas A&M University
Lines: 94

In article <91.056.16:01:18@ira.uka.de> s_czempin@irav1.ira.uka.de writes:
>So I have decided to be really thorough: I will start the COMPLETE LIST
>OF REASONS WHY THE MAC IS BETTER THAN PC COMPATIBLES.

Nicolai,

Here are some reasons why macs are better than older technology:   :)

* User interface intergral to operating system

   Because windows and other elements of GUI are part of the MacOS, there is
   not a kludge (i.e., Windows) needed for a decent user interface.  Windows
   is basically a hack to support "multitasking under ms-dos".  Also, because
   windows is ON TOP OF THE OPERATING SYSTEM (DOS), it is not as integral
   and therefore, the 'feel' is not as smooth and transparent.
     I've used PS/2's with OS/2 and Windows -- to get a GUI on a machine like
   this takes lots of processing power and memory.  Not true with macs. (Sys
   7.0 will up the memory requirements, but Sys 6.0.x are fairly efficient)

* Macs don't rely on outdated CPUs (i.e., 8086/8088).

   Since macs are designed around the Motorola 68000 family, their future use
   is not hindered due to drastic redesign of the chip.  What I mean is, the
   M68k was sophisticated enough (and still is) to support macintoshes for
   quite a while.  On the other hand, the 80286/386 chips, which offer mere
   improvements, still have to support the OLD 8086/8088 chips (8 bit chips?
   they might be 16).
     Because PC use the Intel x86 chips which inherently are stuck in the
   "small memory" model (dos still supports this ancient design), the machines
   are restricted to 640K RAM.  Sure, 1 Meg machines are available, but the
   upper 384k is not usuable by a user program, only device drivers.  Even
   if a user is not using many device drivers (and the 384k is basically not
   used too much -- much free memory), that extended space is still no usuable.
   The PC machines, their architecture, still support this and DOS remains
   locked into this scheme.
     Motorola 680x0 chips are 32 bit chips which will address a linear array
   up to 4 Gigabytes (??).  Since the memory space is a continuous linear
   arrangement, there are no "banks" or bank-switching schemes necessary.
   Various Unix operating systems on PC's still restrict programs to
   64k(code)+64K(data) sized programs.  There is basically NO LIMIT to mac
   application size.

* Fonts, clipboard, and other mac nice-itys

   The OPERATING SYSTEM (macs) supports the Fonts, clipboard, DAs, Networking,
   and every other aspect that makes a mac a mac.  With Windows, there is no
   integration of these aspects.  Not every program follows the same standard,
   if indeed there is a standard.
     For example, fonts.  Some PC programs use fonts (misc paint programs,
   CAD programs, etc).  These programs use their own specific format for font
   files and therefore are not compatible.
     To support a clipboard is PC application dependent (for non-Windows).
   Again, here is an instance where PC programs like to use their own format,
   so it's not compatible (that's if you could even paste between two dos
   programs -- you'd first have to have them either running at the same time
   or DOS would have to support cut/paste.)
     You want networking?  OK, select Chooser on macintosh, click on  the
   'AppleTalk Active' option and <poof!>, a network exists.  On a PC, first
   buy the most current issue of Computer Shopper, find a cheap networking
   card, find "compatible" software, and once you get it, try hooking it up.
   Install the card, find out it isn't compatible with your modem, switch a
   button on the networking card and cause your printer to print 'X's all the
   time.  Next, after _finally_ getting the card to work, install the software
   by hacking a batch file (.bat file) and hope there is space in the
   384K "Extended memory" to load tc-pip/whatever.  Find out your return key
   doesn't work anymore due to another TSR...

* International language support
   The Macintosh operating systems and applications all support resources
   and therefore, by simply modifying resources you can have an instant
   German application from the native English application for example.  No
   recompilation is necessary.  This important to users and developers
   both -- users are happy they don't have to read _everything_ in English,
   and developers don't have to recompile several versions -- just copy
   the specific resources to the application.

What is boils down to is trying to shave a wolf and give it a lobotomy just
to make it _look_ like a sheep -- it just doesn't work.  The PC family of
computers should really be thrown out and redesigned using MODERN
technology.  By using 386/486 chips, you are only speeding up an 8088 as long
as you use DOS.  (There are a few nice UNIX implementations that take
advantage of 386 virtual memory -- SCO UNIX?  Also, these better systems
support X and therefore have a good window system...)

The mac is a real nice system since it is integrated so well.  The machine
was designed to be a windowing system.  The hardware (graphic hardware/ ROMS)
has a common goal - to support a graphical GUI.  The PCs lack this 'feature'
and they _try_ (real hard) to emulate it in software.  This means a large,
clunky system that offers pitiful performance.

             +----------------------+--------------------------+
             | Brent P. Burton      | n138ct@tamuts.tamu.edu   |
             | Texas A&M University | Computer Science/Physics |
             +----------------------+--------------------------+