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From: torrie@cs.stanford.edu (Evan Torrie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: Mac and Amiga (Games--Macintosh vs A500)
Message-ID: <1991Mar15.093958.16993@neon.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 15 Mar 91 09:39:58 GMT
References: <1991Mar13.221028.8703@neon.Stanford.EDU> <1991Mar13.230616.1544@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> <1991Mar14.180927.10017@neon.Stanford.EDU> <1991Mar14.235518.9837@grebyn.com>
Sender: torrie@neon.Stanford.EDU (Evan James Torrie)
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University, Ca , USA
Lines: 33

ckp@grebyn.com (Checkpoint Technologies) writes:

>[ I don't care how irrelevant the Subject: line is.  This is .advocacy,
>after all. ]

>Open Look uses technology specifically licensed to AT&T by Xerox, which
>is the origin of all this desktop-metaphor, overlapping-windows & mice
>stuff anyway. Xerox technology was the seed for the Mac's interface.
>That Apple hasn't licensed this technology has not been an issue in the
>courts; and if Apple leaves Open Look and Xerox alone, it may not arise.

  Isn't there an urban legend that Apple did indeed license technology
from Xerox before announcing the Lisa.  There was mention of this in
one of the books on Silicon Valley, but it seems to be fairly
uncertain whether this is actually true.
  Anyone out there in wonderland know the answer?

>Oh, and speaking of "innovations", the only time innovation appears is
>when a new computer architecture is introduced.  The old original Mac
>128 was an innovation in software and user interface technology on a PC.
>The Amiga 1000 was an innovation as a balanced custom VLSI hardware/
>multitasking software combination with an emphasis on performance.
>Neither has really advanced past these basic innovations, the changes in
>both lines have merely been refinements.

  Exactly what I said, although a few people don't seem to agree with
you and me.

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evan Torrie.  Stanford University, Class of 199?       torrie@cs.stanford.edu   
"If it weren't for your gumboots, where would you be?   You'd be in the
hospital, or in-firm-ary..."  F. Dagg