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Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!nstar!crom2!jim
From: jim@crom2.uucp (James P. H. Fuller)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Open Letter to an MS-DOS User
Message-ID: <1991Mar30.021300.3899@crom2.uucp>
Date: 30 Mar 91 02:13:00 GMT
References: <6078@crystal9.UUCP> <1991Mar27.200613.4423@jato.jpl.nasa.gov> <1991Mar29.075611.26873@news.arc.nasa.gov>
Distribution: na
Organization: Abbey Technologies - Athens GA
Lines: 56


ogawa@orion.arc.nasa.gov (Arthur Ogawa) writes:

> Oh, look. This thing is cross-posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc. No
> wonder so many DOS respondents to this thread. Alright, then, please
> fellow flamers, accept this challenge: state how much experience/money
> you've spent on DOS/Mac systems when you post. Let those who have
> their feet in both camps relate their experiences, and let the bigots
> confess themselves for what they are: uninformed.

     Ghod what a bore it is listening to people flame about "My brand is
super, your brand is sh*t."  It's no different from listening to rednecks
argue about Ford trucks vs. Chevy trucks.  (Not a reflection on ogawa@orion,
I thought your post was quite rational....)  Any given machine will do some
tasks better and some worse than another machine with a different design
philosophy.  I don't happen to have a Mac but if Santa Clause brought me
one I sure wouldn't throw it away.  I do still use and enjoy Apple products,
though not Macs.  (My ancient and venerable Apple II is presently tied to a
Unix box via serial cable and Kermit, and is the first Apple II in the Known
Universe to achieve Dhrystone 20000....)  I wouldn't at this point buy any-
thing else from Apple due to being mad about their damned look-and-feel
lawsuits, but that's an argument with their company policies, not a gripe
about their products.

     To accept your challenge, I have about $9000 tied up in crom2 (see the
.sig below for system configuration.)  I bought this stuff last spring and
the same system could be had now for 2/3 what I paid, or less -- but then
if I'd waited for prices to fall I'd now be a beginner at *nix instead of
having a year's bloody-fingered climbing up the learning curve already
behind me.  In my particular case it was worth it, but certainly other
people might feel differently.

     If it matters, I chose a 486-based box instead of a Mac a) because at
that time it was possible to build an IBM-clone without using any IBM-brand
parts but not possible to build a Mac-clone/Hackintosh without using Apple-
brand parts (I understand this may be changing; if so, good) and b) because
generic Unix was available for 486s but not for Macs (I wanted to run Unix,
not something called AIX or A/UX.)  Note that neither of these points has
anything to do with the quality or functionality of Macs as computers.

     Finally, the computer I want NEXT isn't either a Mac *or* a PC.
LORDY how I hope the SPARCstation clones are a success!  THAT'S what I want
next, bro!

P.S.  One thing I wonder is, how many people who post to comp.sys.mac.misc
are posting FROM MACS, and how many who post to comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc are
posting FROM PC's.  (I'm posting this from crom2.)

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 crom2 Athens Public Access Unix  |  i486 AT, 16 mg RAM, 600 mg online
                                  |  AT&T Unix System V release 3.2
 Molecular Biology                |  Tbit PEP 19200bps - V.32 - V.42/V.42bis
 Population Biology               |     
 Ecological Modelling             |  Admin: James P. H. Fuller
 Bionet/Usenet/cnews/nn           |  {jim,root}%crom2@nstar.rn.com
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