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From: jcav@quads.uchicago.edu (john  cavallino)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware,comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: A Classic Dead End?
Keywords: Classic,System 7.0
Message-ID: <1991May20.154508.4325@midway.uchicago.edu>
Date: 20 May 91 15:45:08 GMT
References: <1991May17.162934.29993@midway.uchicago.edu> <24530@oolong.la.locus.com> <53050@apple.Apple.COM>
Sender: news@midway.uchicago.edu (NewsMistress)
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Organization: University of Chicago
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In article <53050@apple.Apple.COM> bc@Apple.COM (bill coderre) writes:
>jcav@quads.uchicago.edu (john  cavallino) writes:
>|>I think that the Classic as currently designed was a bad move on Apple's part.
>|>Yes, I know they are selling as many as they can build, but they are saddling
>|>people with a design that has no more room to grow. 
>|><more stuff deleted>
>
>I'm sorry, but I didn't see a shred of reasonability in your argument.
>The Classic does have room to grow for quite some time. With a fairly
>inexpensive upgrade, you can put 5 megs in the machine, and run System
>7 and two or three medium-large apps all at once, and still have room
>for the Finder, DAs, and background printing.

I didn't know the Classic could go past 4mb of RAM.  Are you sure?  If so,
that is a Good Thing.

[stuff deleted]

>Your argument makes about as much sense as asking a Honda dealer to
>upgrade a two-seater CRX to seat 6, or a video salesman to add stereo
>to your VCR.

I wasn't talking about upgrades, I was talking about the design of a new
machine.  You say my argument has not a shred of reasonability.  Why is it
unreasonable to wish that the memory layout of the Portable (allowing up to
9mb) had been used?  Why is it unreasonable to wish that a faster processor
clock had been used, such as 12mhz, as used in the Laserwriter IINT?
Would those improvements have made the Classic impossible to manufacture and
sell at low cost?

I'm glad Apple makes the Classic and sells so many of them.  I was just
musing about how this could have been an opportunity to move the installed
base rapidly toward the world of color and 68020+ processors, which is
where it is going anyway.  I admit that that is a longer stretch than the two
small improvements mentioned in the previous paragraph, but Apple should
keep stretching.

I'm sorry, but I still think my arguments contain one or two shreds of
reasonability.  :-)

-- 
John Cavallino                      |     EMail: jcav@midway.uchicago.edu
University of Chicago Hospitals     |    USMail: 5841 S. Maryland Ave, Box 145
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