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From: pnm@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au (Paul BIG-EARS Menon)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: System 7.0, Strike one, two....
Message-ID: <5878@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au>
Date: 21 May 91 12:17:33 GMT
Organization: Comp Sci, RMIT, Melbourne, Australia
Lines: 59

hi,
    Gripe 1:
	My Rodime 200Mb drive doesn't talk to me any more!  I formatted
	the thing just for Sys 7, then upgraded the driver and wham!  that's
	the last I've heard from it.  The Mac refuses to boot with it on the
	SCSI bus (Sad Mac Error code 0F, SubCode 01, and some lovely music).
	I can't reformat the critter, nothing, grrrr!
    Gripe 2:
	This VM restriction on removable cartridges could be one reason
	why we will stop acquiring Macs.  Removable media is the only way
	we can allow students to use local HDs on Mac IIs without risk of 
	viruses (They can then be responsible for their own data).  memory
	hungry System 7.0, in its wisdom has decided not to allow VM (swap)
	on this type of media.  The dangers of having swap on removable
	media can be easily obviated.  This simplistic solution will not do!
	I'd like to hear of a solution soon, or else.  This is no threat,
	this is reality speaking.  No, file serving will not do either.
	We want connectivity, not dependency.
    Gripe 3:
	Yep, I tried the whizz bang attention grabbing, 
	make-an-alias-of-yer-disk-and-access-it-from-anywhere trick.  Too
	bad it wasn't tested thoroughly.  I just happened to use it on
	a machine with a hard disk of the same name, and guess what?  Yup,
	it opened the local disk!  Now, it may have been that the (equivalent
	of) chooser name was the same as well, but wow, you'd think it
	wouldn't be that simple to fool.
    Gripe 4:
	We use communications a lot here => we use MacTCP.  System 7 is not
	System 7 until MacTCP is VM and 32 bit clean.  I could forgive
	some poor 3rd party developer, but Apple??
    Gripe 5:
	A new 8.24GC driver - VM and 32 bit clean - when?
    Gripe 6:
	A small 3rd party developer - delays may be acceptable, Symantec? no.
	90% compatible?  Is that like being 90% a virgin?  Who thought of
	the number 90?
	
	There are two outstanding features of System 7 which everyone has been 
	itching for, VM and 32 bit clean functionality.  Neither Apple or
	Symantec have come clean on this.

	It isn't as though System 7 was a surprise to everyone, so why didn't
	folks get it right?  You wanted time, you got it.

    Right now, to me, System 7.0 is unusable.

    Oh well, I guess I can look at the pretty icons... someone did a spiffy
    job.


    Paul Menon,
    Dept of Computer Science,
    Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, 
    124 Latrobe Street,
    Melbourne 3001, 
    Victoria, Australia.

pnm@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au
PH:	+61 3 660 3209