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From: paul@osu-eddie.UUCP (Paul Placeway)
Newsgroups: net.college
Subject: Re: Why force the AT&T at UVM?
Message-ID: <337@osu-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 27-May-85 13:15:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: osu-eddi.337
Posted: Mon May 27 13:15:59 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 30-May-85 04:19:46 EDT
References: <380@uvm-cs.UUCP> <70@gatech.CSNET> <235@phri.UUCP> <294@tilt.FUN> <240@uvm-gen.UUCP> <14627@watmath.UUCP> <131@watmum.UUCP>
Reply-To: paul@osu-eddie.UUCP (Paul Placeway)
Organization: Ohio State Univ., CIS Dept., Cols, Oh.
Lines: 39

[bug juice]

I have a question on the subject...  If the softawre needs to run on
all the student machines, isn't it more rational to write the programs
in something portable and port it to a group of machines rather than
just the one?  Isn't this the reason that Unix was developed to the
extent that it is???

As a for instance:  It is easy to make a nice, but machine independant
(from the outside) screen and keyboard routine package for things like
Apple ][s, IBM PCs & clones, Macs, etc. and write programs that use
these as the basis for development.  If you want to know more about
portable software, I am sure that both AT&T Bell Labs, and Columbia U.
(the kermit folks) can tell you all you want to know...

A grad student friend of mine got an Apple //c to write her
dissertation on and is very happy with it. I, on the other hand, find
the Apple far too slow for my own work (start a compile on one, go
out, have lunch, come back, wait... 8-) and would rather spend the
extra $$$ for a better machine.

The analogy that a micro is like a text book dosn't hold because I
have bought text books that were not for a class that I will ever
take, because the book is a good refrence.  As for calculators, a
Physics prof. that I had recomended TI 58s, but an EE prof recomended
getting an HP (pref. 41cv or cx).  I, by the way, own a 41cv...

The correct solution to University courseware is NOT to force all the
students to buy the same machine, but rather to develop portable
programs and offer a (perhaps limited) choice of what to get.  Why
should I as a student be forced to buy an AT&T when I could get a Mac
for the same ammount of money?

				Paul Placeway
				The Ohio State University, CIS Dept.
				...!cbosgd!osu-eddie!paul
				paul@ohio-state (CSNet)

Standard disclaimer: the opinions above are MINE.