Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84 chuqui version 1.7 9/23/84; site nsc.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!gatech!nsc!chuqui From: chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) Newsgroups: net.micro.mac Subject: Re: JAZZ vs Microsoft ?? Message-ID: <3072@nsc.UUCP> Date: Fri, 2-Aug-85 23:15:53 EDT Article-I.D.: nsc.3072 Posted: Fri Aug 2 23:15:53 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 4-Aug-85 05:00:10 EDT References: <397@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA> <319@faron.UUCP> Reply-To: chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) Organization: The Dreamer Fithp Lines: 48 In article <319@faron.UUCP> rjd@faron.UUCP (Robert DeBenedictis) writes: >In article <397@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA> tdn@cmu-cs-spice (Thomas Newton) writes: >>If you have a 512K Mac, which you'd need to run JAZZ, you can move back and >>forth between FILE, WORD, MULTIPLAN, and CHART by using the Switcher. I'm not >>sure how much disk swapping would be involved (I have WORD and a 128K Mac). >> >> Thomas.Newton@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA >You have a good point here. What's all the hoopla about Jazz when the Mac >already has the capability to exchange information between programs? > >Why would anyone want to pay as much as two or three of the good separate >programsfor a giant program that does a little bit of everything. I think >that many of the benefits of programs like Framework and Symphony, which >were successful on the PC, are lost on the Mac. This is because the Mac >already has a pretty consistent user interface and already has the ability >to cut and paste things between programs. One BIG advantage of Jazz/Excel/Ensemble over a bunch of integrated programs under Switcher is that changes made in one section of the program like the spreadsheet can be propogated in real-time to the graphing functions, or to the database, or to the report you're writing. With switcher, you'd have to either save it to disk, switch, and load, or save it to the clipboard and carry it across. This can't be done in real time, but still requires you do manually carry data through. Jazz allows you to update something in one place and simply have it squirt automatically into the other things it needs to be in. Switcher doesn't really integrate a bunch of applications, it simply removes most of the context switch time. The advantage of switcher is that it lets you build up an 'integrated' program of your favorite applications instead of having to decide on the best tradeoffs for your stuff (for me, Ensemble looks to be a better deal than Jazz because my work is data oriented, but for a spreadsheet hacker jazz looks to be significantly better, for example). IT all depends upon work habits. I've worked with both RamDisk's and with Switcher, and found that neither really help the way I use the machine. Others will swear by either, or both... Fortunately, the Mac is flexible that it can be used in the way that the USER finds most productive, rather than the programmer or marketing types. THAT is the big advantage of all of this, and something most/all other systems seem to be missing. chuq -- :From the carousel of the autumn carnival: Chuq Von Rospach {cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA Your fifteen minutes are up. Please step aside!