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From: merchant@dartvax.UUCP (Peter Merchant)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: IBM vs. Mac debate
Message-ID: <4491@dartvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 24-Apr-86 20:46:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: dartvax.4491
Posted: Thu Apr 24 20:46:15 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 27-Apr-86 05:23:19 EDT
References: <2515@sdcc6.UUCP> <1019@runx.OZ> <13351@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Lines: 49

> >
> >    As Macintosh evolves, Apple maintains an excellent upgrade program. This
> >    is an important consideration in business. Many companies choose IBM
> >    because they know that the IBM system will be supported for some time.
> >    When you bring up Macintosh, they ask "How long is it before they drop
> >    the product line and halt support?". In time, Apple's reputation
> >    will be such that this question wont be asked.
> >
> 
> What I think that you don't understand is the concept of UPWARD COMPATIBILTY.
> Upward compatibility means that if I develop software today, I can run it 
> tomorrow.  It DOES NOT MEAN that you can spend more money and buy new goodies
> to attach to the old box.
> 
> One of IBM's real strengths in the business market is that application programs
> written 10 years ago still can be used today. They have achieved that through
> (a) stability in the software environment and (b) design consistency in the
> hardware environment. I know that you might find the idea of using 10 year old
> programs disgusting, but producton managers don't.  They get the job done.
> 
> Larry Mazlack

Oh, definitely.  If a large corporation goes out an spends lots of money for
lots of PCs, they don't want to have spend lots more money in two years to
make them continue to be supported.  There's a guy around here with a 128K
Mac.  He plans to upgrade "someday" but doesn't see alot of need.  Why?
He uses the old MacWrite and has for a few years.  He writes fairly short
papers and finds it great.  Why spend this money for an upgrade he doesn't
need.

Hell, look at the Apple II.  There's a fantastic example.  Can you say
ancient?  Can you say slow?  Sure you can.  But people swear by them.

That's what I always tell people.  Any computer that does what you want it
to do is a good computer.  I was talking to a professor a few months ago
who just recently got into personal computers.  He used to do all his
computations by hand.  He was telling me that his PCClone was amazing in
that it did this very complex calculation in about 20 minutes.

I was shocked!  I was telling him that he should have done that kind of
work on a more advanced machine.  He looked at me and said, "Peter, I'm
used to this calculation taking days of work.  The fact that it does this
in 20 minutes is amazing.  I don't need it to be any faster."

When all is said and done, it just doesn't matter.  Now, we all have our
little favourites, but it just doesn't matter.
--
"Say goodbye to the family,                   Peter Merchant
 Say goodbye to the friends."