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From: graifer@net1.UCSD.EDU (Dan Graifer)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: Easy of programming, Mac, Amiga
Message-ID: <282@net1.UCSD.EDU>
Date: Tue, 16-Sep-86 15:03:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: net1.282
Posted: Tue Sep 16 15:03:31 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 19-Sep-86 22:46:54 EDT
References: <8609152222.AA23166@cory.Berkeley.EDU>
Reply-To: graifer@net1.UUCP (Dan Graifer)
Organization: U.C. San Diego
Lines: 28

In article <8609152222.AA23166@cory.Berkeley.EDU> dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) writes:
>>From: (David Phillip Oster)
...
>>  Fast dynamic linking, the Mac's control definition procedures, menu
>>  definition procedures, window definition procedures, and packages allow
>>  programmers to substantially change the behavior of compiled code
>>  without recompiling it....
>>  Apple replaced the standard file
>>  interface recently, and all the old programs suddenly became able to
>>  cope with a hierarchical directory structure,  something no other
>>  machine has done without requiring all the software developers to come
>>  out with new releases of their programs.   (Unix recently when through a
>>  change in its directory structure, and everybody had to recompile.) ...
>
>	IBM changed from flat to hierarchical without any problems.  ...

I was working on IBM PCs (unfortunately) when IBM came out with directories.
Most software continued to work in the sense that it didn't crash, but it
certainly wasn't "without problems".  The nicer programs could deal with exactly
two directories at a time: the current directories for drives a: and b:  If
the auxilliary files for the software where in some other directory (even if
in the path) the program was unable to find them.  Some software would only
talk to the root directory of a: and b:.  A hard drive labelled C:? forget it!
Eventually, they had to add commands to DOS to make directories look like
separate physical drives so brain damaged software would talk to them.

Dan Graifer
(Sorry, but the claim above re-awakened some old anger and frustration)