Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!lll-crg!nike!ucbcad!ucbvax!jade!eris!mwm
From: mwm@eris.berkeley.edu (Mike Meyer)
Newsgroups: net.unix,net.text
Subject: Re: Use of ``vi'' for business office word-processing
Message-ID: <1263@jade.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Thu, 11-Sep-86 19:44:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: jade.1263
Posted: Thu Sep 11 19:44:12 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 12-Sep-86 22:11:05 EDT
References: <709@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP> <621@hope.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@jade.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: mwm@eris.UUCP (Mike Meyer)
Organization: Missionaria Phonibalonica
Lines: 47
Keywords: ``vi'' word-processing non-programmers
Xref: mnetor net.unix:5457 net.text:965

In article <621@hope.UUCP> corwin@hope.UUCP (John Kempf) writes:
>You were doing so well, until you reached this point.  For a Computer
>literate person, an IBM (compatable?) may be a good idea (debateable).
>However, the MS/PC DOS OS is almost as cryptic as UNIX.  As far as
>applications for the computer are concerned, the major fault with a PC is
>that they are all different - you must learn a different system for
>dealing with each one.  If you know how to use a word processor, that
>will do you absolutely no good in learning how to use a spreadsheet,
>etc.
>
>The system to use for a business environment is the Macintosh.  Here is
>why:
>        First, the Mac is by far the easiest computer to use...Once you
>learn the basic system (5 minutes, max) you can use ANY program out.
>*They All Work The Same!*  You only have to learn one system for all of
>the programs.
>
>        Another reason is that it looks a lot like a typewriter (notice
>the keyboard?).  The main screen (command interpreter if you insist) is
>set up to look like a desktop (in fact, that is what it is called)  It
>uses (get this!) *PICTURES* to represent its files, instead of cryptic
>names.  Like a word processor document lookes like a piece of paper with
>a name under it (up to 31 characters, not just eight letters/numbers + a
>three letter extension)

The above is all also true of the Amiga (except for the addition of a
real ASCII keyboard and numeric keypad) and, I suspect, the ST.

The correct answer to someone asking you what kind of computer to buy
is *not* "something that runs Unix," "an Amiga," or "an IBM PC clone."

The correct answer is "something that runs software that does what you
need it to do." Tell people to go find software that does best what
they need done, and then buy hardware that it runs on. If possible,
provide pointers to different places based on what they are looking
for.

I don't follow the WP market, but from my last foray into it, I'd
suspect that the PC-compatable market is best. But that was before
people considered using Sun-class machines for WP work, so is
obviously dated.

Of course, if you go with PC's, you don't have the luxury of finding
terminals with keyboards your secretarial staff likes. But everything
has it's price.

	<mike