Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!gatech!bloom-beacon!picasso!twleung From: twleung@picasso.mit.edu (Theodore W. (Ted) Leung) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: More on Byte Benchmarks Message-ID: <1304@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> Date: Fri, 14-Aug-87 14:52:32 EDT Article-I.D.: bloom-be.1304 Posted: Fri Aug 14 14:52:32 1987 Date-Received: Sun, 16-Aug-87 02:26:33 EDT References: <170@lakesys.UUCP> <20105@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU Reply-To: twleung@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Theodore Leung) Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lines: 29 > What it comes down to is Intel has FINALLY made a good chip, it >DOES outperform the 68020 at equal clock speed. I am more interested in >the next generation the 486 vs the 030, that should be very interesting. Having just returned from Macworld Expo, I have a different perspective on this entire debate. It may be true that the 386 is a "faster chip", but faster is not necesssarily better. The key to all computers is the quality of the application software (whatever the application is). If you happen to be crunching numbers, or doing something that is really computationally intensive, then maybe you really do care if the the 386 is faster than the '020 at the same clock speed. Most people are only concerned with getting their work done as quickly as possible. For a good many people, machines "as slow as the Mac II" running software like Hypercard (no jibes about the quasi multi-tasking Multifinder), are much better tools for getting their work done, than "fast machines like the Deskpro 386" running whatever. I don't mean to demean the engineering and scientific markets, as I'm at a school where > 60% of the students are engineers. But even here, I think that many students who are using VaxStation II's running 4.3BSD with X would give them up if they could have Mac II's with the current generation of Mac software, because the applications are that much better. Fast hardware is nice, but I'd rather have second place hardware and first place software. Ted Leung MIT/Project Athena Disclaimer: My employers don't even CARE about personal computers.....