Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!mcnc!decvax!dartvax!merchant
From: merchant@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU (Peter Merchant)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Macs, IBMs, and compatibility.
Message-ID: <7842@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Date: 29 Dec 87 22:07:06 GMT
References: <37250@sun.uucp> <11540095@hpsmtc1.HP.COM> <761@ur-tut.UUCP>
Organization: U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY
Lines: 27

In article <761@ur-tut.UUCP>, akk2@ur-tut.UUCP (Atul Kacker) writes:
> For the life of me, I can't understand why *all* programs written for a circa
> 1981 IBM PC should run as is on a circa 1988 PS/2 ?  It is a machine with
> a significantly new architecture, will run a different operating system and
> hence only programs that are written with that in mind will work.  Most programs
> will work with some modifications, which I'm sure the software companies will
> do.
> 
> It's just like saying that Apple should have made sure that my Apple // programs
> would work as is, before they came out with the Mac.

I don't think that there is as wide a difference between IBM PCs and PS/2 as
there is between Apple IIs and Macintoshes.  Apple never even claimed that any
programs would run.  IBM claims that some programs will.

There is a high degree of compatibility up and down the Macintosh line.  For
all currently produced Macintoshes (I leave out 128K, 512K, and 512KE) you can
use the operating system you get with the machine, Finder 6.0 and System 4.2.
For the PS/2 model 25 and model 30 and the Convertible, you use IBM PC-DOS.
For the PS/2 model 50, 60, and 80s you use OS/2.  Gads!

Problems with the model 50, 60, 80s I suppose I can understand.  First, the
BIOS is different because of the different operating system and second, it is
not the original chip that inspired PC-DOS.  On what do you blame difficulties
with the model 30 and the model 25?
--
"Say you will, Say you won't..."       Peter Merchant  (merchant@dartvax.UUCP)