Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att-cb!att-ih!ihnp4!ucbvax!ECLA.USC.EDU!BHUBER
From: BHUBER@ECLA.USC.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: In defense of the IIgs
Message-ID: <[ECLA.USC.EDU]31-Mar-88.11:12:38.BHUBER>
Date: 31 Mar 88 19:12:00 GMT
References: <1827@aurora.UUCP>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 39

Sitting here watching and reading the discussion about the poor Apple II line
finally got to me.  For the record I own and heavily use a IIgs with a PC
Transporter installed.  PCT was installed for compatibility reasons with my
office environment; most home related work remains native IIgs based.

I recently decided to "upgrade" one mailing list that I maintain (for a
non-profit volunteer organization, if that matters) using Appleworks 2.0.
I purchased Borlands Reflex which was recommended as a cheapo but fairly
sophisticated data base manager.  The heavy duty MS-DOS packages such as
dBase or similar packages seemed to be gross overkill for just a mailing list.

Conversion was relatively easy, using "DIF" format out of Appleworks and
directly read into Reflex.

After dorking around with one mailing, I'm going back to Appleworks.  It runs
faster, is more user friendly, and provides additional capabilities that I
had come to take for granted.  Specifics:
  a) sorting a data base of about 450 names was about 30% faster in Appleworks,
although I know that some will say that is because PCT is not as fast as an
PC/AT or Compaq 386, etc.
  b) inputting or changing data is easier, even though both packages provide
tabular or list formats or full record formats.
  c) additional capabilities includes simple things like Open-Apple-"F" to
locate all records with some imbedded text string as opposed to having to
check each field within the Reflex data base.  For instance, answer the
question about locating the lady who we think was named Mildred or did she
live on Mildred street....., etc.
  d) report formats seem to be more easy to input under Appleworks.

Please -- no flames about "well, if he'd picked a different software package
then he wouldn't say....."

I'm glad I have PCT for office compatibility reasons, but it has caused me
to appreciate the native GS machine even more.

Bud

P.S., I still am not able to run at 2400 bps without character overrun in
PCT mode, and I don't like the 16 MB limit on my PCT pseudo-disk.