Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att-cb!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!agate!violet.berkeley.edu!lagache
From: lagache@violet.berkeley.edu (Edouard Lagache)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Give me a good reason *not* to buy a Mac.
Keywords: AI, PROLOG, Memory limitations, UNIX, OS/2
Message-ID: <8815@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 16 Apr 88 17:57:21 GMT
Sender: usenet@agate.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: lagache@violet.berkeley.edu (Edouard Lagache)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 46



          I am a disgruntled owner of a somewhat compatible PC, who is
     bucking up against MS-DOS memory limit.  The application where I am
     encountering this limit is Artificial Intelligence programming in
     PROLOG (Lord knows what I would have to in LISP!), and "aboveboard"
     memory switching banks or other simple fixes are not going to cut it
     due to speed considerations.

          I have been looking that the microcomputer market, and I am not
     pleased with what I see.  Basically I have 3 choices:

     1.)  OS/2,     2.)  UNIX,     3.)  Macintosh.

     1.)  OS/2 exists (barely), but does there exist a PROLOG that runs on
          OS/2?  My applications will require a windowing interface, when
          will the windowing interface show up?  When will a PROLOG show up
          that will support the windowing interface that has yet to show up?
          Finally, OS/2 exists for IBM PS/2 and other pricey machines.
          When will OS/2 come for cheapy clones that makes the move
          worthwhile.

     2.)  UNIX? Great! Go out and buy a SUN-3 and you are all set.  Except
          for the question of who is going to pay for it.  A PROLOG?  Sure,
          plunk down your 8200 bucks and you can get a great UNIX PROLOG
          (windowing interface is extra).

     3.)  Macintosh?  Well lets see.  Any Mac can be loaded up to 4 Megs of
          RAM, and a PROLOG exists for it right now for about $250.  Windows
          do come with the machine, and even the PROLOG supports them.
          There is gobs of software that is working now, and even a Mac II
          with educational discounts is no worse than one of those IBM PS/2.

          The situation looks fairly obvious to me, buy a Mac.  Well, all
     you PC aficionados out there, what is wrong the above reasoning?  For
     the sake of sanity of the net, please direct you comments directly to
     me.  I will post a summary to the SIG if there is enough interest.



                                             Edouard Lagache
                                             lagache@violet.berkeley.edu


     P.S. I should add that the software I am developing is intended for
          educational markets which is dominated by which computer company?