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From: fetrow@bones.stat.washington.edu (Dave Fetrow)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: In defense of Purnelle
Message-ID: <893@entropy.ms.washington.edu>
Date: 26 May 88 23:37:37 GMT
References: <7234@swan.ulowell.edu> <707@applix.UUCP>
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In article <707@applix.UUCP> scott@applix.UUCP (Scott Evernden) writes:
>
>Don't bother.  I have absolutely no respect for Jerry Pournelle's opinion.
>Do you really expect JP to sing Amiga praises in PC/Mac-only rags like Byte,
>InfoWorld, and wherever else he send his drivel?  I see no reason to send
>him stuff just to stroke his ego.  If he calls the Amiga junk because he
>doesn't get enough free stuff, then screw him.  Commodore should send the
>goodies to Matt, or Leo, or Fred.
>
>-scott

 At the risk of opening a flame: I've been reading Pournelle's column a
long time: since CP/M-80 was a hot O.S. I've often found his column helpful.

 He doesn't see his primary purpose in life as evaluating computer stuff;
he's a Science Fiction writer that uses computers in his work. He's interested
in new stuff but he's not going to deal with stuff that's a big hassle. He
says this almost every column.

 Going out and buying a hard drive and more memory IS a hassle. If you are
living in a sea of fast drives and mondo-memory machines with good software
hiding their bad features it is insane.

 A lot of people look to him as Guru (no pun intended); which may be 
unfortuneate but that's the situation. From his perspective he seems
pretty fair (the perspective of a writer). He has some ignorant things
but is tremendously broad minded compared to some of the Big-Blue and Apple
legionarres.

 He's not calling the Amiga junk BECAUSE he doesn't get enough free stuff;
he may be saying it isn't-so-wonderful-as-your-work-computer as a CONSEQUENCE
of not having a well equipped machine.

 Maybe even with a well equipped 2000 he wouldn't be too keen: there are time
limits, as a writers machine the Amiga software lags, and frankly it isn't
quite as stable due to multitasking (a price us Amigans are willing to pay).

  -Dave Fetrow-
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