Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!gatech!ncar!ames!necntc!dandelion!ulowell!news
From: news@swan.ulowell.edu (News manager)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: ][gs+
Keywords: I switched from Sinclair to //+ to //GS to IBM AT
Message-ID: <8929@swan.ulowell.edu>
Date: 5 Sep 88 02:40:40 GMT
References: <8809030036.AA17658@crash.cts.com>
Reply-To: sbrodsky@hawk.ulowell.edu ()
Organization: University of Lowell, CS Dept.
Lines: 58

From: sbrodsky@hawk.ulowell.edu (Scott Brodsky)
Path: hawk!sbrodsky

In article <8809030036.AA17658@crash.cts.com> pnet01!pro-simasd!pro-carolina!gregp@nosc.mil writes:
>the same way.  All Apple continues to do is lose its devoted user base.  I am
>still devoted to my ][e enhanced but eventually decent software will stop
>coming out for it and I will make a change and unless Apple makes a change in
>its policy of screw the ][ it will not be to an Apple product.
>
I coudn't agree more with the above statement. They lost me thats for sure.
I had a //+ for about 3 years, wanted a //GS real badly.  When the GS came
out I went all the way and purchased it, whole setup, extra memory and all.

Well, I'm not longer an Apple fan (then why are you reading this newsgroup?
well, the other newsgroups are kinda dull right now).  I can remember times
when booting up software how I would have to run out to the kitchen to get a
bite to eat, if I was lucky, when I came back the software would be ready.
"7th INNING STRETCH". I got real sick of that.  I long for the days of booting
up software on my //+ and have Dos 3.3 up and running in only a few
seconds, even prodos was up and running real quickly. 

I was fairly good at assembly on the //+'s 6502 instruction set, and I spent
numerous hours playing with Dos 3.3, modifying it trying to make protection
schemes, that was fun.  Plus I knew all the rom routines off the top of my
head.  The only thing I remember today is call -151.

Unfortunately I couldn't do all this neat stuff with the GS.  I tried to get
into 'Assembly' but it seemed just to difficult, I dunno, maybe it was me,
maybe it was the lack of documentation availble on the 65816 at the time.
Does anyone out there fully understand the graphics modes? how to use them? 

I now have an 80286, 10mhz, it is FAST! I don't have the graphics or the
sound or the games that I did with the //+ and //GS.  The only thing I really
use it for is to login to school and work online.  Not much time for games
if I wanted to.  I would never go back to Apple, I would prefer to move to
another such as Amiga if I ever wanted to go back to a 'home' computer.

*My* feelings are that Apple has management problems.  Apple was at *first*
into making 'home computers', not business machines, as we all know what
happened to the Apple ///.  The Apple //+ //e and //c markets were strong
and everything was going great, until the first MAC came out. Now it seems
that all that Apple cares about is its Desktop Publishing Business Machines.

Apple *has* the technology to build a 'real powerful home computer' that
could probably blow the ST and Amiga both away.  Just look at the power in
the MAC II.  So what about the // line? The // line is what MADE APPLE Co.

How can they ignore the // line so badly? I just cannot figure out how. Its
like Dominoes concentrating on Subs rather than pizzas.  Or Chinese food
restaraunts selling cheeseburgers.

IBM tried to get into the 'home' market once. Obviously they failed, the
PCjr.  Can you just imagine if they put more attention into their 'home'
computer and not enough attention to their XT and AT line at the time?

What is wrong with Apple?

Scott Brodsky, University of Lowell CS Dept., sbrodsky@hawk.ulowell.edu