Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!ucbvax!DOCKMASTER.ARPA!TMPLee
From: TMPLee@DOCKMASTER.ARPA
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: PCT & GS/OS
Message-ID: <880929193334.235995@DOCKMASTER.ARPA>
Date: 29 Sep 88 19:33:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 29

Todd Bakal's masterful report on Applefest made one slightly erroneous
statement and one definitely wrong one:

"There is new system software for the PCT that lets you use it with 2400
baud."

This is only partially true.  With version 1.3 of the PCT software you
now can run IBM Kermit 2.29 at 2400 baud; you still cannot run kermit
2.31 (which you can on garden variety IBM clones, so the COM channel
emulation is still too slow; probably not much can be done about it.)

"Furthermore, the card works even better than before when it runs under
GS/OS."

This is false -- it actually runs worse, in two senses.  It can't
possibly run better because the Apple side (AEPC.SYSTEM) is a ProDos8
program (it has to be to run on II+,c's,and e's) and no changes in GS/OS
nee P16 could have any effect on its operation.  The ways it runs worse
are those I've already mentioned:  the constant polling of the PCT 5.25
drive slows down the GS/OS Finder noticeably, and the complete
separation of GS/OS nee P16 from P8 means that launching a ProDos8
application like AEPC.SYSTEM and returning to the Finder take longer
than they did under System disk 3.2 and earlier.  I suppose the only way
you could say it runs better is that PCT 1.3 comes with some very pretty
icons (a hammer for install, an automobile for a driver, etc.)  that
weren't there before.  It must be said that when running in IBM mode
performance is not WORSE under GS/OS, but not better either.

TMPLee@dockmaster.arpa