Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!tank!ra_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu
From: ra_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: New Mac Rumours
Message-ID: <1982@tank.uchicago.edu>
Date: 23 Feb 89 17:57:52 GMT
Sender: news@tank.uchicago.edu
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Chicago Graduate School of Business
Lines: 30

In article <41a2364a.a590@mag.engin.umich.edu>, billkatt@sol.engin.umich.edu (billkatt) writes...

[...]
>you will
>need all new applications to run under the new system.  Therefore, you might
>as well compare to DOS 3.3, because it doesn't support the same overhead.

OS/2 is a completely different OS than MS-DOS, but it allows one to run MS-DOS
applications in a "compatibility box", I think.  So theoretically, you might be
able to run at least one 'old' app at a time on a new Mac OS, right?  And
perhaps more, if Apple is clever enough.  At some point you should be able
to run "well-behaved" Mac apps under A/UX, so why not under a new Mac OS?

Just from the hardware side, if a new machine runs on the 88k, perhaps even
putting a 680x0 and and 88000 in the same box would allow you to run new and
old apps (I've heard they're taking that approach -- two chips in the same box
-- to create a Mac for schools which would run Mac and Apple // software; this
Mac would have a 680x0 and a 6502, or whatever, in it). 

I do think Apple will take great care to make sure there is some way of
running the programs people have.  If a new Mac didn't run your current
software, I think a lot of people (like businesses) would think twice about
buying one.  (Of course, SW companies could rewrite their current apps for the
new OS and offer it as an upgrade.:->)               

Robert

ra_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu
------ 
generic disclaimer: all my opinions are mine