I was just reading "Bloom County Babylon" and I came upon a trio of cartoons with the character Oliver Wendell Jones talking to his Banana 6000 Jr. Oliver was trying to tell his computer that he was obsolete, and it was time for it to go. The computer went through the stages of fatal obsolescence (similar to the five stages of grief, but only three since it was a four panel comic): denial, bargaining, and acceptance.
I think we as GS users should go through three phases, but not exactly as Oliver described them. I think we've gone through the first two. Should we merely accept our fate?
No way.
Obsolete means you can use it, but it is no longer really useful.
Of the GS, that remark is simply untrue. It has a lot of power, and with an accelerator, it easily matches or beats the power of other machines.
So what can we do?
Ñ Apple Storm: Organized by Mark Munz, this is a campaign for II owners
to pledge $25 toward an ad supporting the Apple II platform in
inCider/A+ magazine. He needs 500 people to pledge. Once that many
people pledge, he can arrange for the ad. Its purpose is to show
Apple how much we care.
The address:
Apple Storm
Mark Munz
6215 Ferris Sq., Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92121
Don't send money--just tell him you will send $25 when and if he
gets 500 people to do it. And if there are more than 500, it will
cost each person less to support it.
Ñ Write good software for the GS. Make it amazing. Make it do what
other machines can't do. If the FTA from France would make more
useful stuff, they'd probably give the GS a great shot in the arm.
Ñ Write good development tools for the GS. Although Merlin and APW
are nice, Turbo C on the IBM is completely awesome. Imagine an
environment that could show you your source code on another
monitor as your program was running (using the Apple Video Overlay
card). This can be done. It just isn't being done.
Ñ Interest another company in acquiring the II line. This would be
a lot of work, but Nintendo, for example, has a 6502 microprocessor
in their NES systems (like the IIe), and a 65816 microprocessor in
their new Super NES (like the GS). This is their NEW machine, not an
obsolete one, and it is supposed to work like gangbusters. If Apple
can't handle it, find someone who can!
Ñ Get the software to the existing big market that needs it. The
teachers are dying for software. We are dying to have a market
that really wants our stuff. Why can't we find each other? If
there was a flood of GS software for teachers, would they be
getting Mac LCs? I don't think so.
Ñ If you have "acquired" some Apple software and still use it, BUY
it. Piracy almost killed the Amiga, and we're in more dire straits.
HARVEY II
Last month's column must have been on the mark, because Mike Harvey's picture is no longer next to his editorial column in Nibble magazine. (Actually, they are just cutting back pages and photos to remain profitable.) If you want programming tips from beginner to expert, they are still around and publishing. To subscribe, send a check for $26.95 to this address:
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Concord, MA 01742
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