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- Newsgroups: comp.arch
- Path: sparky!uunet!paladin.american.edu!darwin.sura.net!jvnc.net!princeton!phoenix.Princeton.EDU!mfterman
- From: mfterman@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Mutant for Hire)
- Subject: Re: What's in a name?
- Message-ID: <1992Jul28.181448.24805@Princeton.EDU>
- Sender: news@Princeton.EDU (USENET News System)
- Nntp-Posting-Host: phoenix.princeton.edu
- Reply-To: mfterman@phoenix.princeton.edu (Mutant for Hire)
- Organization: Mutant for Hire, Inc.
- References: <1992Jul20.092822.7666@spool.cs.wisc.edu> <MKAHN.92Jul22092527@hopi.sedona.intel.com> <1992Jul25.075130.7192@spool.cs.wisc.edu>
- Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 18:14:48 GMT
- Lines: 44
-
- In article <1992Jul25.075130.7192@spool.cs.wisc.edu>, mfrank@wilma.cs.wisc.edu (Matt Frank) writes:
- >Both the Apple ][ and Mac are examples of non backwards compatible products
- >enjoying great success. So are CD players. Although it was before my time,
- >aren't CP/M, minicomputers, DB2 and UNIX other examples?
-
- Apple ][ and CP/M are bad examples. First off, in those days,
- shrinkwrapped programs were a lot more rare than they are now. The
- personal computer industry was just starting then, and there was no
- installed base of PCs to be compatible with. From what I recall, UNIX
- came to big time success via the academic markets through cheap
- licensing and people there used to writing their own code.
-
- The Mac for one thing had Apple behind it, which while not being like
- having IBM behind it, did mean that it had a small reputation.
- Secondly it was being aimed not at power users who like to write their
- own 1-2-3 macros, but at people scared of computers who don't have an
- investment in PCs. Also "great success" for the Mac is a long term
- thing, it was struggling in terms of market for many many years. It
- took a lot of innovative and well written software to help push the
- Mac. Anyone remember how long it took before Mac sales were larger
- than Apple // sales?
-
- As for CD players, there are oodles of technical advances over CD's
- that make them far superior to records. Also note that all the
- companies got together behind a single standard for the new format.
-
- >Lots of companies have made lots of money, and stayed profitable, by
- >continuously coming up with innovative new ideas. The argument that no one
- >will buy a fantastic new design unless it is backwards compatible, doesn't
- >wash.
-
- Its really a plus/minus thing. Bear in mind, that if I go over to a PC
- or a Unix box, I have to throw out several hundred dollars worth of
- Mac software. Now try to persuade me that its going to be worth making
- the switch over to some other OS, especially if I then have to go out
- and invest several hundred more dollars in new software.
-
- The question is, are the new features worth it?
-
- --
- Martin Terman, Mutant for Hire, Mad Scientist, Priest of Shub-Internet
- mfterman@phoenix.princeton.edu mfterman@pucc.bitnet terman@pupgga.princeton.edu
- "The parts of the universe I don't control are stomping all over the parts of
- me that control the parts of the universe I do control." - Martin Terman
-