From: bcoleman@hayes.com (Bill Coleman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.advocacy
Subject: Re: Why a Mac???
Date: 2 Oct 92 14:28:57 EDT
Followup-To: is> <6041.2 <5368@krafla.rhi.hi.is>

Organization: Hayes Microcomputer Products, Norcross, GA

In article <5368@krafla.rhi.hi.is>, karlth@rhi.hi.is (Karl Thoroddsen) writes:
> In <6041.2ac30240@hayes.com> bcoleman@hayes.com (Bill Coleman) writes:
>>In article <5345@krafla.rhi.hi.is>, karlth@rhi.hi.is (Karl Thoroddsen) writes:
> 
>>It would take a lot more than a 20% improvement in Windows to achieve the
>>smoothness of the Mac OS even on a Powerbook. We have high-speed 386
>>machines (25 and 33 MHz) that can't match the smoothness of the PB100.
> 
> Are you saying that PowerBook 100 running System 7 on the 68000 CPU
> runs smoother than a 33Mhz 386 running Windows 3.1?  

I am saying EXACTLY that.

> Either the PB is equipped with 100Mbs of Ram or the PCs are using totally 
> outdated SVGA drivers.

Well, the PB has only 2MB of RAM. (And you can only put 8 MB in current
PBs -- I don't see how having tons of RAM would really help, anyway)

As for SVGA drivers, well, these machines are configured with whatever drivers
were supplied with Windows 3.1 or with their cards. How outdated could that
be?

>>> I stand by my statement:  There are more Windows 3.1 copies running on
>>> 386/486 than System 7 copies running on 030/040. 
>>Well, you'll just have to be wrong then. <grin>
> 
> According to an Apple ad in The September edition of Byte they've sold and
> *bundled* 4.000.000 copies of System 7.  (System 7 was released early 
> summer '91).

Yup, and likely every one of those copies are being run on a Mac. Further,
there are a number of machines that have System 7 where no copy was bought.
(Out of my three machines at home, only 1, the PB, came with System 7. I
 duplicated the software for the other two)

> According to Microsoft they sold and bundled 3.000.000 copies of Windows 3.1
> during the *first month* of its availability.  They are now selling
> 1.000.000 copies *per month*. (Windows 3.1 was released spring '92).

I have difficulty believing this, but anyway, there's no guarantee that
any of these copies are actually being run. A lot of them may be sitting on
the shelf. 

I do believe that more people are running Windows 3.1 than 3.0. I'm not
convinced that the number of people USING Windows exceeds that of the Mac OS.

>>> Your Windows developer is probably still programming with Windows 3.0 Real mode 
>>> compatability in mind and thus needs handles.  
> 
>>Nope. They tossed off Real mode long before 3.1 was announced.
> 
> Congrats!  You *can* use handles if you want to, but you don't *need* them
> anymore.

I think we figured this out. Windows 3.1 still uses handles, but you don't
have to UNLOCK them anymore. You can lock them once, period.

-- 
Bill Coleman, AA4LR                ! CIS: 76067,2327    AppleLink: D1958
Principal Software Engineer        ! Packet Radio: AA4LR @ W4QO
Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. ! UUCP: uunet!hayes!bcoleman
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Disclaimer: "My employer doesn't pay me to have opinions."
Quote: "The same light shines on vineyards that makes deserts." -Steve Hackett.