From: smoon@strfleet.gsfc.nasa.gov (Sang J. Moon)
Subject: Re: Macs cost too much (NOT!)
Organization: NASA GSFC Code 534.3
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 14:27:16 GMT

In article <1992Jul24.214739.20091@wuecl.wustl.edu>, gene@wucs1.wustl.edu (_Floor_) writes:
> 
> In article <1992Jul24.143921.19730@nsisrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> smoon@strfleet.gsfc.nasa.gov (Sang J. Moon) writes:
> ] In article <14832@claris.com>, mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner) writes:
> ] > 
> ] > In article <1992Jul23.143042.14243@nsisrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>, smoon@strfleet.gsfc.nasa.gov (Sang J. Moon) writes:
> ] > > The system I got was:
[stuff deleted]
> ] > > high resolution mouse
> 
> Why should there even be an option for resolution?

Because regular mouses have a maximum if 300dpi resolution.

[stuff deleted]
> ] > > If you respond to this post, please list the system you bought and
> ] > > how much you paid for it.  It shows what you actually have to back your
> 
> Okay, I'll chip in. I spent $4800 three years ago on a ][cx with
> 40mb hd, 5mb ram, 8bit color (at a time out of a 24-bit palette),
> and a 13" Apple monitor. Oh, and a 1200bps modem.
> 
> At the same time, my dorm neighbor got a PS/2 with 40mb hd, 1mb ram,
> 8bit color (a set 256 colors), and a 12" monitor, all for ~$3000.
> 
> My computer kicked his computer's butt on number crunching, graphics,
> ease of installing software (we both had to do this frequently due to
> small hard drives), and ease of figuring out how to do things right
> away. Whenever anyone wanted to write a paper, they'd come ask to use
> my computer. When anyone wanted to do some heavy computations, they
> asked for my computer. When someone wanted to look at neat gifs, they
> (even the guy who owned the PS/2, since I could _read_ MS-DOS disks!)
> would ask for my computer. When someone wanted to make drawings,
> they'd ask for my computer.
> 
> It was easy for me to show people (anybody) just once how to use my
> mac, and they could figure things out on there own from then on. Not
> so for the pc. Now though my computer cost ~60% more, it was _worth_
> many times more!
> 
> Anyone who thinks installing software on a pc is typically as easy as
> it is on a mac is kidding themselves. There are some applications that
> do take a while to install on a mac, but comparable programs usually
> take even longer on a pc. Nearly every program I installed on my machine
> required simply copying it from a floppy to the hard drive.
> 
>   _____    "But you can't really call that a dance. It's a walk." - Tony Banks
>  /  ___\  ___  __ ___   ___      _____________   gene@cs.wustl.edu
>  | / __  / _ \ | /   \ / _ \     |  physics  |   gene@lechter.wustl.edu
>  | \_\ \ | __/ |  /\ | | __/     |racquetball|   gev1@cec2.wustl.edu
>  \_____/ \___/ |_| |_| \___/     |volleyball |   gene@camps.phy.vanderbilt.edu
>  Gene Van Buren, Kzoo Crew, Washington Univ. in St. Louis - #1 in Volleyball

This experience is similar to what I had in college as well except it was
me showing off the macs over the pcs in the labs.  It was easy to do so
when they were just running DOS.  Another reason I was able to outperform
the PCs was because I had more access to shareware and public domain DAs
& control panels & inits while the PC advocates usually did not have such
support.  If you check the ftp sites for PCs now, they now have the
utilities to do GIFs and more.  Also the PS/2 series were ridiculously
expensive.  To get a decent PS/2 to compare with something like a IIcx,
you had to put out as much or more than a mac.  When clones first appeared
few took them seriously, but now they are at least 100% cheaper than a
corresponding mac and you get quality to rival IBM.  Word processing was
great on the mac because it was the only WSIWYG word processor available
to most people, but you can get WSIWYG in Windows now.  The coming of Windows
shouldn't be downgraded too much.  Windows 3.0 had it's faults, but the
faults are being fixed in successive releases.  It is going through similar
development that the Mac OS went through, and if Apple doesn't lower its
prices, people will opt for Windows over the Mac.  But it looks like Apple
is getting the picture.  The price of a IIsi 5/80 system with monitor and
extended keyboard dropped from $3000 to $2800 in the past week.

Installing software for most software for either machine is relatively
easy assuming you had a relatively uncluttered system, but you can have
problems with either.  I just recently installed MacLinkPC Plus on my
IIsi, and it caused at least one application to hang.  I reinstalled
system 7, and the problem disappeared.  I did this because MacLinkPC
modified a system controlled file called DRVR during installation.  The
problem with either machine is in deinstalling software.  I usually
deinstall software on a PC by deleting the program folder and searching
through the autoexec.bat, config.sys, and win.ini files.  I deinstall
software on the mac by deleting the program folder and searching through
the system, extension, control panel, and preferences folders.  It's
usually is no significant labor either way.

I'm impressed that you had a IIcx in college.  All I could afford was a
used Apple ][ plus, but I could do more on it than the guy next door with
a PC (heh heh).

Sang J. Moon
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc