From: sjb5@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (STACY JOHN BEHRENS)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: Hercules is obsolete--Upgrade!
Date: 7 Sep 92 02:30:22 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

In article <79228@ut-emx.uucp>, drxmann@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Dustin R. Christmann
) writes:
>In article <1992Sep4.064425.27441@nosc.mil> discar@nosc.mil (Joe Discar) writes
:
>>>As the proud ex-owner of a Timex/Sinclair 1000, an Atari 800XL, and an Amiga
>>>2000, I have come to realize one thing: computers are lousy investments.  Eve
n-
>>>tually old technologies (including Hercules) have to be left behind, and you'
re
>>>stuck with obsolescence.  Deal with it.
>>Sounds like you've been batting a thousand.  Maybe you've made ANOTHER mistake
>>with your choice of OS/2?
>
I dearly hope that that was a joke.

>Well, I wouldn't consider having had any of those computers mistakes, espe-
>cially the Atari and the Amiga.

Sorry, the Timex/Sinclair 1000, was basically worthless when it was new.  That
machine was a mistake.  (I should know, I have one too)  The Atari was a
better machine, but one that went nowhere.  The Amiga would have been the best
choice, but even it doesn't have a huge user base and thus there isn't the
amount of software that there probably should be for it.  That make them all
mistakes.

>>Likewise, Microsoft is justified for not writing apps for an operating
>>system they don't want to support.
>>
>>The mustard cuts both ways.  So let us ALL stop arguing about those two
>>points, eh?
>
>I agree.  I may one of the few people that take the opinion that if MS chooses
>not to write apps for OS/2, they are not necessarily demons from the depths of
>Hell.  And as a potential customer, screw 'em.  It's their loss.

Hear, hear!
>
>MS made what I think is a good business decision from a fiscal, but NOT from a
>customer-oriented, standpoint.  Why should they develop software for a compe-
>ting OS?
True, but then why do they develop for the mac and claim they will support the
power PC, and won't develop for OS/2 (and maybe UNIX I don't know about this)?
It is because their goals are not greatly threatened by those systems.  (The
mac because it doesn't have the user base of MS-DOS and never will, and the
Power PC because it doesn't exist and there is a good chance they could
dominate it.)  I don't think they are necissarily scum for that, but
they will develop for a system that isn't a big threat.

>>Ultimately, any company, unless they're state-owned, is in business
>to make money, period.  How you do that is the question.  MS felt that it was
>in their best business interests to screw some of their customers.  It happens
>sometimes.  It's called capitalism.  And as long as they continue to make mo-
>ney, why shouldn't they?  IBM only started being more end-user-friendly when
>they started getting their lunch eaten in the PC biz.

True, very true.

>>>IMHO, VGA is the MINIMUM video standard that should be bothered with in an OS
>>>like 2.0.  And I'll bet you one thing: when NT comes out, it sure as hell isn
't
>>>going to be trumpeted as supporting EGA or CGA.  I'd be surprised if VGA
>>>weren't the minimum required video for NT.  And frankly, I wouldn't blame MS
>>>one damn bit.
>>
>>We'll see.  Microsoft has been rather good about trying to support as many
>>devices as possible (no, I'm not forgetting about BASICA--but their Apps
>>have (more or less) supported HGC; Microsoft Chart, Word for DOS, Multiplan...
>>nd WINDOWS!)
>
>True.  But that is their decision.  My only point is that I think that MS will
>look at the average likely NT user (power user or server) and consider VGA the
>minimum video standard that the vast, vast majority of these users will have.

Same with OS/2.  How many people are there out there with a 386, 6-8 megs of
RAM, 100MB of hard drive space and CGA?  Damn few.  Obviously, if you haven't
upgraded your video from CGA by now, upgrading your machine is not exactly
near the top of your priorities.

                                                Stacy John Behrens
                                                *===)-------------

                                                
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy