From: mmunson@animal.es.com (Mark Munson)
Subject: Re: Macintosh bigots
Reply-To: mmunson@animal.es.com (Mark Munson)
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp., Salt Lake City, UT
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 02:01:32 GMT

In article: <1992Nov17.183056.22625@sequent.com> Paul Penrod responds:

[origianal material omitted to save space]

  > >PP> I hope they do. But, it is the PC environment that is causing
  > >PP> changes in other platforms such as UNIX. UNIX people want the DOS
  > >PP> apps, minus the DOS. Apple may have popularized the XEROX GUI way
  > >PP> of doing things, but it was the PC that made personal computing
  > >PP> acceptable to business and the masses and drives much of the market
  > >PP> and development today.
  > >
  > >Exactly what changes to UNIX is the PC community cuasing to happen?  More
  > >applications?
  > >
  > >And don't you remember; the PC was late in the personal computer industry.
  > >Applications like VisiCalc got the PC community going.  VisiCalc wasn't 
  > >developed on the PC.  And by the way, did you hear that IBM will debut
  > >its own PDA (like the Newton) within a year or so?  
  > >
  > >Yep, that's what I call driving the market. ;)
  > >
  > >[MGM]
  > >

PP> Ever here of Lotus 1-2-3, WordPerfect (blech!), AutoCad, etc. The
PP> list does tend to go on. These apps had their counterparts in the
PP> UNIX environment before they were written, but I find it really
PP> interesting that after they became "standards" in the PC
PP> environment that they were either ported to UNIX, or UNIX apps took
PP> on many of the features they provided and extended their
PP> usefulness. I'd call that at least market influence :)

OK, I see your point.  You're not really claiming that changes are 
being made to UNIX, but only that DOS applications are influencing
UNIX applications.

BTW: have you ever heard of VisiCalc?  Lotus 1-2-3 is nearly a
direct copy of the original spreadsheet program.  VisiCalc was
developed on an Apple ][, by the way (pre-PC days).

I suppose that you would also concede that the Macintosh is having
a strong influence on both the OS and applications of DOS & UNIX
machines.  The Macintosh has popularized the graphical interface.
DOS machines are running Windows (heaviliy influenced by the Mac),
and many UNIX platforms support X-Windows (OSF/Motif & Open-Look).
X-Windows is a lot less Mac-like, but most of the X applications that
I run borrow a lot of Mac terminology in thier look-and-feel.

PP> As for PDA, that's a completely separate issue. My yellow legal
PP> pad, or techincal pad and mechanical pen work just fine for what I
PP> need. I don't think you will find that many programmers trying to
PP> develop on it, or that many users trying to run projections, or
PP> the like. It is in a sense, a pure user's tool.

Did the PC community popularize the Graphical User Interface?  Did
the PC community popularize the use of Mouse and Trackball inter-
faces?  How about WYSIWYG?  How about Desktop Publishing?  How about
3.5" Sony disk mechanisms?

Really, it usually appears to me that most of the PC community is
"bringing up the rear" when it comes to "driving the market." 

[MGM]
Newsgroups: comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy