From: bcoleman@hayes.com (Bill Coleman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.advocacy
Subject: Re: 7.1 vs. OS/2 and Windows NT
Date: 2 Oct 92 11:48:30 EDT
Organization: Hayes Microcomputer Products, Norcross, GA

In article <92275.135853ASI509@DJUKFA11.BITNET>, ASI509@DJUKFA11.BITNET writes:
> In article <6090.2ac9ae8c@hayes.com>, bcoleman@hayes.com (Bill Coleman)
> says: 
>>> OS/2 and Windows NT have these features in addition to workable GUIs.
>>
>>Workable, perhaps.  But they aren't as good as the Mac UI.
>
> That`s debatable and mainly a matter of taste.  

There's more than taste that applies. It isn't all aesthetics. Of course,
it all depends on how you interpret "Good."

> I`m using the workplace shell and the finder and I think there are some 
> small features in the finder that should be added to the workplace shell 
> to improve it.  On the other hand I think you would have to do some serious 
> replumbing of the finder to get the functionality of the workplace shell.

(If someone says command lines, I think I'll scream)

What you say may be true. However, the Finder does not constitute all of the
Mac UI. The user interface includes the family of applications. Most of these
applications are good examples of that family. Some are black sheep, but fall
much closer to the fold than those under OS/2 or Windows.

And that's my point. Since you can't do all your work in the WPS or the
Program Manager, why limit your exploration of the user interface to the
Finder? 

>>Furthermore, both these systems are missing fundamental features of
>>System 7, much less the multilingual capabilies of System 7.1.
> 
> Which are ? (Please don`t tell me about built in sound and/or networking).  

OK, but sound is (partly) a hardware feature, so I probably wouldn't have
mentioned it

Networking could be important to you, since you can dial into an AppleTalk
network. Standard networking is an important feature of the OS.

System 7 features: 
* Scalable fonts (Windows has, OS/2 not)
* InterApplication communication, with provisions for App to App communications
  using standard terminology (AppleEvents), on the same machine or over a
  network. (Windows not, OS/2 not)
  (And when OCE gets here, Store and Forward will be standard!)
* Support for "live copy and paste" between applications that aren't running
  concurrently, or are running on different machines on a network. (Not, Not)
* Built-in support for standard 24-bit color, with automatic interpolation
  to differing bit depths. The ability to support multiple monitors with
  differing depths, and to change the depth on the fly. (Not, Not)
* Human Interface Guidelines and standards sufficient to form consistancy 
  between applications (Not, Perhaps)
* Built-in support for an SQL dialect (Not, Yes?)
* Support for the localization of Sorting order, Data and Time formats,
  currency, measurement, calenders and numbers (Not, Not)
* Standard support for temporal data, graphics data compression, both for
  static and real-time graphics and sound. (QuickTime) (Not, Not) 
  (Although Windows will eventually get QuickTime when Apple ports it over)
* Standard color picker (Not, Not)
* Support for timing to the millisecond level (Time Manager) (Not, Perhaps)
* Aliases. (Not, Perhaps under HPFS?)
* Automatic slot conflict resolution (NuBus and Slot Manager) (Not, Not)
  ( MCA helps, but it isn't automatic )
* Power management for battery-powered machines. (Not, Not)

System 7.1:
* Features to support virtually all known forms of written human communication,
  using WorldScript. (Not, Not)
* Support for multiple scripts (writing systems) within the same edit field.

I may have missed some, and I may not have all the information on all the
aspects of Windows and OS/2, but there's certainly enough here to prove
my point.

-- 
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.