[WinMac] Re: WinMac Digest #202 - 01/20/99

John W. McCarthy(jwmcmac[at]flash.net)
Thu, 21 Jan 1999 00:24:08 -0600

Dan,

It is a pleasure to listen to your informative, detailed and well
explained posts to the WinMac Digest. I'm very glad that you and the
others take the time to actually explain things (even the terminology).

In response to "Re: [WinMac] Re: Steve is up to his antics... This time
over IEEE 1394":

Unfortunately, a lot of our favorite technologies have ended in the
toilet, or just been passed over or passed up by the next technology in line.

Apple has "tried" many innovations and some were left hanging.

I could be wrong, but I don't think FireWire will wind up in the toilet.
 If you have some money, invest it in FireWire (at least for the short
term) and your living should take a turn for the better.

Man, if I had only had a some shares in Apple at the beginning of last
year, before Gates invested his $150 million and the imac/G3 took off .
. .

Although I see Wintel taking over the Domestic college campuses, one by
one, I wouldn't yet rule out the possibility of Macs selling big in the
future. Many of their current technologies hold grande promise.

In my guesstimation, if they come out with FiberOpticsFireWire, that
would be even better than FireWire (isn't this one copper wire based?).
Until then, on the short term, go for it with FireWire. Go for it with
G3/G4 copper technology. Go for it with OS-X and 8.6 and beyond.

<<<Aside:

(An Apple rep demoed a new G4 with compper technology on the processor
chip running at 400 mHz the other day on our TCJC-south campus. I
didn't see it, but was told that he soft-booted Windows 98 on the Mac in
about 5 seconds. I know the informant must have been exagerating. But
that is exciting.)

End Aside>>>

I know that the other side is not standing still and that it is all
posturing (all the claims to be the current #1). But I think the Apple
Mac actually has the chance of "leap-frogging" the competition over the
short term. I only hope they don't stand on their laurels for more than
a minute or two. Basking is not a good thing to do in the technology world.

All the technology starts and stops make the lives of real world techs a
bit of a headache. It's a guessing game in which they have to choose
sides to some extent and certainly will get egg on the face because of
some high-dollar decision they influenced.

Going with Apple has always been the "gamble". Going with Wintel is
safe. Going with Apple has been fun, but fun doesn't cut it when a
technology stalls out and you can't figure out how to make what you're
stuck with work.

That is what this list is for . . . to help alleviate, and hopefully
eliminate, some of those headaches.

To be honest, I believe that Apple Mac's only have one real good chance
at playing with the big boys. That is to become the defacto
cross-platform plug and play engine for all platforms, happily fitting
into or serving any and all environments. The Apple Mac almost can do
that right now and certainly is the only platform that even comes close
at this time.

I for one think the Mac is the most exciting personal computer on the
market. No other computer or platform offers the diversity or
capability of a Mac. I would think that any tech would love to have a
top-of-the-line Mac to play with or work with. Am I wrong? Hope not.

Certainly there are going to be glitches in the systems. That is why
this list is here and that is why we are glad to have so many great
sources of information, like Dan Schwartz, like Alex Dearden, like Tom
Case, like all the others that show up out of nowhere with good
information. These are the guys that show us users how to make it all work.

Keep up the good work.

God Bless us all.

Pat Kelly McCarthy

>
> > How can I make the technology work when it just might end up in the toilet
> >due to Steve Jobs' antics? Just what I need for my reputation: Recommending
> >FireWire to my customers, only to have the support pins knocked out from
> >under it.
> >

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