[WinMac] Floppyless iMac

Dan Schwartz(expresso[at]snip.net)
Fri, 05 Feb 1999 19:38:58 -0500

        Dear David,

        What the iMac lacks is a way to boot the machine and run disk
repair/recovery utilities *easily*... And I underscore the word EASILY.
Yes, you can boot from a CD, but then what happens when you can't run a
repair program because there is no second drive... Even a lowly floppy
drive? Remember, the iMac also lacks a SCSI port so you can't boot from an
external disk, either.

        [Remember, you can't run a program ON the hard disk you want to repair,
because the disk needs to be unmounted first, which means all the files
need to be closed on it.]

        What the iMac *desperately* needs -- Since it doesn't have a floppy -- is
the ability to boot into even a basic console embedded into FlashROM. Those
of you who have used a DEC Alpha know this as the ARC console. This allows
the machine to boot to a basic configuration so you can load an OS, access
the LAN, or run a program.

        The Mac equivalent to this would be a ROM-based "mini-Finder" that would
allow access to the CD/ROM drive, and possibly to the ethernet port. This
way, the CD/ROM drive can hold a disk repair & recovery app, without having
a "blessed" System Folder -- licensed from Apple -- on it.

        But with all that said, I still believe that the iMac is well suited to a
corporate desktop, because of the strong LAN features and no floppy drive.

        Just my 2 cents...

        Dan

At 07:57 AM 2/4/99 -0800, David K. McKnight replied to me:
>> Where the iMac sucks is for home use, i.e the features that make it so good
>> for corporate desktops (no floppy, = built-in 10/100 ethernet) make it
lousy
>> for home users.
>
>I disagree on that point. I have both a PC and a Mac at home. I can't
think of
>the last time I used the floppy on either of them. I've asked a number of
home
>users on this point too. While anecdotal in content (better for a focus group
>than for quantitative analysis admittedly), I've yet to run across anyone who
>uses their floppy much at all. Most all software comes on CDs these days
-- and
>I can't even remember the last time I received a floppy as a direct mail
piece.
>All CDs.
>
>Your *perception* may be that floppies are important to home users
(regardless
>of platform). They may be important to *you* at home. I just don't see it.
>Apparently a bunch of other folks didn't see it either, since the iMac was
the
>#1 PC retailed in the fourth quarter last year (big home electronics
Christmas
>buying push). And sales through retail outlets are more often home users than
>business users.
>
>Again, based on an insignificant sample size to be very meaningful, I have
yet
>to run across *anyone* who has purchased an iMac for business (that's not
to say
>they couldn't work well there). The few people I know who purchased iMacs
bought
>them for home use. BTW, while not in widespread use as yet, the Ethernet
>connection is ideal for anyone who wants to take advantage of a cable
modem or
>xDSL. We'll be seeing that becoming more and more common as competition
between
>cable and the telcos heats up and prices are forced to drop. More often than
>not, this will benefit home users/telecommuters.
>
>Frankly, I think the iMac stands to face a far *tougher* entry into the more
>conservative corporate space -- "wild," non-conforming (not beige)
looking, lack
>of Mac support in IT (as seen on this list, even some corp. *intranets* with
>so-called cross-platform web pages aren't built with cross-platform
standards in
>mind), not-sensational NT support of services for Macintosh. If Apple
wants to
>grab a bigger piece of the pie, *they* need to solve these problems -- not
>expect their customers to figure out how to.
>
>Admittedly, it's easier to work with PC files on a Mac than vice versa,
but to
>be big in business again, they need to go a lot further than that, and
address
>the issue of solving user problems. I use a Mac at work in a marketing
>department of a Fortune 500 company. Our department is about 1/3 Macs and 2/3
>PCs. And while the company used to be 100% Mac, we've migrated away over the
>past few years.
>
>I like NT (for the most part). I think Windows 2000 has the opportunity to
be a
>great product -- but read the trades, folks, IT has their hands full with Y2K
>and other issues, and few companies are planning to make the jump when the
>product comes out. That's a shame, because it will likely be the best
Windows OS
>for the average corp. user. Period. Apple had an opportunity to grab share
with
>the fumbled intro of W95. They missed the opportunity. It's going to be
deja vu
>with W2000. I like the Mac, but my take is they'll likely let this
opportunity
>go as well.
>
>But then who knows? Who would have thought a year ago that Apple would
have made
>such a solid re-entry into the consumer channel? Still lots of weaknesses
there,
>though...
>
>
>DAVID
>
>David K. McKnight
>Advertising & Public Relations Manager
>Fleetwood RV
><mailto:dmcknight@fleetwood.com>
>
>Fleetwood RV -- A Little of What Life's All About
>See our web site at: <http://www.fleetwood.com>
>
>Fleetwood is the World's Leading Provider
>Of Recreational Vehicles & Manufactured Homes
>
>P.O. Box 7638
>Riverside, CA 92513-7638
>
>2990 Myers Street
>Riverside, CA 92503
>
>(909) 351-3500
>
>
>----------
>>From: "The Windows-MacOS cooperation list" <winmac@xerxes.frit.utexas.edu>
>>To: "The Windows-MacOS cooperation list" <winmac@xerxes.frit.utexas.edu>
>>Subject: WinMac Digest #215 - 02/02/99
>>Date: Tue, Feb 2, 1999, 11:00 AM
>>
>
>> Where the iMac sucks is for home use, i.e the features that make it so good
>> for corporate desktops (no floppy, = built-in 10/100 ethernet) make it
lousy
>> for home users.
>
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