info-mac@utcsrgv.UUCP (info-mac) (07/11/84)
Date: 9 Jul 84 10:25 EDT From: David H M Spector <uw-beaver!SPECTOR@NYU-CMCL1.ARPA> To: info-mac@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Subject: Re: Open system, documentation, et al. In reference to the number of letters regarding the open-ness or closed-ness of the Macintosh, I might add the following: It seems that not very many people have read the Ads. Apple has dubbed the Mac "the computer for the REST of us...". In other words, the Macintosh is meant to be just like any other APPLIANCE; i.e., a toaster, or TV set; NOT a programmer's machine. And as an appliance it, so far, does a pretty good job. There are some bugs in documentation, software, et al, but for the average person off the street, who has never seen a computer before, it does the things that have to be done. All the gripes about the lack of memory, second drive, no assemblers, no batch, etc,etc are valid, but only from a programmer's standpoint. Our average (new) computer user will never know the difference, they are interested in doing their little MacWrite and MacPaint things and could probably care less about programming languages. Of course, since there is such a great demand for the Macintosh to BECOME a programmable/programmer's machine it will (has) become one. I am not even TRYING to imply that it shouldn't, as I desparately want to be able to program my mac (in something other than BASIC). I too would like to have seen the Macintosh come with 512Kb ( or more ) and a second drive, etc. But it didn't, and if you look at the logic behind it, it makes sense. On the documentation issue, I agree that $150 is a lot to pay for Inside Macintosh, but then I remember what the folks at Apple told me back in February when I inquired about Inside Mac, they said that they would rather that everyone wait until it was ""published"", but would be happy to sell it to you for the cost of Xeroxing it ( +/- 3000pp for $150, a good deal in paper alone...). But the again, even in its preliminary state, Inside Mac has everything you would ever need, spelled out very clearly. Finally, I'd like to say that although it may look like at am trying to defend Apple to the limit, I'm really not... Its just that if you look at the market Apple seems to have targeted for the Mac, it is a very different one than some of us are supposing. David HM Spector ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "any opinion express herein...(etc, etc, etc)..." ARPAnet: Spector@NYU-CMCL1 USEnet : ...allegra!cmcl2!spector US Mail: New York University/Academic Computing Facility, Systems Group New York, NY 10012 (212) 460-7287 -------
info-mac@utcsrgv.UUCP (info-mac) (07/11/84)
Date: 9 Jul 84 14:58:46 EDT From: Rich Acuff at Ohio State <uw-beaver!Acuff@RUTGERS.ARPA> Subject: Re: Open system, documentation, et al. To: SPECTOR@NYU-CMCL1.ARPA Cc: info-mac@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA In-Reply-To: Message from "David H M Spector <SPECTOR@NYU-CMCL1.ARPA>" of 9 Jul 84 10:25:00 EDT If a machine is directed at a naive audience, all the more reason to include basic documentation about what errors are likely to happen. There are few things that are more frustrating than using a "friendly" computer that works fine for a while, and then stopps, saying only "10", leaving the user with no recourse. Note that this is distinct from wanting to "program" the machine--applications crash. -- Rich -------
info-mac@utcsrgv.UUCP (info-mac) (07/11/84)
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 84 12:31:50 pdt From: Rick McGeer (on an aaa-60-s) <uw-beaver!mcgeer%ucbkim@Berkeley> To: SPECTOR@NYU-CMCL1.ARPA, info-mac@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Subject: Re: Open system, documentation, et al. Cc: In-Reply-To: Your message of 9 Jul 84 10:25 EDT $2.5K is a helluvan expensive toaster... Rick.
info-mac@utcsrgv.UUCP (info-mac) (07/11/84)
Date: 9 Jul 84 16:03 EDT From: David H M Spector <uw-beaver!SPECTOR@NYU-CMCL1.ARPA> To: Acuff@RUTGERS.ARPA Subject: RE: Open system, documentation, et al. Cc: info-mac@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA In-Reply-To: Message of 9-JUL-1984 14:55 from Rich Acuff at Ohio State <Acuff@RU TGERS.ARPA> Sure, I agree. I think Apple could have been more explicit in its error handling, but then again telling the user something like "Stack/Heap collision" isn't going to help them very much. Most the errors I have seen come from inherent bugs, not usually things that the user has "done", so there is nothing a user could have "done" to prevent it. But a sheet included with the mac telling what the first 'n' error codes mean would have been nice. Dave -------