cs2532aa@unm-cvax.UUCP (02/28/85)
> I must have been in a fog for a few weeks...in the world of MacObsolescense, > what does GEM stand for? I gotta know... > > greg GEM stands for Graphics Environment Manager, which was developed by Digital Research Inc. It is not so much an operating system as an operating environ- ment; an interface between the user and the software. It uses windows extensively and is used in Atari's new ST line of 68000-based computers. *** EDITORIAL OPINON MODE ON *** From the picture in the January 28 cover-dated issue of Infoworld, GEM looks very poor on Atari's ST line. From the picture, it appears that GEM makes extensive use of character fonts (rather than bit-mapped graphics) to create windows and icons. Compared to the Macintosh, it looks like garbage. Anyone who expects this to be a color Mac may get their color, but it won't be much of a Mac. Frankly, I don't believe Apple has much to worry about from these machines. On a real computer, GEM might be fantastic. On the Atari ST? Buaaaaaa! *** EDITORIAL OPINION MODE OFF *** You should be able to see GEM in action whenever the aforementioned Atari ST line hits the shelves. Don't hold your breath. .rne. ----- Real World . . Ernie Longmire / 311 Don St. SE / Los Lunas, NM 87031-9405 UUCP . . . . . {{purdue,cmcl2,ihnp4}!lanl,ucbvax}!unmvax!unm-cvax!cs2532aa ----- . . . And I guess you all know how painful THAT can be . . .
steve@drivax.UUCP (Steve Williams) (03/04/85)
> From the picture in the January 28 cover-dated issue of Infoworld, GEM looks > very poor on Atari's ST line. From the picture, it appears that GEM makes > extensive use of character fonts (rather than bit-mapped graphics) to create > windows and icons. Compared to the Macintosh, it looks like garbage. Anyone > who expects this to be a color Mac may get their color, but it won't be much > of a Mac. Frankly, I don't believe Apple has much to worry about from these > machines. On a real computer, GEM might be fantastic. On the Atari ST? > Buaaaaaa! > .rne. > Real World . . Ernie Longmire / 311 Don St. SE / Los Lunas, NM 87031-9405 > UUCP . . . . . {{purdue,cmcl2,ihnp4}!lanl,ucbvax}!unmvax!unm-cvax!cs2532aa > ----- The GEM developers are known as the "BitMap Mafia" for a good reason. GEM does *NOT* use "character fonts" (I assume you mean special characters in a hardware character generator) to do anything. It's all bit-mapped. I thought the Atari hardware was quite reasonable at first inspection. Magazine pictures can be deceiving. -Steve