charles@ncelvax.UUCP (Charles R. Lindsey Jr.) (09/02/89)
So far I have gotten a wealth of information concerning
whether an Apple IIGS can be beefed up to be a "color Mac", at
least a Mac SE. Thanks to everyone who replied, your info
easily confirmed what I had suspected. The shocked look of
dismay on the face of the salesman, when I asked about the
IIGS, was a practiced look to steer to the more profitable Mac
area of the store. I have nothing against Macs, but the
expense coupled with the lack of color [my 7 year old could be
unimpressed quite easily] makes the IIGS the way to go for
me. Besides, I would much rather not do a lot of number crunching
at home beyond balancing the checkbook, I do too much at
work.
Accounting, basic databases, some graphics work, a few games,
and educational software for my son. Hardly the requirements
for the mega-investment the Mac II requires.
But, I have one final question, the salesman, attempting to
press home the 'obvious' mac advantage, stated the the
operating system is noway near as good as the Mac's. That
applications, a number of them anyway, can not be launched by
clicking the folder. Is this true, or is this more smoke?
--
charles@ncelvax.uucp ___ Charles Lindsey
Naval Civil Engineering Lab
Standard disclaimer implied, Code L54 805/
naturally. Port Hueneme, CA 93043 982-1269dlyons@Apple.COM (David Lyons) (09/02/89)
In article <474@ncelvax.UUCP> charles@ncelvax.UUCP (Charles R. Lindsey Jr.) writes: >[...] the salesman, attempting to >press home the 'obvious' mac advantage, stated the the >operating system is noway near as good as the Mac's. That >applications, a number of them anyway, can not be launched by >clicking the folder. Is this true, or is this more smoke? The operating system and toolbox are really nice; but that's probably not what your dealer was talking about. The operating system is something that only programmers need to deal with when they're writing applications. From the user's point of view, things are still pretty nice. Double-clicking on a *folder* in the Finder never launches anything--it opens up the folder (the GS works the same as the Macintosh in this respect). Double-clicking on an Application icon launches the application--no problem there. Double-clicking on a *document* icon on the Macintosh almost always launches the application that created that document, on the Macintosh. The Apple IIgs Finder allows applications to work that way, too--but some of them don't take advantage of it. You can still launch the application and then Open the document from inside the application. --Dave Lyons, Apple Computer, Inc. | DAL Systems AppleLink--Apple Edition: DAVE.LYONS | P.O. Box 875 AppleLink--Personal Edition: Dave Lyons | Cupertino, CA 95015-0875 GEnie: D.LYONS2 or DAVE.LYONS CompuServe: 72177,3233 Internet/BITNET: dlyons@apple.com UUCP: ...!ames!apple!dlyons My opinions are my own, not Apple's.
nuwilken@ndsuvax.UUCP (Scott Wilken) (09/03/89)
In article <474@ncelvax.UUCP> charles@ncelvax.UUCP (Charles R. Lindsey Jr.) writes: Blah, Blah Blah... <STUFF DELETED> >But, I have one final question, the salesman, attempting to >press home the 'obvious' mac advantage, stated the the >operating system is noway near as good as the Mac's. That >applications, a number of them anyway, can not be launched by >clicking the folder. Is this true, or is this more smoke? > Its more smoke. Ive had a gs for quite some time now, and I cant say the finder has never let me *NOT* launch a program by clicking on it :) Seriously though, yes. The gs finder work exactly like the finder on a mac does. You just click on what you want to run. Scott +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ! Internet: nuwilken@Plains.NoDak.EDU AppleLink PE: Wilken ! ! UUCP: uunet!ndsuvax!nuwilken GEnie Mail: S.WILKEN1 ! ! Bitnet: NUWILKEN@NDSUVAX CompuServe: 75130,1571 ! +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) (09/03/89)
In article <474@ncelvax.UUCP> charles@ncelvax.UUCP (Charles R. Lindsey Jr.) writes: >That applications, a number of them anyway, can not be launched by >clicking the folder. Is this true, or is this more smoke? Not by clicking a folder containing them, but rather by clicking on the icon representing the actual executable file. You can arrange a large number of these as residing directly on the desktop, to avoid having to thread your way through a hierarchy of folders before you can invoke them. I find that over 95% of the time I click on such a "global" icon to launch the application. You can also configure classes of files, using name patterns, types, and auxiliary types, so that clicking on a file icon for that class will fire up a DIFFERENT application with that file provided as input. For example, to edit an icon file I just click on it and an icon editor application starts up, with the particular icon file already open. The Mac may have some advantages, but the IIGS Finder environment is not far behind in functionality. Your salesman may get bigger commissions on Mac sales than on GS sales.
shatara@memit.dec.com (Chris Shatara) (09/03/89)
}..............................You can also configure classes of files, }using name patterns, types, and auxiliary types, so that clicking on a }file icon for that class will fire up a DIFFERENT application with that }file provided as input. For example, to edit an icon file I just click }on it and an icon editor application starts up, with the particular icon }file already open. Where can I get more information on doing this. I've had an icon for an application indicate the use of basic launcher to run he program but in my searching thorough the scads of documentation, haven't found an description of what you're describing. /Chris ============================================================================= | Chris Shatara | Internet: shatara@memit.dec.com | | | shatara@memit.enet.dec.com | | Opinions expressed are | DEC Easynet: memit::shatara | | mine and mine only! | UUCP: ...!decwrl!memit!shatara | =============================================================================
emerrill@tippy.uucp (09/03/89)
/* Written 12:24 pm Sep 2, 1989 by nuwilken@ndsuvax in tippy:apple */ >The gs finder work exactly like the finder on a mac does. It is similar, but not exactly like the Mac finder. Now if Apple will just release a 10 MHz GS w/4 megs standard and a MultiFinder... :-) _________________________________________________________ | | | Eric Merrill tippy!emerrill@newton.physics.purdue.edu | | | | Disclaimer: | | If you think I'm serious, that's your problem! | |_________________________________________________________|
gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) (09/04/89)
In article <756@mountn.dec.com> shatara@memit.dec.com (Chris Shatara) writes: >}..............................You can also configure classes of files, >}using name patterns, types, and auxiliary types, so that clicking on a >}file icon for that class will fire up a DIFFERENT application with that >}file provided as input. For example, to edit an icon file I just click >}on it and an icon editor application starts up, with the particular icon >}file already open. >Where can I get more information on doing this. I've had an icon for an >application indicate the use of basic launcher to run he program but in my >searching thorough the scads of documentation, haven't found an >description of what you're describing. I forget how I found out. Certainly not in that laughable manual that comes with the GS/OS package. Perhaps it was in a ProDOS-16 or GS/OS Reference Manual draft from APDA. Anyway, what you do is fire up an icon editor (several are available from information services now), create an icon file of your own, and in the auxiliary (i.e. non-graphic) information associated with an icon specify the information I mentioned above. The Finder will use that information to display the appropriate icon (assuming you put the icon file in the ICONS folder in the root directory of the disk) and to determine what application to launch when you double- click on the icon. Use existing icons as a guide, for example the ones for the BAS file type (which invoke BASIC.LAUNCHER to handle the double-clicked BASIC program) located in FINDER.ICONS.
joseph@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Seymour Joseph) (09/07/89)
There is a great deal of software that, either doesn't have a normal directory (copy protected) to show in the finder, or runs from hacked or old systems with special tools that won't run right from the standard Finder. So it is not true that everything simply launches from the Finder. It is not true on the Mac either. There are older, and copy protected programs there too that have to be booted from their own disks and that use their own launcher/interface. It is closer to true for the Mac, as copy protection there is less accepted as a norm than on the Apple II. Also on the Apple II there is that great bunch of older software that predates the IIGS that may not even be in ProDOS format. I think all the availalbe older software for the Apple II actually presents more options for the purchaser and shouldn't be counted against it. If you want software that launches from the finder you can definitely find it. Seymour
philip@pro-generic.cts.com (Philip McDunnough) (09/21/89)
Network Comment: to #4565 by ncelvax!charles@trout.nosc.mil It's more smoke.The GS is great for home use. I have tried to interest my kids(3&4) with every possible Mac(including a IIcx).Except for a few hypercard programs which are pretty nice the lack of color programs is a real interest killer. By the way, do you know how many pixels the GS color monitor has? Also,is there a communications' package which will work over AppleTalk between a GS and a Mac?