AWCTTYPA@UIAMVS.BITNET ("David A. Lyons") (01/15/89)
>Date: Sun, 15 Jan 89 02:44:06 GMT >From: Bob Sherman <umigw!umbio!bsherm@HANDIES.UCAR.EDU> >Subject: a Question & a Vision >Does anyone know why Apple has dropped further production, and All >support for GSBASIC?? The Word I get is that the beta version will >never be completed.. TML BASIC is available, and it's source code compatible with GS BASIC. TML BASIC is compiled, whereas GSBASIC was interpreted. Both have advantages, of course, but if you have to have one or the other then compiled is better, at least if you want other people to use your programs--that way they don't have to have your source code if you don't want to give it to them, and execution is a lot faster. >Add to that the fact that Pinpoint and AST have dropped ALL support and >production of Apple products, leads to my vision of the future.. > >The Apple II series are we now know it will die a quiet death, and within >a year or two after that, Apple will change it's corporate name to >better identify itself with what it makes (Macintosh?????) and the >market it serves. My, that's one impressive extrapolation! Maybe you've set a record and won an award for that. :-) Because a BASIC interpreter is dropped and two companies drop their Apple II support, the Apple II line is going to die a quiet death? _I'm_ not shedding any tears over GSBASIC, or for Pinpoint or AST (I don't think I've ever bought any of their products). I don't follow this sort of thing closely enough to do it myself, but if you do a fair comparison of companies _entering_ the Apple II world and companies leaving it, I think you'd get a very different view of the future of the Apple II. For example: Apple drops GSBASIC. TML Systems continues with TML BASIC; ByteWorks announces ORCA/C (and didn't they announce an ORCA/BASIC, too?). The best is yet to come. I'm looking forward to an AppleWorks GS that faster and doesn't crash--that'll be great. Also File System Translators and a Resource Manager for GS/OS will open up a lot of new possibilities. (Apple has announced that there will eventually be a resource manager; and presumably they'll release some more FSTs, too, since they took the trouble to have GS/OS support them.) > Internet -- bsherm%umbio@umigw.miami.edu > UUCP -- {uunet!gould}!umbio!bsherm > Miami's Big Apple 305-948-8000 1200 baud 24 hours 8 years online --David A. Lyons bitnet: awcttypa@uiamvs DAL Systems CompuServe: 72177,3233 P.O. Box 287 GEnie mail: D.LYONS2 North Liberty, IA 52317 AppleLinkPE: Dave Lyons