Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!yale!cmcl2!esquire!sbb From: sbb@esquire.UUCP (Stephen B. Baumgarten) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Computer for the rest of us? Message-ID: <653@esquire.UUCP> Date: 23 Sep 88 21:35:36 GMT References: <430043@hpcea.CE.HP.COM> <11540170@hpsmtc1.HP.COM> Reply-To: sbb%esquire@cmcl2.nyu.edu Organization: DP&W, New York, NY Lines: 52 In article <11540170@hpsmtc1.HP.COM> dlw@hpsmtc1.HP.COM (David Williams) writes: >Apple does not care about us anymore...their prices reflect that. To my mind >the minimal Macintosh is a Mac II with at least 2 megs of memory, Color and >at least a 90 meg hard disk. How many individuals will be able to afford this >at the rate Apple's prices are going? Not many I assure you. I'm sure Apple stockholders will be glad to hear your idea of a "minimal" system. My brother just bought a lowly Plus (without an external drive) and an Imagewriter, yet he's still able to run nearly *every* program in the Macintosh line. With just 1 meg, 1 drive, and a RAM disk. He might break down and get the external drive in a couple of months, once he saves up enough money. Live within your means. We'd all like people to hand us the most expensive state-of-the-art technology for free, but unfortunately it doesn't work that way. If you can't afford the $1400 (what my brother's system cost -- and note that it doesn't cost more now, even though Apple raised prices on most of their other products), buy a PC clone. Of course, I don't know what kind of system you can get for $1000 that still runs programs like Word, Excel, Draw, etc., etc., and still has an icon/windowing interface. If you really need to run 3 programs at once, or if you *really* need to run Hypercard (my brother will be too busy writing papers to fool around with Hypercard), add memory or a hard disk. The system you mention is in no way a "minimal" system. Minimal for what? What on earth do you need a 90 meg hard disk for? What does color get you? How much faster is a Mac II compared to an SE or a Plus, especially for what you'll be using it for? My brother won't be able to type any faster on a Mac II, and if it takes him 10 seconds to save a file instead of 1, so what? I'm sorry to rant and rave like this, but I've had my 512->512e->2meg+SCSI (third party) for almost 3 years now and I don't feel any real need to chuck it all for a Mac II. Why should you? Macintoshes are cheaper and more capable now than they ever have been. PCs are cheaper now than ever, but they aren't much more capable (most PC programs have barely evolved in the last few years, and very few if any approach the ease of use and sophistication of Macintosh programs). Stop beating on Apple because they aren't the Free Hardware Foundation and look around at the alternatives. (There, I feel much better) -- Steve Baumgarten | "New York... when civilization falls apart, Davis Polk & Wardwell | remember, we were way ahead of you." {uunet,cmcl2}!esquire!sbb | sbb%esquire@cmcl2.nyu.edu | - David Letterman