Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!purdue!ames!claris!jazzman
From: jazzman@claris.com (Sydney R. Polk)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: New GS ROMs
Message-ID: <10494@claris.com>
Date: 18 Aug 89 20:43:25 GMT
References: <3893@csd4.csd.uwm.edu>
Organization: Claris Corporation, Santa Clara CA
Lines: 49

From article <3893@csd4.csd.uwm.edu>, by sjklafke@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Scott James Klafke):
> There is also another problem, which I feel is the big one. SOFTWARE. Now the
> developers will be producing for //gs'+' (whatever), and the //gs original
> owners will be left out in the cold. I have a //e, and I don't mind the
> //e - //gs differences, they are totally different computers and are
> alot different from each other, but the //gs'+' is not as major of a change
> as was the //e - //gs change.
I really have tried to stay out of this discussion, but I couldn't resist.
The way System 5/0 is written, the differences between the two machines
is invisible to the application (at least a toolbox application).
If it worked under system 5.0 on the old machine, it works on the new
machine.  The system software is about 90% identical; one has it in RAM,
one has it in ROM.  There are very few compatibilty issues between the
two machines.

As far as I can tell, all of the current owners of the GS shouldn't worry
about the upgrade too much.  Their current machines will continues to work
with system 5.0 and existing applications.  They still have the speed
gains that 5.0 made.  The only difference is getting that extra memory,
both the chips and the stuff they put back in ROM.  Think about this,
however.  When they come out with a new system, they will have to make
RAM patches of existing tool code just like they are doing with the old
ROM GS's now.  So the memory gain there is gone.

About the RAM on board, sure it's nice.  But even with that and an
existing RAM card, you can still only have a total of 8 meg of
RAM on a GS, period.  So an existing 8 meg card will have one meg
that cannot be used at all.  Think also about how expensive it would
be to add an additional 1 meg to your current setup.  All in all,
I think that if you need the extra memory, it would be just as economical
to get more RAM for your ram card as to upgrade your motherboard.

I really don't think that this GS was intended as an upgrade for existing
users (they still have the same functionality), I think it was designed
to be an easier machine to sell to new users, esp. education.
It is very difficult to sell memory to educational users, so they
traditionally have missed out on the full potential of GS applications.
Now that the GS has one meg on board, there are many more software packages
(existing and otherwise) that they can sell to schools to supplement the
GS>

I'll get off of my soapbox now.


-- 
Syd Polk           | Wherever you go, there you are.
jazzman@claris.com | Let the music be your light.
GO 'STROS!         | These opinions are mine.  Any resemblence to other
GO RICE!           |  opinions, real or fictitious, is purely coincidence.