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Back Byte

Back Byte To Mac or not This short note is a reply to a letter from Michel Vigneault, an AHC member from Montreal since 1991 working on sports history. Like this editor he is a Macintosh user and was concerned that 'all the articles refer to IBM or compatible computers' which he felt he could not apply directly to working with his own computer, and asked if he should change to an IBM compatible computer, especially as he is thinking of changing his old Macintosh Classic computer. As I was drafting a reply, it seemed to me that this question was one which many readers might ask, so here it is. Dear Michel important whatever operating system is involved, indeed the reader would find it hard to guess which operating system was used by those authors. At least one of them was a Macintosh user. Software reviews are often operating system specific. Any DOS/Windows bias reflects European conditions. We hope as we get more North American members that news and reviews of Mac based software becomes more frequent. Indeed this is an invitation. are Humphrey Southall on gopherspace was entirely based upon Mac software, but more importantly, we regard the bulk of our articles as being concerned with the generic features of history and computing. James Bradley's comments on the use of relational databases (History and Computing, 6:2 1994) and Graeme Morton on record linkage (History and Computing, 6:1 1994) ' ' ... ... -- Thanks for your letter. As this is a question that people ask, I hope you will forgive me for printing the answer as a backbyte in History and Computing First, at a simple level we do have some articles which draw directly on Macintosh software. Thus many data files can be transferred with relative system to another. I have found that Applefile Exchange has worked smoothly especially when moving files from one version of the same software to another. New Machines come with the version 7.5 operating system which has a built in ability to read Dos most ease tems, and Secondly, it is my judgement that the two major operating systems have converged in the last five years, so that many applications have versions for both sysfrom one formatted disks. Emulation software is now available for the more powerful Macintosh machines. SoftPC and SoftWindows run on the PowerMacintosh series of machines as well as the Quadras. There are limitations. This is a software solution and sits on top of the Macintosh operating system. This means that they do not deliver the full power of an equivalent 486 machine. Recent announcements suggest that there will soon be a hardware solution for the PowerMacintosh 6100. The Power Mac DOS Compatibility Card will deliver 486 power and capacity to the 6100. It is to sell at under £500 in the United Kingdom. In effect this means that contains two computers for a modest increase in price. (Macuser, 25 November 1994) In general, convergence is easier from the Mac side than from the DOS side. As to your question about the choice of operating system for your next computer purchase, this choice should come at the end of a careful evaluation of your own needs and resources. (See Donald Spaeth, 'Which Micro?' History and Computing, 1:2 1989) In general, the IBM clones are relatively cheaper more bytes for the buck in both passive and active memory. This gap is narrowing and plans by Apple to license other producers will narrow the gap further. (The Economist, 10-16 December 1994). Recent experience suggests that for many configurations the Mac comes cheaper, especially in an educational environment. On the other hand Macintosh has always had a more user friendly operating system, even after the introduction of Windows. Thus for a given amount of money a Mac user may get slightly less in terms of RAM and storage but be able to spend more time doing history rather than puzzling over the technicalities of computing. List the software you anticipate using (in generic terms). Is any of it specific to one system rather than another? Are you likely to get support and advice in one system rather than another? In general, I would want very good reasons for changing from an operating system in which you have already invested much learning time. My own strategy for what it is worth has been to keep my established base in Macintosh whilst developing file exchange and emulation capability in the work I am doing. R J Morris -- http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png International Journal of Humanities and Arts Computing Edinburgh University Press

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Publisher
Edinburgh University Press
Copyright
Copyright © Edinburgh University Press
ISSN
1753-8548
eISSN
1755-1706
DOI
10.3366/hac.1994.6.3.192
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

To Mac or not This short note is a reply to a letter from Michel Vigneault, an AHC member from Montreal since 1991 working on sports history. Like this editor he is a Macintosh user and was concerned that 'all the articles refer to IBM or compatible computers' which he felt he could not apply directly to working with his own computer, and asked if he should change to an IBM compatible computer, especially as he is thinking of changing his old Macintosh Classic computer. As I was drafting a reply, it seemed to me that this question was one which many readers might ask, so here it is. Dear Michel important whatever operating system is involved, indeed the reader would find it hard to guess which operating system was used by those authors. At least one of them was a Macintosh user. Software reviews are often operating system specific. Any DOS/Windows bias reflects European conditions. We hope as we get more North American members that news and reviews of Mac based software becomes more frequent. Indeed this is an invitation. are Humphrey Southall on gopherspace was entirely based upon Mac software, but more importantly, we regard the bulk of our articles as being concerned with the generic features of history and computing. James Bradley's comments on the use of relational databases (History and Computing, 6:2 1994) and Graeme Morton on record linkage (History and Computing, 6:1 1994) ' ' ... ... -- Thanks for your letter. As this is a question that people ask, I hope you will forgive me for printing the answer as a backbyte in History and Computing First, at a simple level we do have some articles which draw directly on Macintosh software. Thus many data files can be transferred with relative system to another. I have found that Applefile Exchange has worked smoothly especially when moving files from one version of the same software to another. New Machines come with the version 7.5 operating system which has a built in ability to read Dos most ease tems, and Secondly, it is my judgement that the two major operating systems have converged in the last five years, so that many applications have versions for both sysfrom one formatted disks. Emulation software is now available for the more powerful Macintosh machines. SoftPC and SoftWindows run on the PowerMacintosh series of machines as well as the Quadras. There are limitations. This is a software solution and sits on top of the Macintosh operating system. This means that they do not deliver the full power of an equivalent 486 machine. Recent announcements suggest that there will soon be a hardware solution for the PowerMacintosh 6100. The Power Mac DOS Compatibility Card will deliver 486 power and capacity to the 6100. It is to sell at under £500 in the United Kingdom. In effect this means that contains two computers for a modest increase in price. (Macuser, 25 November 1994) In general, convergence is easier from the Mac side than from the DOS side. As to your question about the choice of operating system for your next computer purchase, this choice should come at the end of a careful evaluation of your own needs and resources. (See Donald Spaeth, 'Which Micro?' History and Computing, 1:2 1989) In general, the IBM clones are relatively cheaper more bytes for the buck in both passive and active memory. This gap is narrowing and plans by Apple to license other producers will narrow the gap further. (The Economist, 10-16 December 1994). Recent experience suggests that for many configurations the Mac comes cheaper, especially in an educational environment. On the other hand Macintosh has always had a more user friendly operating system, even after the introduction of Windows. Thus for a given amount of money a Mac user may get slightly less in terms of RAM and storage but be able to spend more time doing history rather than puzzling over the technicalities of computing. List the software you anticipate using (in generic terms). Is any of it specific to one system rather than another? Are you likely to get support and advice in one system rather than another? In general, I would want very good reasons for changing from an operating system in which you have already invested much learning time. My own strategy for what it is worth has been to keep my established base in Macintosh whilst developing file exchange and emulation capability in the work I am doing. R J Morris --

Journal

International Journal of Humanities and Arts ComputingEdinburgh University Press

Published: Jan 1, 1994

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