Denys writes:

> Consider this:
>
> - It's a question of attitude. If you know, if you just know, if you
> really know you are going to have trouble with the OS, you will.

Believe it or not, some of us actually approach new things (NT, Lotus Notes)
with an open mind, even anticipation.  There has been alot of hype about
these things, and the opportunity for hands-on experience is welcome.

Notes stinks.  Badly.  (IMHO. ;)
NT...well, it's not near so bad, but I do not believe it deserves its hype.


> - For as long as I can remember, the world has been looking for a single
> operating system which lets people share data and software.  We are pretty
> much on the way with Windows, so why are there cries of anguish about MS
> being a monopoly because everyone in the hearing room uses Windows?

That "single OS" also needs to work, and work well.  "Intuitive" would be
nice.  "Fun to use" would be even better.

With over 10 years of R&D, Windows can finally change screen resolution
on the fly.  Congratulations.  Maybe in the next 10 years it can do
different resolutions on different monitors (simultaneously).

As for "everyone in the hearing room" using Windows, well, there's no
question that MS knows marketing, and they know it well.


> - I think a good answer from Bill Gates would have been, "How many people
> in this room have started using the Internet when they got Windows 95?"

Or "How many people in this room started using the Internet well before
Windows 95?  Of those with their hands up, how many did it with Windows?
Wait!  Where did all the hands go?"


> - On April 1, 2 days ago, your shiny new Pentium MMX laptop was rendered
> obsolete.  The Mobile Pentium II (Deschutes class) was released.  How
> fitting that an entire class of expensive laptops be made obsolete on
> April Fool's day.

Zzzzzz.

Like Patrick Swayze says in the movie Roadhouse, "Opinions vary."


That said, no desktop OS is perfect.  And with the frenzy that appears
to go along with desktop OS development, I'm not convinced that any
will ever be.  For my money, I'll stay with the Mac, at least until
something demonstrably better comes along.

One final thought.  Yesterday (Thu), Denys mentioned how important
it is not to "download and install every program you find on the
Internet, or...install and subsequently de-install applications...."
My laptop can run Unix, Windows, and the Mac OS *simultaneously*.
I run applications for graphics manipulation, astronomy, foreign
language instruction and the occasional game, in addition to
a developer environment, all in a 4.4 pound package.  When I want
to transfer large files to/from the desktop machine, I connect
the laptop as a SCSI device (despite the internal IDE drive);
the desktop machine sees it as just another hard drive.

*This* is a true general-purpose computer.  I have no trouble
installing and subsequently de-installing applications.

--Glenn Cole
  Software al dente, Inc.
  [log in to unmask]

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