Comments on: Some Very Bad News for IBM and Apple http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/ tech, science, news and social issues for geeks Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:53:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Sprouthttp://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/#comment-294486 Sprout Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:53:00 +0000 http://www.geeksaresexy.net/?p=13890#comment-294486 I had an Amiga 500 - great hardware. You could run a Mac Plus emulator on it that worked very well (albeit with interlaced video). The main issue at the time was the Amiga OS (Workbench I believe it was called); they took forever to update the OS when the newer Amigas came out, and it was pretty buggy from what I remember. Having separate hardware for sound and graphics (instead of the CPU having to handle it all) made a HUGE difference at the time; they had awesome sound and graphics (and overall performance) compared to the other systems out at the time. I had an Amiga 500 – great hardware. You could run a Mac Plus emulator on it that worked very well (albeit with interlaced video). The main issue at the time was the Amiga OS (Workbench I believe it was called); they took forever to update the OS when the newer Amigas came out, and it was pretty buggy from what I remember. Having separate hardware for sound and graphics (instead of the CPU having to handle it all) made a HUGE difference at the time; they had awesome sound and graphics (and overall performance) compared to the other systems out at the time.

]]> By: Mike Reesehttp://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/#comment-213582 Mike Reese Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:54:00 +0000 http://www.geeksaresexy.net/?p=13890#comment-213582 Boy, that brings back memories. My last PC from that era was an Atari 800XL with the 'Black Box' upgrade to allow use of IBM spec floppy drives - and I was just about to buy an ST, when I read a review in Consumer Reports calling it a 'high-tech doorstop. So I held off. Then the company I work for purchased a computer controlled/programmed punch press - and it just so happened that the press was run by an Atari ST. Don't think I've read a CR since then! Boy, that brings back memories. My last PC from that era was an Atari 800XL with the 'Black Box' upgrade to allow use of IBM spec floppy drives – and I was just about to buy an ST, when I read a review in Consumer Reports calling it a 'high-tech doorstop. So I held off. Then the company I work for purchased a computer controlled/programmed punch press – and it just so happened that the press was run by an Atari ST. Don't think I've read a CR since then!

]]> By: Mike Reesehttp://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/#comment-271848 Mike Reese Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:54:00 +0000 http://www.geeksaresexy.net/?p=13890#comment-271848 Boy, that brings back memories. My last PC from that era was an Atari 800XL with the 'Black Box' upgrade to allow use of IBM spec floppy drives - and I was just about to buy an ST, when I read a review in Consumer Reports calling it a 'high-tech doorstop. So I held off. Then the company I work for purchased a computer controlled/programmed punch press - and it just so happened that the press was run by an Atari ST. Don't think I've read a CR since then! Boy, that brings back memories. My last PC from that era was an Atari 800XL with the ‘Black Box’ upgrade to allow use of IBM spec floppy drives – and I was just about to buy an ST, when I read a review in Consumer Reports calling it a ‘high-tech doorstop. So I held off. Then the company I work for purchased a computer controlled/programmed punch press – and it just so happened that the press was run by an Atari ST. Don’t think I’ve read a CR since then!

]]> By: Tuxhttp://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/#comment-161543 Tux Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:10:00 +0000 http://www.geeksaresexy.net/?p=13890#comment-161543 This is a fantastic ad from the early days of computing. Still doesn't beat my all-time favorite ad in which Apple welcomes IBM to the world of personal computing. This is a fantastic ad from the early days of computing. Still doesn't beat my all-time favorite ad in which Apple welcomes IBM to the world of personal computing.

]]> By: Tuxhttp://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/#comment-271847 Tux Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:10:00 +0000 http://www.geeksaresexy.net/?p=13890#comment-271847 This is a fantastic ad from the early days of computing. Still doesn't beat my all-time favorite ad in which Apple welcomes IBM to the world of personal computing. This is a fantastic ad from the early days of computing. Still doesn’t beat my all-time favorite ad in which Apple welcomes IBM to the world of personal computing.

]]> By: MrCoreyhttp://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/#comment-161170 MrCorey Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:49:00 +0000 http://www.geeksaresexy.net/?p=13890#comment-161170 *sets walker aside and puts teeth back in* I remember when that ad came out. I had thought that it would be great fun to have one of those with all of its RAM and color capability. But, the one that wooed me even more was the Apple Lisa with its 1MB of RAM!!! *sets walker aside and puts teeth back in* I remember when that ad came out. I had thought that it would be great fun to have one of those with all of its RAM and color capability. But, the one that wooed me even more was the Apple Lisa with its 1MB of RAM!!!

]]> By: MrCoreyhttp://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/#comment-271846 MrCorey Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:49:00 +0000 http://www.geeksaresexy.net/?p=13890#comment-271846 *sets walker aside and puts teeth back in* I remember when that ad came out. I had thought that it would be great fun to have one of those with all of its RAM and color capability. But, the one that wooed me even more was the Apple Lisa with its 1MB of RAM!!! *sets walker aside and puts teeth back in* I remember when that ad came out. I had thought that it would be great fun to have one of those with all of its RAM and color capability. But, the one that wooed me even more was the Apple Lisa with its 1MB of RAM!!!

]]> By: Lawrence Woodmanhttp://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/#comment-160994 Lawrence Woodman Tue, 02 Jun 2009 06:34:00 +0000 http://www.geeksaresexy.net/?p=13890#comment-160994 I loved my Commodore 128, though I don't ever remember it being referred to as a 128PC. The biggest problem with it is that its cp/m mode was just too slow to be particularly useful. I loved my Commodore 128, though I don't ever remember it being referred to as a 128PC. The biggest problem with it is that its cp/m mode was just too slow to be particularly useful.

]]> By: Lawrence Woodmanhttp://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/#comment-271845 Lawrence Woodman Tue, 02 Jun 2009 06:34:00 +0000 http://www.geeksaresexy.net/?p=13890#comment-271845 I loved my Commodore 128, though I don't ever remember it being referred to as a 128PC. The biggest problem with it is that its cp/m mode was just too slow to be particularly useful. I loved my Commodore 128, though I don’t ever remember it being referred to as a 128PC. The biggest problem with it is that its cp/m mode was just too slow to be particularly useful.

]]> By: Milton Segurahttp://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/#comment-160935 Milton Segura Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:29:00 +0000 http://www.geeksaresexy.net/?p=13890#comment-160935 hahahahha the last question was hilarious xD hahahahha the last question was hilarious xD

]]> By: Milton Segurahttp://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/#comment-271844 Milton Segura Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:29:00 +0000 http://www.geeksaresexy.net/?p=13890#comment-271844 hahahahha the last question was hilarious xD hahahahha the last question was hilarious xD

]]> By: GadgetNuthttp://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/06/01/some-very-bad-news-for-ibm-and-apple/#comment-160887 GadgetNut Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:18:00 +0000 http://www.geeksaresexy.net/?p=13890#comment-160887 Ah, isn't nostalgia grand. I started out on a Commodore 64 and an Atari 800. The Commodore 128 was a good stepping stone. I lusted for the Amiga machines. Amigas were the first systems to have math co-processors, and separate multi-voice sound chips. They were lots of bang for the buck. I knew a guy that used to develop in C on his Amiga, and cross-compile to the PC. Commodore had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it seems as if they couldn't ever get folks to take their systems seriously, or just didn't know how to market the things as other than curiosities or game systems. A shame, really. Imagine how different the landscape might have been if only..... Ah, isn't nostalgia grand. I started out on a Commodore 64 and an Atari 800. The Commodore 128 was a good stepping stone.

I lusted for the Amiga machines. Amigas were the first systems to have math co-processors, and separate multi-voice sound chips. They were lots of bang for the buck. I knew a guy that used to develop in C on his Amiga, and cross-compile to the PC. Commodore had a lot of potential.

Unfortunately, it seems as if they couldn't ever get folks to take their systems seriously, or just didn't know how to market the things as other than curiosities or game systems. A shame, really. Imagine how different the landscape might have been if only…..

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