APPLEVISION Monitor

It's pretty clear that all the various hardware/software combinations, i.e. computer+OS, that get any air time in this forum, seem to have a place. There are several reasons, for example, why I don't use UNIX in my work, but, aside workstations but only when no alternative existed. I understand why people complain about Windows, and why they gripe that it's too this or that, but, for the price, you really can't go out and buy a system, set an average college graduate in front of it, and expect him to do anything meaningful the first day if you install LINUX. I've been using computers in one way or another, directly, since the very early '60's, and still have trouble figuring out what to do on a Macintosh, or how to do it. That's probably because of my extensive exposure to DOS/Windows and little else for the past 15 years, but I do have 5+ years of daily Macintosh use under my belt. I've also got some *nix experience, and, frankly, anything that requires I recompile the OS just to install a driver is too much trouble. I've done that, but hopefully never will again. People's needs are different, but their use of various products is needs-driven. Some people need to get a job done, and if they can do it with something cheap and easy, that's the route they pursue, while others, in need of personal validation of one sort or another, prefer the extensive sophistry of *nix. Now, there ARE things that *nix can do better, in some ways than can be done under DOS/Windows, but it costs more, requires considerable learning either at school or at home, and takes a lot of time to do. Until somebody shows me a way to do something that's better for me in my environment and with my applications, I'm going to be hard to sway. It doesn't matter to me that I'm right or wrong, only that it works easily and conveniently for me. It doesn't matter that I happen to be among the majority of computer users on the planet, either, because that doesn't guarantee that what I'm using/doing is the best or easiest way. Only I can determine that. I don't play games much, so I don't need the multi-GHz CPU's that demands, and I don't mess with music or video much. I use both DOS and Windows, and find that DOS is the most practical environment for doing hardware-related work, e.g. stimulating, or monitoring the behavior of, circuits, but I find that the low-cost development tools available for Windows make it possible to do things I certainly couldn't afford under UNIX, with their 7-figure license costs and 5-figure per quarter maintenance costs. You've done what's reasonable, i.e, chosen the tools that best meet your needs. If not, you will. Though the Microsoft Windows version-du-jour may not be your cup of tea, it's adequate for most of the users out there for the simple reason that it does the simple and obvous things with the comfortable if not appropriate (to some people's thinking) assume-the-obvious-and-plow-on through approach. While not everyone thinks that's "clean" it keeps the dollars flowing. Dick ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron Hudson" <rhudson(a)cnonline.net> To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org> Sent: Sunday, May 05, 2002 10:54 PM Subject: Re: APPLEVISION Monitor