6.0543 Rs: PCs and Macs Faceoff Again (2/63)
Elaine Brennan (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Mon, 22 Feb 1993 11:09:11 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 6, No. 0543. Monday, 22 Feb 1993.
(1) Date: 19 Feb 1993 13:20:13 -0500 (EST) (45 lines)
From: 00hfstahlke@BSUVAX1.BITNET
Subject: Re: 6.0541 Qs: Bible; S/W; Lists; PC-Kimmo; Mac tools
(2) Date: Fri, 19 Feb 93 16:38:00 PST (18 lines)
From: Michael_Kessler.Hum@mailgate.sfsu.edu
Subject: 6.0541 Qs: Bible; S/W; Lists; PC-Kimmo; Mac tools
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 19 Feb 1993 13:20:13 -0500 (EST)
From: 00hfstahlke@BSUVAX1.BITNET
Subject: Re: 6.0541 Qs: Bible; S/W; Lists; PC-Kimmo; Mac tools (6/95)
>Subject: computing people pointing out the drawbacks of Macs
>
>Dear Humanists,
> Owen Cramer notes that at Colorado College the computing people
>there point out the "drawbacks" of Macs to students who nevertheless
>continue to prefer them. I'd be interested to know what their arguments
>against Macs are. Of course, PCs continue to be cheaper because of the much
>greater competitive market, but the gap is narrowing. All of the other
>arguments put aside, it seems to me that Macs are far superior in an area
>which is important to students: INTERNET access. Thanks to MacTCP-based
>programs which can even run over phone lines with SLIP, Macintosh users
>have wonderful front-ends such as Eudora (a mail handler), Gopher, and WAIS
>all of which can operate simultaneously. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
>TCP is hardly a standard on PCs, unfortunately.
> Sincerely yours,
> Marc Bizer
I hope we can shortly get past the religious wars between PC users and
Mac users. Our environment at Ball State, as at many places, I'm
sure, has no choice but to support both. We have found that, once the
initial computer learning curve is past and users get into more
sophisticated applications, there is little difference between
reasonably configured machines of either type. All of the things
Marc Bizer describes as convenient on the Mac are just a convenient on
the PC on my desk because we have made common sorts of software tools
available to the entire campus. I use both VAXmail and WordPerfect
Office Mail for Windows, depending on what screen I happen to be in at
the time. I can get to gopher and WAIS when I need them, and I can
get SLIP access if I want it--I just haven't needed it yet because I
have other pursuits in the evening and on weekends, like family,
community activities, and hobbies. I may change my mind the next time
I have to go out of town for an extended stay, but that's a ways off,
given the state of our budget. I've also used Macs for these same
purposes at a middle school project I'm involved with. Internet
access is not particularly easier one way or the other; it's a matter
of what you are used to.
Herb Stahlke
Associate Director
University Computing Services
Ball State University
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------31----
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 93 16:38:00 PST
From: Michael_Kessler.Hum@mailgate.sfsu.edu
Subject: 6.0541 Qs: Bible; S/W; Lists; PC-Kimmo; Mac tools (6/95)
In response to Marc Bizer's comments on the use of Mac or PC' on
Internet, the differences between the two are disappearing. The Mac is
easier to use when using FTP because the TCP/IP program for the Mac and
Fetch allow the end user to browse by just using the mouse. Frequently
I cannot go back to the root directory when browsing from the DOS
platform. But Gopher and Wais are just as available on the DOS
platform, and can be installed through a menu system which renders the
potential command complexities transparent. I have not seen Eudora, but
the local LAN Mail system we are using works just fine on both Macs and
PC's. Finally I am puzzled by the claim that TCP is not a standard on
the DOS platform. We are using Clark University's TCP packet drivers
which work fine on our 3Com and Novell LANs.
Michael_Kessler@HUM.SFSU.EDU