On Mon, 24 Apr 2000, Richard MacLemale wrote:
> Maybe I'm just feeling "chatty", or maybe it's because the list has been
> quieter than usual. But anyway, I felt compelled to discuss this...
>
> A PLEA FOR OS X...
> According to Apple, Mac OS X is coming out late summer/early fall. Since it
> will be able to run older (meaning OS 8 compatible) Macintosh programs, I'm
> hoping my current MetaCard-created applications will run. But Scott Raney
> had suggested at one point that MetaCard might (or was it will?) make a
> version of MetaCard for OS X. Since MetaCard is looking for new features
> for future versions, I thought I'd toss this into the list...
We've already publicly promised that we will be supporting Mac OS X
and have already started development on this version of MetaCard.
> It's too soon to ask for MetaCard for OS X, but not too soon to discuss it.
> I can see some HUGE advantages for MetaCard to create an OS X version.
> There would definitely be more developers willing to jump on the MetaCard
> bandwagon. The demand for OS X applications (and I mean those that are
> Carbon compliant) will be huge, and being able to create them in MetaCard
> will be huge also. People wonder if OS X will take off. It will, because
> it will eventually come on every new Mac. Seen Apple's stock lately?
> People are buying tons of iMacs, iBooks, G4's, etc. There has been some
> debate on the new GUI ("Aqua"), but the point is moot. The Mac OS will
> essentially be UNIX with a pretty Macintosh GUI on top of it. Many would
> argue the best of both worlds. Many UNIX users I know would argue that
> "pretty" is using two shades of gray instead of one. Just kidding! See, us
> non-UNIX users can dish out the sarcasm also!
I'm maybe not quite as optimistic as you that it will be an immediate
success, but agree that it is Apple's future and is a key OS to
support. But keep in mind the relatively slow rate of conversion to
Windows NT and Windows 2000 from 95/98. I wouldn't expect the
transition to Mac OS X to be any faster, especially given that it's a
very complex product and that conversion to it will likely be at least
as painful and probably more so (application support is going to be
spotty the first few months, something that's not a big problem going
from NT to 2000, for example).
> Anyway, in a totally perfect world, we'd have a beta version of MetaCard for
> OS X BEFORE OS X came out. Then we'd be able to come out with OS X
> applications shortly after OS X was released, which would give us MetaCard
> developers a jump on everyone else. But I'll settle for an OS X version any
> old time!
You already have that jump: the transition of your MetaCard-based
application to Mac OS X should be easier than moving from Mac to
Windows, or vice versa. We haven't announce a specific availability
date for this version of MetaCard yet, however, but of course Apple
hasn't done that for Mac OS X either...
> I know the Mac community. Eventually, and it won't take long, there will be
> a snobbery about "non-carbon compliant" Mac programs. "That piece of
> non-carbon compliant junk keeps crashing!" or "It'd run faster if it wasn't
> non-carbon compliant." And people will think that ANY carbon-compliant
> application is the coolest thing since Wonder Bread. At least for a while.
> And during that while, I can make some money! And that's always a good
> thing.
I too look forward to this day!
> We can take little jabs at each other's OS choice all in good fun. But
> Windows MetaCard developers will have to watch out when OS X comes out,
> because the UNIX and OS X people will be ganging up on them. :) I do fear,
> though, that Mac users will become huge-headed when OS X comes. They'll
> feel like they've gotten their lead back over Windows. And they might be
> right! Or is that just the Mac user in me?
I'm sure that just freedom from the shackes of fixed memory partition
sizes will be enough to have them flying around the room ;-)
Regards,
Scott
> :)
> Richard MacLemale
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