On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:12:04 -0500, Tim Cook wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> Create a letter using WordPerfect 5.1.  Create a letter using Microsoft
>> Word 2003.  Including the time just to start the applications, WP51
>> starts quicker, and you finish quicker.
> 
> A more appropriate comparison would be WordPerfect 5.1 to Wordpad if
> you're just doing bare-bones word processing that needs a little
> formatted text.

WordPad didn't exist on DOS.  EDIT did, but most people used a program 
like WordPerfect rather than EDIT.  EDIT was used for changing 
autoexec.bat, config.sys, etc.

>> As I said, there are some tasks that are faster on modern equipment
>> with modern software.  But the majority of people need a word
>> processor, a spreadsheet, and access to the 'net.  Maybe presentation
>> software.
> 
> The majority of people these days run most commonly a web browser (with
> several windows/tabs open *at the same time*), some sort of file sharing
> program (BitTorrent, whatever other P2P clients are popular these days),
> iTunes if they have an iPod *shudder*, music/video player of choice,
> some kind of game from Freecell to Crysis, an instant messaging program,
> an antivirus program.
> 
> A 'casual computer user' is far more likely these days to just have
> their computer for playing WoW and chatting than typing letters or doing
> spreadsheets.
> 
> Or did you mean *business* users?  *They're* the ones who need the word
> processor, spreadsheet, access to the 'net and presentation software.  I
> don't even have presentation software installed.

Yes, business users.  When talking about productivity (as I was), you 
talk about business apps.

> 1993, surfing the web was *not* generally faster.  The web was this
> strange new thing, people used gifs more often than jpegs, *didn't* use
> img size tags so the browser (if it had the ability, given the
> attributes) would know how to do page layout so you didn't see anything
> until the page finished loading, had background images on every page
> whether it was useful or not, loaded MIDI or wav files to play at full
> volume, and not split their site into useful subsections so you just had
> one long long page...

Bingo.  I could get a lot of information similar to what's on the web now 
over a dialup connection.  Try using a dialup connection today.

Why doesn't it work?  *Bloat*.

Jim

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