on 9/6/01 2:36 AM, Jon Glass at jonglass_at_usa.net wrote:
>=20
> on 9/6/01 6:28 AM, Victor Rehorst at victor_at_newtontalk.net wrote:
>=20
>> This is called a 'Union' soup in NewtonScript parlance - a soup that
>> exists on multiple stores. Just FYI.
>=20
> Thanks for mentioning this. It makes me think of a near-by thread, titled
> "Blasphemy and maye some hope." When you mentioned soups, it got me
> thinking. I wonder if, in the end, it was the radical new way of thinking=
of
> the Newton team, soups being the most relevant, that was the death of the
> Newton.
While the Newton does present the appearance of a "radical new way" of
thinking, some characteristics of the Newton--soups being one of them--are
only recent incarnations of ideas that found in software/hardware
engineering of the early 1960's.
I fact, I offer the conjecture that is Smith had done his homework, he woul=
d
have recognized the earlier pioneering work as similar to his own original
thinking, and would have taken a few additional steps in the Newton s/w
design that would have dramatically strengthened the product.
This early history notwithstanding, I can tell you that, after over two
decades of trying to get 'mainstream' information technology specialists to
understand the fundamental concepts that lie underneath the Newton soup and
related Newton system characteristics, I have seldom succeeded in
communicating. So, you are very probably correct in suggesting that the
Newton technology was too novel, to challenging of prevailing computer
science theory and practice to help the Newton be accepted.
I do strongly believe, however, the the Newton software engineering design
was a major strength, one that is/was superior to most alternatives.
Why is it that second rate stuff always seems to prevail over better stuff?
>=20
> If you think about it, probably the main thing that killed the Newton was
> its inability to sync and generally interact in a seamless and relatively
> quick manner with desktop computers. The primary culprit is most likely t=
he
> soup concept on which the Newton was based. Now, I'm not a programmer, bu=
t
> it seems to me that these issues kept a lot of software from being
> compatible with the Newton, and what compatibility there was was always k=
ind
> of tenuous. For instance, Now Sync is a very iffy proposition at best. NC=
U
> always seems to cause people troubles. A lot of other software, specifica=
lly
> on Windows never seemed to go right either.
>=20
> On the other hand, you have the Palm. Drop it in, hit the hotsync button,
> and a few seconds later, you had a completely synced desktop computer. Yo=
u
> can't beat the simplicity, certainly in comparison with the "Newton metho=
d."
>=20
> I know that we can argue that the Newton is a powerful computer in its ow=
n
> right, but many of us, myself included, really, really need this ability.
> Right now, I have two sets of data--desktop and Newton, and ne'er the twa=
in
> shall meet, at least until I can find some way to get my Newton synced wi=
th
> 4.0 of NUDCT or go back to 3.9. :-(
>=20
> So, I open myself to criticism on this. . . :-)
As for the horrible lack of interoperation capabilities inherent in the
Newton, I suggest that the brilliance of the Newton software engineering wa=
s
tarnished by a certain lack of technical maturity, or at least an
insensitivity to certain values that would have compelled a more open
communications capability. There certainly was not any fundamental
technical barrier to providing the Newton with a native communications
capability that would permit the Newton to "play well with friends".
For all its fundamental flaws, the Newton still is a remarkable and unique
hardware/software engineering masterpiece. I do view the path to the
present not as a death that the Newton brought on itself, but as a
"Newticide" perpetrated by arrogance, ignorance, and greed in the name of
"its just business".
As for the Palm, to me, understanding the history is really simple. As the
tired clich=E9' of real estate goes: There are three important
things--location, location, location! ...and in the PDA world, that
location is the shirt pocket, where our faithful Newtons can not go. :-(
Everything else follows from that.
Jon, thanks for the interesting little essay.
Regards,
Richard.
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