From: Jon Glass (jonglass_at_usa.net)
Date: Tue Dec 23 2003 - 00:10:23 PST
on 12/22/03 3:41 PM, Eric Schneck at eschneck_at_mindspring.com wrote:
> "Instead, I'm replacing the Newton. I'm sure Apple zealots will squawk
> predictably, but handheld computing -- while certainly an important trend --
> has not yet become as big a factor in home computing. It's made more inroads
> into business computing. Cellular phones -- with their ability to store phone
> numbers, addresses and other personal data -- seem to be the personal digital
> assistants of choice for most home users.
>
> With that, here's my revised list, thanks to the input of readers worldwide:
Actually, I think there are several levels where he has a point. Handheld
computing is a completely different animal from desktop and even portable
computing (my Pismo laptop, for instance). If you were to look at handheld
computing, then the Newton would be at the top of the list, but for
influential computers that changed the direction of computing in general,
the Newton really doesn't rate... That's how I view it. I agree with him
that it was a shame that the Amiga didn't make the list originally. It
should have been on the list. Of course, trying to rate the top 10 is not an
easy task. That's for sure. In my opinion, rather than ranking them, they
should be listed chronologically. This would be more fitting with the task
at hand, rather than ranking by importance. It's hard to say _which_ was
more important, especially as they are not all contemporary, and computers
tend to build on each other. Take the Amiga and Tandy Sensation as a case in
point. Without the Amiga, the author states, there would have been no
Sensation. So, ranking is a mistake, and the list should be chronological
instead. And he should also bring up the handheld, non-typical use
computers. That may just prove to be more interesting in the end... :-)
BTW, each computer did not have to be a home computer. It is enough that
they had an impact on making the personal computer the ubiquitous, essential
household tool that it is today. :-)
--
-Jon Glass
Krakow, Poland
<mailto:jonglass_at_usa.net>
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it
is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
--George Washington, first president of the USA
--
This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries
List FAQ/Etiquette/Terms: http://www.newtontalk.net/faq.html
Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Tue Dec 23 2003 - 09:30:01 PST