From:  Dean Swan at MITEL on 07/09/2000 05:16 PM

Guys,

     I'd like to ask if you could refrain from using the terms "OS9" and "Mac OS
Version 9.x" as if they are synonyms.  It took me quite a while to realize that
this thread was about Mac OS 9, rather than Microware OS-9, which predates Mac
OS-9 by about 20 years, and is still widely in use in embedded systems.  They
(Microware) are also currently pushing embedded Java fairly heavily, so I
thought it made sense that someone might want Squeak on the *real* OS9.

     That having been said, can anybody explain to me why I might want to spend
$90 to upgrade from Mac OS 8.6 to 9.x, rather than just skipping it and going
straight for Mac OS-X, the benefits of which are obvious ?

     And lastly, regarding the following quote taken out of context...

>"Steve Jobs said two years ago that X is brain-damaged and it will be
>gone in two years.  He was half right." -- Dennis Ritchie

     Wasn't this quote made by Jobs in the days of NeXT, Inc., in reference to
X-Windows when compared against NextStep (Now OpenStep)?  The way it's used here
is almost "punny", in that it leads one to beleive that the "X" being referenced
is "Mac OS-X".


                                              -Dean
                                              dean_swan at mitel.com