Which way do you prefer or "Have it your way."

[rabindranath72]

As always, it's the software which makes the difference; and today's software is mostly CRAP, light years behind the hardware. Starting from operating systems (Windows 8 anyone?) to applications (Microsoft Office.) I REFUSE to believe that I need 2Gb of RAM to run an operating system. I REFUSE to believe that to write a letter I need a program which requires 1Gb of RAM and takes 1Gb hard disk space. That's just sloppy, godawful programming.

I am routinely using a Macintosh SE/30 with 16Mb of RAM and a 250Mb hard disk; I write documents with Microsoft Word 5.1a (which can even be read by Office up to the 2000 version) or spreadsheets with Excel 4. I can even play a few decent games, and connect to the internet to check email or transfer files from my PC. I have A/UX installed on the same machine, with a full complement of development tools, and it also runs native Macintosh applications. This machine can boot its OS FROM A FLOPPY! The whole System 6.0.8 lives on a floppy disk! THAT was a feat.

I have never owned an Amiga, but soon (thanks to Petro Tymschenko!) I will get an Amiga 1200 so I will see what it can do.

[rabindranath72]

Just because a 20 year old Mac suits your needs doesn't make everyone on the bleeding edge "wrong"    Those old machines boot the OS off a floppy - the OS from those days is far, far different than a modern OS.

Your usage case is simply different.  That same machine wouldn't do a single task I require out of a daily driver machine, but as above - my needs are much different than yours.  To each his own, with due respect - and all that jazz.

Use what you enjoy, I say.  There's always going to be the types that scream from the rooftops "WELL IF I CAN'T DO IT ON MY PDP-8 IT ISN'T WORTH DOING AND IT IS NOT REAL COMPUTING!11!!1!1!1"

Simple fact is, when most of us got into computers, you had to be a computer enthusiast.  You *had* to have technical skills.  These days, modern machines are just an appliance to most people.

I've got a SAM 440 I just love.  I know I overpaid for it by about 3x.  I know it can't do half what my year old cell phone can do.  I love it for what it is.

My point was that software has not evolved as fast (and well) as hardware. If I have to write a letter or document, I don't need a word processor which occupies 300Mb ram.