3 ms·

> Edit: remember too that there is a TON of performance on the table on today's systems via more efficient slimmed down code. I think we will see the small/simp

> Edit: remember too that there is a TON of performance on the table on today's systems via more efficient slimmed down code. I think we will see the small/simple/efficient trend increase and bloat will be seen as much more embarrassing than it is today. 100% agree on that, but GEOS was terrible. I can't imagine anyone actually using it for anything useful.

api 5y ago
My point was that GEOS worked... on less than 64K of usable memory and a ~2mhz 8-bit in-order CPU. I do remember painting, writing, and using a (300 baud!) modem with it as a kid. It was highly constrained but basically usable and it always stuck with me later as impressive for the resource constraints. LUnix is another impressive C64 project, a Unix in the same tiny memory/CPU footprint! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LUnix https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LUnix We got highly useful very good GUIs on computers with hundreds of kilobytes of RAM and 8-16mhz 16-bit and 32-bit CPUs. Windows 3, OS/2, macOS Classic, and X11/Motif were a lot more useful and usable than GEOS. Today's computers are hundreds to thousands of times more powerful. They should be a lot faster than they are.
- brokenmachine 5y ago
  I agree, it's so disappointing how slow computers are now. We really should never have to wait for anything. I'm hoping you're right that the pendulum might switch towards leaner applications, but I haven't seen that happening yet.
- brokenmachine 5y ago
  > Today's computers are hundreds to thousands of times more powerful. Thought I'd look it up. https://gamicus.fandom.com/wiki/Instructions_per_second https://gamicus.fandom.com/wiki/Instructions_per_second C64 6510: 0.43 MIPS. PS4: 200,000 MIPS. A 3950X is 749,070 MIPS according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructions_per_second https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructions_per_second So it's actually almost 2 million times more powerful...

api 5y ago

My point was that GEOS worked... on less than 64K of usable memory and a ~2mhz 8-bit in-order CPU. I do remember painting, writing, and using a (300 baud!) modem with it as a kid. It was highly constrained but basically usable and it always stuck with me later as impressive for the resource constraints. LUnix is another impressive C64 project, a Unix in the same tiny memory/CPU footprint! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LUnix https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LUnix We got highly useful very good GUIs on computers with hundreds of kilobytes of RAM and 8-16mhz 16-bit and 32-bit CPUs. Windows 3, OS/2, macOS Classic, and X11/Motif were a lot more useful and usable than GEOS. Today's computers are hundreds to thousands of times more powerful. They should be a lot faster than they are.

brokenmachine 5y ago
I agree, it's so disappointing how slow computers are now. We really should never have to wait for anything. I'm hoping you're right that the pendulum might switch towards leaner applications, but I haven't seen that happening yet.
brokenmachine 5y ago
> Today's computers are hundreds to thousands of times more powerful. Thought I'd look it up. https://gamicus.fandom.com/wiki/Instructions_per_second https://gamicus.fandom.com/wiki/Instructions_per_second C64 6510: 0.43 MIPS. PS4: 200,000 MIPS. A 3950X is 749,070 MIPS according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructions_per_second https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructions_per_second So it's actually almost 2 million times more powerful...