Re: "Platform"

[Beverly Parks <bparks -at- HUACHUCA-EMH1 -dot- ARMY -dot- MIL>]

This is by far the best definition I've heard yet. I keep
hearing about other books by Robin Williams. I have _The PC Is
Not A Typewriter_ and have heard of maybe two others (three if
I count The Mac Is Not...). Does anyone have a complete list of
her books?

    =*=  Beverly Parks =*= bparks -at- huachuca-emh1 -dot- army -dot- mil  =*=
   =*=  "Unless otherwise stated, all comments are my own. =*=
    =*=   I am not representing my employer in any way."  =*=

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Peter Holfelder <holfep -at- RPI -dot- EDU> gave us Robin Williams'
definition of platform:

  From _Jargon: An informal dictionary of computer terms_ (Peachpit Press, 1993)
  by Robin Williams with Steve Cummings

  "A platform is a somewhat vague term that can be used in slightly
  different ways. Most broadly, it s simply just a snooty way to
  say  computer,  or to refer to a particular type of computer (the
  Macintosh is one platform, the PC is another platform.) The term
  is a little more useful when it refers to a combination of a
  particular type of computer running a particular type of operating
  system software. For instance, an IBM PC running only DOS as the
  operating system is one platform; the same computer running DOS
  with Windows is another platform; and the same computer running
  OS/2 or Unix is yet another platform.

  If you hear a particular product described as  cross platform,
  it means that the product will work on several platforms, or that
  it s something that s applicable to more than one platform. This
  is different from a product that has been ported to another
  platform   to port a product means to rewrite it so it will work
  on another platform, not that the same product can function on
  both."
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