Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!xanth!mcnc!ecsvax.uncecs.edu!jfreem From: jfreem@uncecs.edu (Joe Freeman) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Getting machines to students Message-ID: <1989Oct29.151723.22981@uncecs.edu> Date: 29 Oct 89 15:17:23 GMT References: <1989Oct25.042130.13037@agate.berkeley.edu> <223@ncc1701.UUCP> Reply-To: jfreem@ecsvax.uncecs.edu.UUCP (Joe Freeman) Organization: UNC Educational Computing Service Lines: 28 >I very much wonder whether it is arrogance or only negligence which has >kept NeXT from extending its academic program to universities outside the >US. All I keep hearing when I ask about a NeXT in Germany is "maybe next >year, around June!". Hey, next year around June a NeXT isn't that hot >technology any more. If NeXT wants to make sales on foreign markets, it has >to provide foreign developers with machines. Actually there are probably some real buisness/financial/legal reasons. Some issues that come to mind immediatly: 1) It takes time to set up a quality organization for sales and service. How is the average customer in europe going to react when the find out that their machine has to go to the US for service? Some people wont mind but others will want NeXT to build a QUALITY organization so that their dealings with the company will be with the same high standards that the machine was built. 2) Is the current level of non-english language support acceptable to europe or parts of europe. Does the box have to pass extra rfi and safety tests. I know germany has some stiff standards. I am sure there are other issues that have to be dealt with. There are machines in europe (probably UK since BuisnessLand is there) but the question is: Do you throw the machines out there or do you do distribution right. This reply was generated by myself with no consultation of anyone that works for my employer. It represents no one's opinion but my own.