Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!usc!rutgers!cunixf.cc.columbia.edu!lih From: lih@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Andrew Lih) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: NeXT Review;Quite a machine, but not a Mac Summary: Mac IIfx Message-ID: <1990Mar27.070232.8653@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> Date: 27 Mar 90 07:02:32 GMT References: <404@toaster.SFSU.EDU> <9942@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <6329@blake.acs.washington.edu> <9958@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <419@toaster.SFSU.EDU> <33411@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> Reply-To: lih@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Andrew Lih) Followup-To: comp.sys.next, comp.sys.mac Organization: Columbia University Lines: 47 In article <33411@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> lange@lanai.UUCP (Trent Lange) writes: >In article <419@toaster.SFSU.EDU> eps@cs.SFSU.EDU (Eric P. Scott) writes: >> >>All NeXT needs to do now is release a low-cost upgrade to a faster >>68030 (or 68040) and that's pretty much going to be the end of this >>discussion. The IIfx is just not a workstation-class machine. > >What makes you say this? It seems that the IIfx has solved the biggest >problem with previous Macs: the lack of a DMA controller. Add in >its other new dedicated I/O processors, the 40 MHz '030, and A/UX 2.0, >and what does it lack to be considered a "workstation-class machine"? > >Now, I'm not a hardware engineer, and I don't know everything about the >throughput of the NeXT's total useable hardware vs the IIfx's. But, >if A/UX 2.0 turns out to be everything it's cracked up to be, in just >exactly what ways (besides bells and whistles) is the NeXT a better >workstation? I saw the Mac IIfx running A/UX 2.0 just last week a day after its announcement and got to sit in front of one for about a half hour and played with it. When running MacX (with 1 session and the Motif Window Manager) and two Mac OS programs (Swivel 3D, and another), it was kind of sluggish. The X implementation (1.07) was slow, and I found XNeXT to be much quicker. Many times, it would take a few seconds for a menu to pop up on the root window. Of course, the NeXT does not have the color that the Mac does. I did not get to see the Mac IIfx running plain MacOS, but the A/UX 2.0 implementation seems to be much better than the old A/UX, but performance was not as quick as I thought it would be... /lih ___________________________________________________________ """""""""" / \ | @ @ | | Andrew "Fuz" Lih Columbia University Center | < > > ___/ Academic Computing for Computing Activities | \ \__/ / <___ / \____/ \ lih@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu AJLUS@CUVMB.BITNET / \ lih@cs.columbia.edu ...rutgers!columbia!cunixc!lih | \__________________________________________________________/ ___________________________________________________________ """""""""" / \ | @ @ | | Andrew "Fuz" Lih Columbia University Center | < > > ___/ Academic Computing for Computing Activities |