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From: maul@asic.nsc.com (Robert Maul)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Mac to NeXT Conversion for Users
Message-ID: <148@asicasic.nsc.com>
Date: 13 Jun 90 02:21:36 GMT
Organization: National Semiconductor, Santa Clara, CA
Lines: 135

Hello NeXT World,

I would like to start a discussion on the problems associated with
adding NeXT machines to an existing Mac network.

I would like to focus on the following topics within this discussion:

1. Networking

2. Printer Sharing

3. File Sharing

4. Data Sharing (finer granularity than file sharing)

5. File Translation

6. Security

Overview:

In order to focus this disscussion I would like to create a scenario
to be used as a frame of reference.  Our fictitious network will be
set inside a small fictitious company named "User Company".

The User Company has 8 Mac SEs, 1 LaserWriter II, and 1 ImageWriter II
all networked with Appletalk running Tops. They use their Macs for
accounting, word processing, and desk-top publishing and are very happy.

The User Company is growing very fast and it looks like they will be
buying some very specialized and expensive applications software from
"Software Company", which has named their product, "Product" which
runs on the NeXT workstation. The Software Company chose the NeXT
platform because they could use Sybase for storing and retrieving data
and the NextStep programming environment for developing interfaces.

Before the User Company buys the whole package they want a few questions
answered.

User Company Questions:

Q1. Networking: What is the most cost effective way of networking
the NeXT machines with our Macs?

Q2. Printer Sharing: Can we use the NeXT Laser Printer to print Mac
files as easily as with the LaserWriter II?

Q3. File Sharing: Can we use the NeXT as a file-server for our Macs?

Q4. Data Sharing: Can we run the Product software from our Macs
and access the data that is stored on the NeXT? (i.e., how can the
Software Company access the Sybase data on the NeXT machine from the
Macs?)

Q5. File Translation: Can we use the NeXT for word processing as well
as running the Product software? (i.e., can we translate MS WORD to
WriteNow? When will MS Word be available for the NeXT?)
A5. DataViz does crude job in translating MS WORD <=> WriteNow but
what about other vendor software?

Q6. Security: Is it true that Unix is not secure?
A6. The best way to secure you network is to physically isolate it.

Initial Topic Discussion:

1. Networking:

Is CAP (Columbia Appletalk Package) a good package?  What hardware
is needed? How much does the hardware cost?

Are there other commercially available packages that might be better
or easier to use?

Is it better to have an ethernet card for every Mac SE and forget
about appletalk? (cards are expensive at $500 per card)

If ethernet is not affordable, what is available for an Appletalk
network?

2. Printer Sharing

Is there Appletalk software that runs on a NeXT serial port to make
it look like the serial port of a LaserWriter?

What software is used for printer sharing on an ethernet?

3. File Sharing

Is there Appletalk software that runs on a NeXT serial port to make
it look like the serial port of mac with a disk resource?

How about an applications like Tops (too bad for our us that Sun
bought them) that would network the macs over appletalk.

Will Tops ever be running on a NeXT?

4. Data Sharing

Instead of file access maybe a finer granularity is needed and
how would an application be built to send packets of data to the
Mac?

5. File Translation

DataViz is handy for rough tranlations of MS WORD <=> WriteNow
but is far from perfect and only seems to work with a serial port.

What other translators are there?

6. Security

General Discussion:

I think that NeXT should focus on ways of weening users off of
their Mac network.  This can be done by making it very easy for
non systems experts to hook things together. 

Example: It is a major pain getting all the pieces in place to
use the NeXT laser printer as a Mac network print resource.

I would like to see the NeXT's Registered Developers get more help
with these kinds of issues from NeXT.  It is the Developers who
are going to have the customers asking these same questions.

Of course the NeXT does not have many applications running on
the NeXT yet but that will come with time.

I think there are many Mac users out there who would love to use
a NeXT but would be unwilling to trade in their Macs for a NeXT
and would rather migrate slowly to the NeXT.

A smooth migration path must be made available.


Rob maul@asic.nsc.com