Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!mcgill-vision!snorkelwacker!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!adiron!richf
From: richf@adiron.UUCP (Rick Fanta)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Future NeXT Rumors (was: Next NeXT rumors...)
Keywords: future next
Message-ID: <453@adiron.UUCP>
Date: 16 Aug 90 16:37:47 GMT
References: <1990Aug15.212634.29710@portia.Stanford.EDU>
Organization: PAR Technology, New Hartford, NY
Lines: 79


Ross Cutler posts:
>> [...stuff deleted about PC Week article...]
>>I particular, I'm interested in the $5000 monochrome unit they mentioned;
>>supposedly, it will have a 100 MB HD, 2.88 floppy, 68040, and cased in
>>a pizza-box style case.  Can anyone verify these rumors?  Can anyone
>>elaborate on the specs (e.g. does it have the DSP)?  Will the student
>>price be less?
>>[...more stuff deleted...]

declan@portia.stanford.edu (Declan McCullagh) writes:
>The problem (as I see it) with rumors like this is that anyone who actually
>knows anything concrete about a future NeXT product has already signed a
>nondisclosure agreement or something similar.  The people who aren't
>"in the know" about a future product are free to speculate, but often are
>more than slightly incorrect...
[...much speculation (albeit intelligent) deleted...]

Don't be so sure that the article in PC Week is 100% correct.

The following article was posted on comp.arch a little while ago.

If this is true, then peter is probably stretching the limits on non-disclosure.

Don't know what rumor to believe anymore....	;-)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rick Fanta	PAR Technologies 


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From: peterd@opus.cs.mcgill.ca (Peter Deutsch)
Newsgroups: comp.arch,
Subject: 68040 alive? was: Re: Moto's data predicts 68040 . . .)
Message-ID: <2164@opus.cs.mcgill.ca>
Date: 17 Jul 90 22:16:33 GMT
Date-Received: 19 Jul 90 07:07:03 GMT
References: <1990Jul13.163849.4282@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> <31821@cup.portal.com>
Followup-To: poster
Organization: SOCS, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Lines: 32
Summary: Yup...
Xref: adiron comp.arch:15544

In article <31821@cup.portal.com>, mslater@cup.portal.com (Michael Z Slater) writes:
> Speaking of 68040 performance, has anyone on the net actually seen one
> running?  I'm trying to collect some data on the current status of the
> chip. 

Yup. I have been non-disclosed on the new NeXT product line
and thus was allowed to see their new colour machine when
I was in California in June. It was running a beta version
of their 2.0 release of NeXTstep and has a separate board
to do colour (I can say this as I've read this elsewhere,
I'm not giving out any big secrets). There 68040 upgrade
(already announced) should be shipping as soon as chips
come in quantity.

I did not have the chance to do anything like
benchmarking and it was a little difficult to assess
performance with so many changes (colour, 68040, beta
software, etc) but there was no question that it's faster
than a 68030 NeXT (!) :-) I have the quoted numbers from NeXT, but
I suspect I'm on thin ice here so will hold my tongue. You
should have numbers within a month or two...

I understand NeXT is just about ready to start the
production line on their 68040 products, and are waiting
for 68040's in quantity for Motorola. Expect announcements
at the end of the summer, machines soon after, if all goes
well (and I hope it does, as we plan to buy a passle of
these things, and I'm in the ring if they are very late
with all of this! :-0


				- peterd