Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!wuarchive!psuvax1!news From: melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Upgrade Policies? Message-ID: Date: 30 Aug 90 17:24:48 GMT References: <298@kaos.MATH.UCLA.EDU> Sender: news@cs.psu.edu (Usenet) Distribution: na Organization: /home/server2/melling/.organization Lines: 57 In-Reply-To: barry@pico.math.ucla.edu's message of 29 Aug 90 23:20:19 GMT Nntp-Posting-Host: lindon.endor.cs.psu.edu In article <298@kaos.MATH.UCLA.EDU> barry@pico.math.ucla.edu (Barry Merriman) writes: [stuff deleted] As I see it, though, there are 3 upgrade issues: The color monitor, the 68040, and the 2.88 Mb floppy drive. The 68040 and Color monitor---being the type of upgrades we all foresaw---should be offered at a low-profit price, as a favor to loyal NeXT users. These are simple amenities that add to the system capabilities. (I've heard talk of a $1000 figure---does that cover just the 68040, or does it also turn the 2 bit greyscale into 24 bit greyscale? I doubt it covers the Color Monitor, but we can alway dream...) However, I think the floppy drive should be offered as a _free_ upgrade, or at worst, at cost---because its likely to make our optical disks useless for software distribution, and we'll all be _forced_ to fork over ~$500 for a floppy drive if we plan on buying any software. Since NeXT is essentially changing their mode of software distribution under us, I think they should give us a freebie so we can all join in. On a related point: what is a 2.88 Mb floppy? I've never heard of that size. I hope it also reads the standard sizes (and formats---I've heard IBM, but not Mac?)---otherwise, whats the point of having it if it doesn't broaden the file transfer options. Barry Merriman Why is everyone getting so excited over a 2.88 Mb floppy drive? The way I see it, they would be great in computer networks like those on college campuses. Students could go to the lab and do their work, save it on floppies, then take it home with them. But for single user machines, the optical is the only way to go. Also, do high density disks work in the new drives? If not the media is probably going to be a bit expensive. Software distribution is also going to be a major pain. After we all buy Topdraw and move it to our hard disks, we aren't going to need to buy anymore floppies; we'll have a lifetime supply. Does anyone have anymore info. on Canon's new optical drives? I heard that they are 512K and have a 32ms access time. What kind of performance would a NeXT have if used floptical(or two) for its primary disk? I think that NeXT offering a 2.88Mb floppy is a good thing, but I don't think that they should move away from optical storage. Given some time, optical storage will take off. It may take 100,000 NeXTs before this happens, but the new machines are going to take the world by storm, so we won't have to wait too long :-). -Mike