Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!know!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!wuarchive!psuvax1!psuvm!uh2
From: UH2@psuvm.psu.edu (Lee Sailer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Commodore at FCC
Message-ID: <90269.105838UH2@psuvm.psu.edu>
Date: 26 Sep 90 14:58:38 GMT
References: <22107@grebyn.com> <14568@cbmvax.commodore.com> <22153@grebyn.com>
 <14621@cbmvax.commodore.com> <90268.122650UH2@psuvm.psu.edu>
 <14649@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Organization: Penn State University
Lines: 59

In article <14649@cbmvax.commodore.com>, daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave
Haynie) says:

>In article <90268.122650UH2@psuvm.psu.edu> UH2@psuvm.psu.edu (Lee Sailer)
>writes:
>>In article <14621@cbmvax.commodore.com>, daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave
>>Haynie) says:


>I like some of what I see NeXT doing, especially with their software.  But
                                                             ^^^^^^^^^^
 Agreed


>the basic NeXT cube wasn't anything much different than an A3000 in terms of
>what the basic hardware is capable of.  NeXT may have a lead on 68040

  Agreed, again!


>these kind of things ship.  I don't see the "baby" relationship as being
>valid, either taking the Amiga vs. NeXT on cost or performance.  In fact,

No offense intended.  The "baby" relationship comes more from the fact
that Commodore offers the 3000 as the top of its line, while the comparable
NeXTStation or Cube is the bottom of the next line.  This is in part a
technical issue, but also a marketing issue.  For example, a school
that offered Next Labs for calculus and english classes might also
want to require students to buy a home machine.  Home NeXTs are still
i bit much to ask at most schools.
>>This might include porting ObjC and the Interface Builder, and so forth.

>With 2.0's Intuition objects, I would imagine something like Interface
>Builder would be possible.  From what I've read on Object C, it's pretty ugly
>as compared to something like C++.  It's main advantage is that, like


I think Interface Builder like software would be possible, too.  But
I disagree strongly that ObjC is ugly compared to C++.  In my language
pantheon, C++ is what you get when you add OO concepts to C, but are willing
to sacrifice OO for C compatibility.  ObjC is what you get when you add
OO to C, but are willing to sacrifice C compatibility to get a good OOPL.
The advantages of OOP are not fully realized in C++, by a long shot.


>Though I think the main reason NeXT received as much attention as it did,
>other than due to the basic "Star factor" of Steven Jobs, is that the software
>has some pretty clever ideas.  Everyone knows that software takes too long
>to write; hardware is advancing much faster than software, and the differences
>are growing each year.  Things like Interface Builder seem to be one
>reasonable
>way to help solve some of this, at least in the context of the GUI elements
>added to a basic program.

and of course, many of the advances in 2.0 are aimed at exactly this target.
Perhaps if and when an Interface Builder like tool gets built for the Amiga,
it would be wise to consider making it comaptible with NeXTs IB.  Consider
making it as easy as possible to port WordPerfect NeXT, and Lotus Improv
to the Amiga, and maybe it'll happen.  wish wish wish.