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From: kawakami@earthquake.Berkeley.EDU (John Kawakami)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Educational Discounting
Message-ID: <1990Oct12.190148.16154@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 12 Oct 90 19:01:48 GMT
References: <2583@gmuvax2.gmu.edu> <8938@milton.u.washington.edu> <1990Oct11.015737.3437@agate.berkeley.edu> <49.271466c4@vger.nsu.edu>
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Reply-To: kawakami@earthquake.Berkeley.EDU (John Kawakami)
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In article <49.271466c4@vger.nsu.edu> manes@vger.nsu.edu writes:
>> I think it's a good deal because it kicks serious ass over similarly priced
>> and loaded PCs and Macs.  And Ataris and Commodores.
>
>In what way does the NeXT machien that you are describing kick ass seriously
>out of the Atari and the Amiga?  Or is this just hopeful speculation?

Software: bundled, pretty advanced, Mach, display PostScript.
Processors: '40 and the DSP
Screen: 17", only black and white, but you don't pay an extra $1000-$2000
Ethernet: good if you can use it...  but it's included

In addition, the purchase price apparantly includes a license for all the
uncopied software as well.  So if you need DTP, go buy the extra disk
space you will need, and get FrameMaker copied for you.

Granted, the other machines have more software, but unless you are a devotee
of  some particular software packages, the NeXT for (what is it?) $3600
is a "best buy."  In addition, this deal is aimed at the university market,
and I suspect that most computers sold are for two uses: running specific
programs like various Mac word processors or graphics, and for programming
and networking.  If you are in the latter category and are not tied to some
particular software package not included in the bundle, then the NeXT looks
like a real deal.

Now to wait for the SPARCstation educational discounts :-)

BTW, since this is an atari group: why does atari have so many versions of
the same machine: the STes, the Megas, the Stacy.  Note, there are many
macs as well: Plus, SE, SE/30, IIxx.  but the capabilities of the different
machines are somewhat varied.  The STs are all basically the same machines
with the same clock speed and processor; they differ only in memory.  
Shouldn't Atari just make the Mega box and have SIMM sockets.  OOPS forgot
about Stacy.  They should keep Stacy.
John Kawakami                  kawakami@ocf.berkeley.edu
                               ucbvax!ocf.berkeley.edu!kawakami
Amateur crank!                 My Atari Macks!