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From: ktl@wag240.wag.caltech.edu (Kian-Tat Lim)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: NeXT Software Availability (and Price)
Message-ID: <1990Oct17.113743.890@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 17 Oct 90 11:37:43 GMT
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Reply-To: ktl@wag240.wag.caltech.edu (Kian-Tat Lim)
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
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	We are seriously considering NeXTstations for two purposes in
our research group: secretarial tasks involving text processing,
E-mail, appointment management, and simple database functions (address
book, etc.); and as scientific document processing workstations with
the ability to handle equation formatting, data analysis, graphing (2D
and 3D, contours, surfaces, etc.), symbolic algebra, bibliographies,
and standard Unix shell tasks.  Most of these tasks seem to be handled
well by the bundled software, for which I applaud NeXT.

	I perceive three areas in which the software I have seen or
heard about for the NeXT is weak or nonexistent.  If you know of a
suitable product in these areas, for a reasonable educational price
(<$300), I would appreciate hearing about it.

1)	Simple database.  As I understand it, Sybase is no longer
bundled with the system.  Even if it were, a front-end would most
likely be necessary to simplify it for novices.  Corrections?

2)	Equation formatting.  TeX seems to be the only option here.
I'm looking for an equivalent to Expressionist on the Macintosh.
Could a point-and-click front-end be built onto TeX?

3)	Data analysis and graphing.  Mathematica is not adequate, as
its user interface can be daunting, it is not clear that large data
sets can be handled easily, and there appear to be few provisions for
annotating graphs.  We are looking for something like KaleidaGraph or
DeltaGraph on the Macintosh.  Import of columns of numbers in
widely-varying formats is a necessity, as is the ability to easily
change all plotting parameters.  NeXT on Campus mentions a product
named DAN -- any reviews?

	Even though the NeXTstation may be far superior in
price/performance to, say, a Mac IIsi, the lack of software at this
time makes it a risky choice.  This was also true of the Macintosh in
1984 (when I bought my since-upgraded 128K), but at that time the
perceived software needs were much fewer -- we expect more out of our
computers now.
-- 
Kian-Tat Lim (ktl@wag.caltech.edu, KTL @ CITCHEM.BITNET, GEnie: K.LIM1)