Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!dptg!ulysses!andante!mit-eddie!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!lll-winken!uunet!island!chris
From: chris@island.uu.net (Chris King)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: SPARCstation 2 --> workstation wars
Message-ID: <2090@island.uu.net>
Date: 18 Oct 90 23:05:56 GMT
References: <9010180146.AA09967@mcs-server.gac.edu>
Reply-To: chris@island.uu.net (Chris King)
Organization: Island Graphics, Marin County, California
Lines: 44

In article <9010180146.AA09967@mcs-server.gac.edu> scott@nic.gac.edu writes:
>
>   Seriously, it is clear that the workstation wars will continue for the
>   forseeable future, escalating at an ever-increasing rate and forcing a
>   shakeout (e.g., HP/Apollo).  Consequently, knowledgable users will put less
>   emphasis on horsepower (as long as it's adequate) and more emphasis on
>   compatibility, upgradability, etc.
>
>This is why I'd like to see a less hardware-dependant NextStep.  NeXT could
>move from hardware/software to more of a dependance on software - which is
>where the money is.  NeXT could really clean up if they were running
>NeXTStep on Suns and {Dec,VAX}Stations, IMHO. 
	[ stuff about porting NeXTStep deleted ]
>
>I think NeXT should do this.  We are already seeing that NeXT is being
>forced to run a thin line between the PC world and the Workstation
>world.  Why not, instead, concentrate on blurring the distinctions
>by porting NextStep to high-end PCs and all workstations?  Besides,
>that'd give me a greater market . . . :-)


I disagree with this statement quite strongly. I think that engineers
like the idea of mix and match software and hardware, however the
general public does not. One very important lesson that I think that
the success of the Macintosh should have taught the computer industry
is that the mainstream of computer buyers don't want to buy a chunk of
hardware and a bunch of miscellaneous software. They want to buy a
appliance. Early Mac buyers just wanted a word processing appliance.
They didn't give a damn what hardware it ran on. But they wanted to go
to the store, bring it home (or into their office), have it set up in
a hour or two and have it doing useful stuff for them in less than a
day. Exaclty the same way you would expect a buyer to treat a
microwave, a VCR or a answering machine.

This is the market that NeXT is ultimatly after. A large percentange of
computer buyers have this attitude. It is very difficult to build a
product for this market unless you have a good degree of control over
both the hardware and the software and supply a well intergrated
complete prooduct. 

					Chris King
					Island Graphics Corp.
					San Rafael Ca.
					{sun,ucbcad,uunet}!island!chris