Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!jarthur!ucivax!ucla-cs!lanai.cs.ucla.edu!lange
From: lange@lanai.cs.ucla.edu (Trent Lange)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Not another NeXT defector???!!!
Keywords: next vs mac
Message-ID: <1990Nov4.084938.22146@cs.ucla.edu>
Date: 4 Nov 90 08:49:38 GMT
References: <2909@unccvax.uncc.edu>
Sender: news@cs.ucla.edu (Mr. News)
Organization: UCLA Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Lines: 56
Nntp-Posting-Host: lanai.cs.ucla.edu

In article <2909@unccvax.uncc.edu> cs00jec@unccvax.uncc.edu (Jim Cain v2.0.1) writes:
>
>Oh no! Say it ain't so!!!
>
>You Macsters need to talk me out of this one! I'm actually seriously
>considering defecting to the NeXT camp and buying one of their 040
>machines. Why should I get a IIci with A/UX instead of a NeXTstation?
>
>Please help me.
>
>I've fallen, and I can't get up!!

I've fallen too after six years on the bandwagon, but I don't feel
bad about it.

As far as I can see, there are now only three reasons to buy a Mac
over a NeXT:

(1) Must share files on a day-to-day basis with other Mac users.
(2) Need out-of-the-ordinary general purpose applications not available
    yet on the NeXT.  Note that this does *not* include word processing,
    drawing applications, or spreadsheets, all of which are better on
    the NeXT than their Mac counterparts.  And even this will change,
    as more and more companies (like Lotus) take advantage of NeXTStep
    to develop their applications first on the NeXT before porting them
    to other machines.
(3) Have a *very* limited pocketbook, and a Mac Classic or LC will have
    enough power for your purposes.

Note that you could replace "Mac" with "IBM" in the above three and get
the only reasons for buying a PC or PC compatible rather than a NeXT.
(There are, of course, many reasons for buying Macs rather than PCs).

I suspect you already know the reasons in favor of buying a NeXT
rather than a Mac (absolutely incredible price/performance ratio,
Unix with the machine, display postscript for truely WYSIWG, etc.)

Of course, your plea for somebody to change your mind sounds like
what you really want is an emotional reason to make you feel right
about switching to the NeXT over the Mac, which you've probably
loved for a long time (as I did, and still do to a certain extent).

I can give one reason:

When Steve Jobs was booted out of Apple by the Pepsi accountants,
Apple and the Macintosh lost its heart.

That heart, its culture, and the innovation it inspires is now pumping
quite strongly in the NeXT.

- Trent Lange

-- 
************************************************************************
*       UCLA:  Trying to bring light and happiness to the world.       * 
************************************************************************