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From: eboltz@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu (Eric S. Boltz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Not another NeXT defector???!!!
Message-ID: <1990Nov7.212457.8903@ctr.columbia.edu>
Date: 7 Nov 90 21:24:57 GMT
Sender: usenet@ctr.columbia.edu (I Use Net)
Reply-To: eboltz@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu (Eric S. Boltz)
Organization: The Johns Hopkins University
Lines: 55

>Now, I haven't used one of the new NeXT machines.  However, the original
>cube had one flaw which for me made it absolutely unusable:

>The GUI was simply the most unresponsive I've ever used (and I've used
>Macs, Suns, Iris's, DECWindows, Amigas, et alia).  I just couldn't take
>clicking on something and waiting up to a couple of *seconds* for it to
>respond!  Even Commodore-64 GEOS was quicker to respond to user actions!

>I sincerely hope that they've fixed this on the new NeXT's.  Anyone know
>for sure?  Even if the machine could chug out results like nobody's
>business, if it couldn't keep up with ME, on MY time, then I'd go and
>get a machine that *could* keep up, like a Mac.

I can answer your question!!
I have used : the orig. 030, an 030 with version 2.0 of NeXT's os and the
new NeXTstation 040 running 2.0.

Just changing the original cube to 2.0 yields approximately a 100% improvement
in performance. The biggest problem with the original 030 speed was the fact
that is used an optical disk (92ms ave. access) for virtual memory. (BIG
MISTAKE). NeXT fixed this problem as well.

With the 040 machines AND 2.0 you're talking about a minimum of four times
the speed of the original (and as much as ten times).

One reason the mac's gui is fast is because when you click the mouse 
EVERYTHING STOPS and the cpu only listens to the mouse. On the NeXT it not
only continues to run other programs but continually draws the window (not
just its outline).

I had some time to mess with the 040 and gui speed was of major importance
to me so here's the test I ran the following in different windows :

1. A repeating sound file of the simpsons
2. An animation of an eagle in flight
3. A mathematica animation
4. An animation of a spinning aspirin molecule
**** ALL SIMULTANEOUSLY -> while moving a window!

There was a some slowdown, but it was not like the 030 I tried in august
1989. (Can a mac do that?) =:)

As far as the person who said that the cpu was overworked with i/o:
The NeXT station has 8 (count 'em 8) i/o coprocessors as well as the 56001
DSP chip. I'll take the 040, 8 i/o, DSP over an 030/020(printer) any day!!

Don't look so green guys...the mac is still great

bye


--
Eric S. Boltz
The Johns Hopkins University
eboltz@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu