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From: nick@cs.edinburgh.ac.uk (Nick Rothwell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: I would buy a NeXT next if...
Message-ID: <1598@skye.cs.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 8 Nov 90 14:09:37 GMT
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Should I really add to this thread? No... Yeah...

I would buy a NeXT as my next computer if

	(i)	I could find one. I think there's a single dealer in the
		UK, probably in London (the other end of the country).
		Getting product information/pricing/software info is probably
		next to impossible (but, that's what USEnet is for, to an
		extent, and far more knowledgeable than most dealers). I
		can find out about Macs, and get demos locally. I have seen
		exactly one (1) NeXT, a couple of years back, in Princeton.
		That's it.

	(ii)	UK price is less than stratospheric. (but hey, I paid for
		a Mac...)

	(iii)	I could get support/maintenance. If my SE/30 croaks
		tomorrow I can get it fixed within a day or so. If I had
		a NeXT, ...

	(iv)	I could run top-notch MIDI sequencing software on it (such
		as Performer or something equally good). Currently, zippo.

	(v)	It provided a good environment for developing and working
		with MIDI applications, timecode, and so on, like Apple's
		MIDI Management tools.

	(vi)	I could carry it over my shoulder and use it on stage for
		concerts, etc. The SE/30's portability is a big win.

	(vii)	I could move material between home and work easily - no
		problem with a Mac, floppies, AUFS/AppleShare.

	(viii)	NeXT stood a good chance of being in business for a while.

(i), (iii) and (iv) are currently big problems. (ii) and (v) I don't know
about. Certainly, Apple's MM tools are pretty good, since the Mac is a pretty
much (US) industry standard MIDI machine. Mind you, here in the UK, it's
pretty unusual (due to price). (vi) is a minor problem. (vii) and (viii)
are problems.

Should all of these problems resolve themselves when I'm ready for my
next machine, I'll buy one. Otherwise I'll keep buying Mac.

Technically, the NeXT looks superior in almost every way (from what I
know about it, not being able to find one here).

...just for those folks who say there's no good reason *not* to buy a
NeXT... ("sure, but where from?" says I...)

-- 
Nick Rothwell,	Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science, Edinburgh.
		nick@lfcs.ed.ac.uk    <Atlantic Ocean>!mcsun!ukc!lfcs!nick
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
 "Now remember - and this is most important - you must think in Russian."