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From: melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Not another NeXT defector???!!!
Message-ID: <Fm41b243@cs.psu.edu>
Date: 13 Nov 90 01:59:34 GMT
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In-Reply-To: ewright@convex.com's message of 6 Nov 90 17:20:20 GMT
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In article <108294@convex.convex.com> ewright@convex.com (Edward V. Wright) writes:

   So?  Is there "more powerful, more capable software" for the NeXT?
   If so, where is it?  All I have seen or heard about is a few programs
   that come bundled with the machine and a handful of commercial
   programs like FrameMaker that no one who failed to make Forbe's list
   of the 400 richest Americans can afford. 

What kind of software?  Have you been paying attention?  The companies
that are writing or have written software for the NeXT have been
mentioned.  Should I make a list of companies so everyone can call for
themselves.  And $500 for a spreadsheet or word-processor is the going
rate.  Buy your NeXT before Dec. 31 and get Lotus Improv free :-).

   >Really -- there comes a time when you have to decide if it's worth it
   >to move up to a better platform.  Is the NeXT really better for what
   >you want to do?

   Right.  So what is it you want to do with the NeXT?  If you want
   a high-performance development system on which to write programs
   for a potential market of a few hundred users, NeXT is it. For
   anything else... not yet.

If companies only looked at market share, then this would be a DOS
world.  Companies can use the NeXT as a development platform for their
NeXT generation of software, then port down to the Mac and Windows 3.0
:-).  Maybe Improv will make it to the Mac someday.

   >If I had to choose a new computer right now, it would be a
   >NeXTstation.  Without a moment's hesitation.
   >
   >- 92 dpi, very large, 4 color greyscale screen
   >- 68040 processor
   >- 2.88M floppy drive (can read MS-DOS [and Mac?])
   >- 105M hard drive
   >- runs Unix right out of the box
   >- audio input
   >- DSP built in
   >- Ethernet built in
   >
   >All for, at university prices, $3200, I believe.

   So, for only slightly more than a IIsi with color monitor,
   you get a black&white display, a nonstandard floppy drive,
   Stone-Age operating system, and the chance to beta-test a
   new CPU that will be available on accelerator boards for
   the Mac in less than a year.  Yes, the hardware is really
   hot, but without software the NeXT is still an expensive
   high-performance sports car with nowhere to go.

Ok, Apple has a low-cost color machine out for a little over a month
and Apple users are getting cocky already.  Read the article to which
you replied.  The floppy reads and writes DOS diskettes, and therefore
is a standard floppy drive.  The black&white monitor that you refer to
is a 17" high resolution(92 or 94 dpi) monitor(just like he said).  It
fact it costs over $700(edu).  The NeXT Station actually cost
$2300(about the price of an SE/30 earlier this year).  For fun, why
doesn't someone compare Apple's prices one year ago with NeXT's prices
today?  Businesses can buy a machine as fast as Apples next generation
machine for the price of Apple's mid-range machines.  I wonder if NeXT
gives a discount to businesses that buy NeXTs in quantity?  Think
companies will snag them up.  Most business men use Lotus and Word
Perfect, so the transition should be easy.

-Mike