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From: pbiron@weber.ucsd.edu (Paul Biron)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: development suggestions for the NeXt
Message-ID: <4011@network.ucsd.edu>
Date: 12 Nov 90 03:02:32 GMT
References: <1990Nov8.151745.24393@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> <1990Nov09.201239.29351@scion.CS.ORST.EDU> <25376@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>
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In article <25376@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> bb@reef.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Bartholomew) writes:
>
>Sorry, Bruce.
>
>In article <1990Nov09.201239.29351@scion.CS.ORST.EDU> you write:
>
>> 11) backup software (a port of fastback would be nice.)
>
>Grrrrrrr.  You have an OS containing a complete set of backup options.

[stuff deleted]

>Let's not forget that we are
>dealing with a *workstation* here, which should be connected to a
>world-wide network like the Internet (where are you reading this news
>from?) for the greatest gain.

>"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo."
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Brian Bartholomew	UUCP:       ...gatech!uflorida!mathlab.math.ufl.edu!bb
>University of Florida	Internet:   bb@math.ufl.edu

Here! Here!

I bought a NeXT *BECAUSE* its a unix box, because just about everything
that I need is there already (and what's not in unix per se is
there is the bundled apps or in an archive somewhere on the net).

NeXT's strategy is to sell the boxes to people telling them that they
don't have to learn any unix to be able to use them.  "Unix for the
rest of us" is the way its worded in some of the glossies I've seen.
I've said it before, the NeXT and the NeXTStep GUI are *NOT* unix for
the rest of us, its multi-{tasking,user} for the rest of us (sic).

Unfortunately, this kind of strategy hides many of the wonderful tools
which are *ALREADY* there, and puts people in the Mac/PC mode of
"I need something done, I guess I'll have to go buy some software
to do it".

Please, people, do not shune unix, its not the devil incarnate!

Here's an idea (NeXT, are you listening?).  NeXT is way ahead of
everyone else in the market as far as bundling software with their
machines (yeah!).   How about bundling a good "intro" to unix book
as well?  Make a deal with the publisher of one of the following
books (or any other "intro" to unix book) and ship the book
(either hard or soft copy version would be fine) with every new machine:

Life with UNIX : a guide for everyone / Don Libes & SandyRessler.  
   Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice Hall, c1989.

UNIX for people : a modular guide to the UNIX operating system : visual
   editing, document preparation, & other resources / Peter M. Birns, Patrick
   B. Brown, John C. C. Muster.  Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, c1985.

The UNIX for beginners book : a step-by-step introduction /
      Bryan Strong, Jay Hosler. New York : Wiley, c1987.

That way, new users would get an idea of what kinds of utilities
are *ALREADY* available to them.  It wouldn't cost NeXT or its users
that much money (just a guess, but I'd say no more than $5-$10 a box,
and I'd never notice it if the price went up that much).  I think that
would do a world of good for NeXT, its users and the publishers.

Sure, everyone who buys a NeXT (and is a unix novice) can just go
down to their local bookstore and buy one of these books, but
*THEY DON'T*.  The posting I've seen in this group asking if
anyone has written/ported an "APPLICATION which does X" when there
is ALREADY a "PROGRAM in unix which does X" testify to that!

Paul Biron      pbiron@ucsd.edu        (619) 534-5758
Central University Library, Mail Code C-075-R
Social Sciences DataBase Project
University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Ca. 92093