Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!well!yoo
From: yoo@well.sf.ca.us (Young-Kyu Yoo)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: 2nd try. More comparisons of A3000 and NeXT
Message-ID: <21966@well.sf.ca.us>
Date: 5 Dec 90 05:49:29 GMT
References: <9012031553.AA23811@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
Lines: 68

91_bickingd@GAR.UNION.EDU ("Bicking, David") writes:
	
>what I have gathered, only the NEW NeXT computers come with a regular HD, as 
>the Opticals turned out to be a flop (at least that is what I gathered from 
>comp.sys.next).

The old NeXTs came in several configurations.  All came with at least a
 40 MB hard
disk to support virtual memory (the earliest ones didn't, but NeXT gave the
40 MB disks free later to those who had purchased the early machines).  The
lowest configuration was with the optical, followed by the 330 MB hard disk,
and then the 660 MB drive.

>	If I remember correctly, the $4000 is RETAIL [for the Amiga 3000ux].

I believe it's educational pricing.  The NeXT is $3000-$3500 for educational
buyers.

>A3000 has the 
>advantage of ALSO having a real-time OS, a software platform of its own, all 
>sorts of interesting expansion options, FUN GAMES......

The Amiga 3000ux, with Unix, will probably not be real-time.  Correct me if
I'm wrong.  The NeXT is the best software development platform around, bar
none (no correction needed).  Of course, there is more Amiga software than
NeXT software, but much of that Amiga software is "FUN GAMES."  NeXT now
has Lotus, Ashton-Tate, Informix, Oracle, Sybase and others developing
high-powered business software for their machine.  I don't think those
companies have much of a presence on the Amiga.

>"Interface Builder"?  Is that something like Intuition? 

Don't know anything about Intuition, but Interface Builder is what won NeXTStep
the honor of best software of the year from the software developer community
(a minority of which are NeXT software developers).  It is what makes NeXT
the great software development environment that it is.

>> 
>>What's Mr. Huebner's problem?  Mathematica is really incredible (it takes some
>>time to understand it, though).  They are using Mathematica on macintoshes
>>in the math department here.  He probably is going to rave about Maple when
>>it's released for the Amiga.  Having the dictionary always available is very

>BZZZZZT.  Maple has been available for the Amiga for quite some time, tho we 
>are currently awaiting a NEW version.  I hear it is increadible.  I also hear 
>rumors that Mathmatica will be ported to the Amiga.

Does Maple come free with your Amiga?  Mathematica comes free with the NeXT.
(it used to come free with EVERY NeXT, now it comes free with every NeXT
bought by educational customers).

[in reference to Digital Librarian on the NeXT]
>Oh, I see. You mean like Microfiche Filer, or AmigaVision, or.... all sorts of 
>things available on the Amiga.  Yes these ideas are nice, but NeXT doesn't have 
>the market cornered.

Are Microfiche Filer or AmigaVision free with your Amiga?  The Digital 
Librarian comes standard with every NeXT.

> Even Byte, a rag that 
>has long ignored and even attacked the Amiga, says the A3000UX is better than 
>the NeXT.

I chatted to Ben Smith, the author of that Byte article, and he admits that
he was referring to the old, out-of-production NeXTs.  The new NeXTs are
shipping.  Ben, by the way, has a history of negative commentary about the
NeXT in Byte.  You should see a correction of his comments concerning
the NeXT and Amiga in an upcoming issue.