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From: charlie@wam.umd.edu (Charles William Fletcher)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: TT's and NeXT
Message-ID: <1990Dec10.144119.25552@wam.umd.edu>
Date: 10 Dec 90 14:41:19 GMT
References: <1990Dec4.123906.8082@cbnewsh.att.com> <4169.275eb314@cc.helsinki.fi> <1990Dec7.165243.8709@watserv1.waterloo.edu> <1990Dec9.191540.4667@daffy.cs.wisc.edu>
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Reply-To: charlie@wam.umd.edu (Charles William Fletcher)
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In article <1990Dec9.191540.4667@daffy.cs.wisc.edu> gcarter@globey.cs.wisc.edu (Gregory Carter) writes:
>Mmmmm, obviously this guy has never seen one!
>
>We just got one in our lab last week.  Its anything but slow.  Actually
>its only problem now is the software available.  TRUST ME, speed is NOT
>a problem with a 040.
>
>--Gregory


I agree speed is not a problem in the 040 NeXTs (I have talked to
developers who due heavy applications on the SparcStation and now
on the NextStation who also say there is no speed problems with
the NextStation.)

But in comparing the TT (or any other computer) with the NeXT,
speed is not (or should not) be the whole issue. What the NeXT has
that gives it the advantage (in my opinion) is its integrated 
working environment. For example, putting graphics into TeX is
a real pain. On the NeXT you can not only include PostScript graphics
but you can *SEE* the included graphics on the screen previewer
due to the Display PS. Then what you see is really what you get
when printing. In addition, the Interface Builder is a major boon
to developers-you build windows and general GUIs for your application
by dragging pieces together in graphical environment(SUN has a similar,
yet less advanced, design environment called GUIDE.) Lotus was
able to design an entirely new spreadsheet (Improv) in only a few
months due to the nature of IB (compare that with there own update
of Lotus 123).

Also, NeXT is a different type of company than Atari--the NextStation
was concieved as an idea in Jan, 90 and in production by Oct. Compare
that to the TT development.

I've had an ST for years and love it. Many great and innovative
products have come (and unfortunately gone). Atari's management
has all but killed one of the great computers(The biggest Atari
dealer in the  DC area has closed, and the chain stores no longer
carry ST software-mail order in the only way, so hopefully you 
got to see the software run somewhere else.) I've waited for the
TT, but the only one I've seen (at AtariFest) was running Mac software.
I'm tired of waiting so I defected(luckly being able to get an
academic discount on a NeXT, otherwise the price would have put
me out of the picture. NeXT is trying to fill in between workstations
and PC's--PC types think NeXT hw/sw is expensive, workstation
type, SUN etc., think NeXT hw/sw is cheap.)

IF you can get the discount, and IF you have the money, the NeXT
is worth looking at, but I don't think most STer will be going
this way--too bad, they are a good group. 

Finally one last thing(!)--an earlier post on this thread stated
that the NeXT was not a Unix machine--that's basically correct.
NeXT uses MACH for its OS. Mach supports multiple processors and 
has a Unix like set of commands. It has been adopted by the OSF
as one of its standardized OS's. True Unix gurus slam it on the NeXT
since UUCP is not suported(yet works) and there is no SLIP, etc.
for "at home" communicating(the NeXT has built in EtherNet for 
networking, but fails to recognize the at home networker.)

Well too much said--

--Charlie