Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!uunet!brunix!rca
From: rca@cs.brown.edu (Ronald C.F. Antony)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Questions about the MUSIC capability and I/O performance of Next.
Keywords: MUSIC capability and I/O performance
Message-ID: <60460@brunix.UUCP>
Date: 30 Dec 90 15:49:00 GMT
References: <5147@husc6.harvard.edu>
Sender: news@brunix.UUCP
Reply-To: rca@cs.brown.edu (Ronald C.F. Antony)
Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science
Lines: 40

In article <5147@husc6.harvard.edu> chien@ymer.UUCP () writes:
>
>1. Could I use Next to make digital backup of old cassette tape on the optical
>disk? If so, how good the sound will be? (relative to the original tape, of
>course)

If you choose a D/A converter like digital ears or digital microphone
then the sound quality will be as good as on the original, if you use
only the built in 8-bit converter, then you will loose quality. In
both cases be aware that you will need huge quantities of disk space.

>2. I've tried to use the Nextstation displayed at MIT computer store
>and was surprised to find that the I/O is so slow compared to PC or
>Mac. 
>[...]
>		The problem is: I seemed to have to wait FOREVER for
>		the program to start. The startup step of almost every
>		program took so much time that I just couldn't imagine
>		that was a Nextstation with a hard disk instead of an
>		Apple II with a floppy. Again, why is it so
>		SLOW????!!!!
>I had put very high expectation on the Next computer (just think
>about: unix system, real multitasking, audio processing  ....) until I
>operated it myself at MIT. I would be very glad and appreciated if
>any kind person tell me WHY IT IS SO SLOW.

Considering that you used a new i.e. a 040 NextStation, I think that
something was messed up with your machine. Even the old 030 cube was
not THAT slow. The most probable thing is that some daemon went crazy,
e.g. getty or NFS or something the like (ps -aux usually helps finding
the guilty process quickly). A healthy NextStation is not slow at all,
be assured of that.

Ronald


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"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists
in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the
unreasonable man."   G.B. Shaw   |  rca@cs.brown.edu or antony@browncog.bitnet