Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!wuarchive!rex!uflorida!bikini!bb From: bb@reef.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Bartholomew) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: X11 for the NeXTstation Message-ID: Date: 13 Jan 91 04:52:30 GMT References: <1991Jan10.020437.14465@cs.mcgill.ca> <17136@csli.Stanford.EDU> <3573@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu> <1117@toaster.SFSU.EDU> <1991Jan12.143514.38@gacvx2.gac.edu> Sender: news@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU Organization: /cis/lightning0/bb/.organization Lines: 43 In-reply-to: dan@gacvx2.gac.edu's message of 12 Jan 91 20:35:14 GMT In article <1991Jan12.143514.38@gacvx2.gac.edu> dan@gacvx2.gac.edu writes: > I would feel better about NeXT not supporting X if it was more open to > having NeXTstep on other platforms. Several times I have heard NeXT > people saying "no we will not port NeXTstep to any SUN platform." > NeXT does not have to bundle X, it just needs to be available from > someplace... The same goes for other things on your list. Good points. X has succeeded, despite its brain-damage, because even the stupid customers have recognized the benefits of an inter- operable environment. NeXT should either become more friendly towards an X port (boo!) or start porting NextStep to other platforms (yay!). I am sure that there are lots of technical innovations, added features, bundled applications, and other typical NeXT innovations that would allow the NeXT hardware/software package to continue its leadership role in NextStep. Of course, greater adoption of NextStep by the industry would slow down the frantic pace of NeXT evolution, which would be a Bad Thing(tm). There is a lot to be said for keeping your hardware base pure (and under your control). Further, remember that any really good idea has to be forced down peoples' throats, as compared to being adopted by popular acclaim. I am reminded of that quote mentioning the adoption of U*IX as a standard being more a matter of chance than anything. "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 -- "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