Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!lethe!yunexus!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!spool2.mu.edu!news.cs.indiana.edu!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR.NET!gacvx2.gac.edu!gacvx2.gac.edu!scott From: scott@mephistopheles.gac.edu (Scott Hess) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Dissatisfaction with NeXT the company Message-ID: Date: 21 Jan 91 00:23:19 GMT References: <1991Jan19.200318.10586@macc.wisc.edu> Organization: Gustavus Adolphus College Lines: 115 Nntp-Posting-Host: mephistopheles.gac.edu In-reply-to: ty@springs.cis.ufl.edu's message of 20 Jan 91 00:43:45 GMTLines: 115 In article ty@springs.cis.ufl.edu (Tyng-Jing Yang) writes: 2. Modem People keep asking "How to connect a modem ?" again and again. NeXT should have a chapter on "Installing Modem" in user manual. I still don't know how to let other guys dial-in my cube. There are two or three post on Modem's dial-in and dial-out but I spent serveral weekend nights and still can't make it. NeXT should clarify this problem . The simple fact is that connecting a modem to a Unix system in such a manner that it can use the full flexibility of such a system is not easy. You simply cannot do the same on a PC or a Mac without dedicating the machine to bulletin board software. The problem is not a NeXT problem, but a Unix problem. This is something that happens all over Unix - the people who know can do this stuff quickly, but there is no bootstrap documentation for people who don't know. NeXT is trying (they've put those tech docs on the archive sites, and some are even fairly helpful), but, unfortunately for people not on one, I think their main thrust is towards networked machines. _I_ think that's the right thing for now. You don't. NeXT cannot do everything. About connecting a modem questions - you might note that people, in general, ask the same question again and again. That's because they miss the first answer, or don't think it important when they see it. Heck, I do the same thing. Because of that, there are a couple collections of answers. One is NextAnswers, availiable at both of the archive sites (plus much, much more.) The other are the tech docs, also at the archives. There's a tech doc for what you need to connect to build a serial cable. Else, you order a cable from a company, as hardware.470 says in NextAnswers. The SerialPortDoc gives a pretty good overview of what's going on, though. It was enough for me to get connected, though I don't need dial-up. The setup for dial-up is described in that document, though. Another source would be the UUCP tech doc, availiable in the same place. Maybe these documents were not availiable when you checked last. Please do check, though. 3. Poor Documentation/programming books A. "Printed NeXT Tech. Dos 1.0a" This Docs set made me upset very much. It definitely is the best but diffcult "for me" to read/learn from this Docs set I'm counting on New 2.0 Docs set which is better and with index(thanks God). Technical reference manuals are not for learning, they are for reference. Few computers come with more than rudimentary tutorial manuals, though almost all come with reference manuals. The Concepts manual of the 1.0 tech docs made an attempt at teaching a little bit, but even that's more of a reference manual than anything. I personally would rather they put in more reference material, but that would make it worse for new users. The standard method of learning to program the NeXT well is to go to developer's camp - I've not heard anything but good from people who've went. Of course, that's an expensive option, which many people can't afford. Of course, it's an expensive machine. B. "The NeXT BooK" which is too old(0.9 version). I hope the author can come out 2.0 edition. C. "The NeXT Bible" is an introductory book. It doesn't teach me NeXT prgramming. I thought "The NeXT Book" was too old when I first saw it (and I was still under 0.9 :-). But neither of these are NeXT's problem. E. C++ seems the right programming language to follow but to my knowledge, no book about "C++ progamming on NeXT" and How serious is NeXT Inc. on C++ programming ? I don't think it's up to NeXT. NeXT has been working with the Free Software Foundation to integrate Objective-C into g++. Once it's there, presumably NeXT will not be driving it anymore. It will not be up to GNU to support it, either. Also, remember that it's not up to NeXT to bring out books, but to informed people outside of NeXT. NeXT should, of course, be doing their best to help people if they need info for a book, but they aren't a publishing house. 6. Arrogant silence in this newgroup Frequency of NeXT's voice on comp.sys.next are countable. If they _had_ posted people would think _that's_ arrogant. There are problems with posting to public forums such as this that are, to a great extent, supported by public funds. NeXT can't. Specific people at NeXT can use this forum to address issues, but NeXT, as a company, cannot. The Internet is for educational use only. Of course, there are parts of Usenet which _don't_ go over the Internet, but the Internet is the backbone of Usenet. I don't mean to sound like I don't understand your problems. I went through many of them, too. It's just that most other companies I've had experience, some of them far larger than NeXT, generally don't have anything better installed. I think reasonable complaints are alright, and, when directed to NeXT, will have some effect. I think frothing at the mouth will not, and this thread is quickly approaching the frothing stage. It would be wonderful if NeXT could pay close attention to each and every person who's ever purchased or ordered a NeXT. But, from my experience with them they are generally quite busy, and people are bound to slip through the cracks. Disclaimer: I don't work for NeXT, but I sometimes work with them on projects. I don't have much pull there, and cannot speak for them, any more than they can speak for me. So lay none of this at their door. -- scott hess scott@gac.edu Independent NeXT Developer GAC Undergrad "Tried anarchy, once. Found it had too many constraints . . ." "Buy `Sweat 'n wit '2 Live Crew'`, a new weight loss program by Richard Simmons . . ."