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From: rjc@geech.ai.mit.edu (Ray Cromwell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: A3000UX - Born to run UNIX SVR4
Message-ID: <1991Feb9.032953.14709@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>
Date: 9 Feb 91 03:29:53 GMT
References: <1991Feb7.151106.4795@cc.helsinki.fi> <32530@auc.UUCP> <1512@pdxgate.UUCP>
Sender: daemon@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu (Lucifer Maleficius)
Organization: None
Lines: 43

In article <1512@pdxgate.UUCP> hal@eecs.UUCP (Aaron Harsh) writes:
>In article <32530@auc.UUCP> rar@auc.UUCP (Rodney Ricks) writes:
>>Looking at the price difference of the old 68030 and new 68040 NeXT systems,
>>I wouldn't be surprised if Commodore comes out with 68040 systems that are
>>competitively priced to the NeXT systems.
>
>  The last time I checked (when I wanted an Amiga and didn't know about the
>NeXTstation) the 25 Mhz '030 Amiga cost about the same as a NeXTstation.
>(This was ed. price for both of them, about $3200 each).  What makes you think
>that an '040 Amiga will be competitive with a '040 NeXT when the Amiga with
>an inferior processor costs the same?

  What makes you think an 040 NeXT will be competitive with an 040 Amiga
when the inferior NeXT with inferior color and expansion capabilities
cost the same?

  Reworded, it sounds the same. The slab is virtually useless. The $3200
model is almost unusable. An A3000 with an 040 running AmigaDOS wil
burn rubber for speed. The NeXT is bogged down with UNIX's overhead and
Display Postscript. Even the A3000UX with an 040 will probably beat the
040 NeXT because it doesn't waste so much CPU on the interface.

  Try doing Live video teleconferencing on the $3200 slab like CBM did
on the A3000UX demonstration.

Once you buy an A3000/3500, you don't ever need to buy another computer,
but chances are, if you buy the cheapest Slab, you'll need to shell out
another $2000-3000 down the road anyway, or BUY a whole new NeXT model.

>>So, your point has some validity FOR THE MOMENT, but it'll be interesting
>>to compare system price & performance when the 68040 boards come out for
>>the Amiga, and even more interesting when Commodore FINALLY ( :-) ) comes
>>out with a 68040-based system.
>
>  Maybe Commodore will lower the price of these systems so they'll be able
>to compete with NeXT.

  Maybe  NeXT will lower the price of the 040 Cube so it can compete with
the Amiga.

>
>Aaron Harsh
>hal@eecs.cs.pdx.edu