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From: mitroo@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Varun Mitroo)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: AMIGAstation...
Message-ID: <1991Feb12.053906.10441@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu>
Date: 12 Feb 91 05:39:06 GMT
References: <1991Feb9.164339.12035@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> <1991Feb11.005426.24174@sugar.hackercorp.com> <12013@helios.TAMU.EDU>
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In article <12013@helios.TAMU.EDU> n177ac@tamuts.tamu.edu (Daryl Biberdorf) writes:
>In article <1991Feb11.005426.24174@sugar.hackercorp.com> peter@sugar.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) writes:
>>
>>That's fine for getting Amiga users to buy them, but that isn't going to
>>get them any new market. For someone who wants a UNIX box, why would they
>>get an A3000UX instead of a NeXT (or for that matter a SPARCstation)?
>>-- 
>
>3000UX over the NeXT:
>- slots.  the only NeXT models with slots cost at least $2k more than
>  the base 3000UX.  The base 3000UX is only $500 more than the base  
>  NeXTstation.  Compare this with $1.5 - $2k for the base cube over
>  the 3000UX.  You can do some things with NeXT's SCSI, but a lot of
>  it isn't possible without really bad kludges.
>
I think people are missing the point of the workstation market.  Imagine
having a lab full of unix boxes.  They are all connected on an ethernet
network, have a small hard drive to boot and swap, and get most other stuff
through the network.  WHY would someone need each box to have 5 slots inside?

The answer: you don't.  Lots of computer companies have realized this.  Sun
has the SPARCstation SLC, a diskless computer that is only usable on a
network.  NeXT now has the NeXTstation - small hard drive, no expansion slots,
fast cpu, built-in ethernet.

Now imagine a lab full of A3000UX.  Every one of them has empty slots - maybe
one is used for ethernet.  All these slots are doing nothing, except driving
the cost of the machine up.  NeXT realized this with the cube, and very
efficiently pared down both the hardware and software:  no expansion slots but
lots of internal memory and hard drive capability, no Lisp (removed from the
included software), no Mathematica (except for higher ed.) - software licensing
can be expensive!  If you need expansion or need a server, buy a cube.

It's wonderful that each and every one of the Amiga3000UX can run AmigaDos,
and each could have many serial ports, and each could have a Video Toaster,
but of what use are these for unix boxes?  The important thing is that they
are well-integrated, have nice clear displays, and are FAST.

The 3000UX does make a good unix box, but there is no reason to drive up its
cost with those unnecessary options:  expansion slots, AmigaDos, etc.  Maybe
Commodore should realize this and come out with an AMIGAstation: 100 meg drive,
high res monitor, ethernet, no expansion.  They could probably shave off over
$1000 from the price and have a nice fast integrated unix box.

				Varun Mitroo
				mitroo@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu