Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!shelby!agate!ziploc!eps
From: eps@toaster.SFSU.EDU (Eric P. Scott)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: NextWorld magazine, help the beginners
Message-ID: <1313@toaster.SFSU.EDU>
Date: 13 Feb 91 23:18:34 GMT
References: <12069@helios.TAMU.EDU>
Reply-To: eps@cs.SFSU.EDU (Eric P. Scott)
Organization: San Francisco State University
Lines: 56

In article <12069@helios.TAMU.EDU> jansen@archone.tamu.edu (Mark Jansen) writes:
>	1) Is NextWorld the only commercial magazine for the Next
>machines, or the best?

Only: no  Best: of the all-NeXT publications, I'd have to say
"I think so"--but that's only based on one issue (so far).

>                        What magazine should I be reading?

I don't think there's any _one_ magazine--every one has a
slightly different perspective (or ax to grind).

>	2) What is this NextAnswers thing discussed on the net?

NextAnswers is NeXT's official publication of questions-and-
answers that (1) elaborates on material in the Release
documentation (2) provides a mechanism for distributing
documentation between releases (3) answers a number of
frequently-asked questions.  You can get it from

   sonata.cc.purdue.edu [128.210.15.30]
	pub/next/docs/NextAnswers_Jan_91.tar.Z

If you don't have anonymous FTP capability, you should also be
able to request this through the Purdue e-mail server
(archive-server@cc.purdue.edu).

Closely related are TechSupportNotes--most of which started as
longish NextAnswers items.

The whole collection currently fits in 3MB, but expect it to grow
in future editions:

457	NextAnswers/.index  [this is from a 1.0 system]
1636	NextAnswers/Jan_91
668	NextAnswers/TechSupportNotes
2762	NextAnswers

>	3) There is too much mail here to read, I am specifically 
>interested in the music and music programming ends of things.  I think
>there is a mailing list but has no activity.

Maybe it needs to be promoted more often.  :-)

>	4) the graphics bulletin board, when pushed to its huge size
>has gone to a weekly announcement of the 10 most often asked questions
>I think we should go to the same thing.

I don't know about weekly, but a monthly FAQ wouldn't be such a
bad idea.  Volunteers?

>	5) What do I need to know about Mach to program the Next?

Very little, unless you want to do some rather esoteric things.

					-=EPS=-