Path: utzoo!censor!comspec!lethe!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!helios!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!seismo!ukma!wuarchive!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!agate!shelby!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR.NET!gacvx2.gac.edu!gacvx2.gac.edu!scott From: scott@erick.gac.edu (Scott Hess) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Notebook computers Message-ID: Date: 15 Feb 91 05:37:10 GMT References: <1089@kaos.MATH.UCLA.EDU> <1991Feb14.154041.1@capd.jhuapl.edu> Distribution: na Organization: Gustavus Adolphus College Lines: 34 Nntp-Posting-Host: erick.gac.edu In-reply-to: waltrip@capd.jhuapl.edu's message of 14 Feb 91 20:40:41 GMTLines: 34 In article <1991Feb14.154041.1@capd.jhuapl.edu> waltrip@capd.jhuapl.edu writes: I'd really like to see NeXT be a player with a nice interface between my desktop NeXT and my PenPoint-based NeXT system. From what I've heard (sorry, I've not yet finished the BYTE article/section), I also think this is a good idea. Many people need this - one machine that can go, one that can do real work. One of the options used is to have a sort of enclosure that allows you to plug a real monitor/keyboard/disk drive into your portable. I think this is a bad idea, because it places too many constraints on the machine. Make the standing-still machine good at general stuff, make the on-the- move machine good at taking notes and stuff. After all, people seldom write books on a train (I know alot write columns and stuff, or at least get started on them, but few put the _finishing_ touches on in a train or airplane, in my experience!) Make the portable conveinient, I guess would be the describtion. A good use for the portable (well one of the GO type, at least) while you're at the home console would be to plug it in and use it as a sketch pad or digitizer pad. The software could presumably have specialized support on it, too - for instance, a CAD program could probably allow you to use the sketchpad/portable touchscreen as the main mode of input. That would be _very_ interesting. Later, -- 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 . . ."