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From: dlb5404@tamuts.tamu.edu (Daryl Biberdorf)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: NeXT/Amiga Flamage: Get a life.
Summary: All of this stuff isn't included in the base NeXTs
Message-ID: <14026@helios.TAMU.EDU>
Date: 2 Apr 91 22:15:55 GMT
References: <563Gxw#d1@cs.psu.edu> <yorkw.670527864@stable.ecn.purdue.edu> <2o7G!rpe1@cs.psu.edu>
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Organization: Texas A&M University
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In article <2o7G!rpe1@cs.psu.edu> melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes:
>
>Retail: $4995 for NeXTstation  -- edu: around $3250
>        $7995 for NeXTstation color -- edu: around $5500
>...
>
>   3) Exactly what makes it soo cool?
>
>Interface Builder.
>DSP for CD quaility sound.

Yeah...wait until you try to do some heavy disk activity while playing
a score file on that DSP....  The DSP requires the *CPU* to feed it
the sound data; it can't go get it on its own.  

>Mathematica is free for educational users.  The Objective C compiler,
>C++ compiler and debugger are also free(they're derived from the GNU
>stuff).

From recent news seen elsewhere, contract problems between NeXT and
Wolfram Research (makers of Mathematica) have caused NeXT to pull
Mathematica from the student deal.  One of its most attractive
offerings is now gone.

The compilers and development kit are *NOT* (I repeat, *NOT*) in the
super cheap base prices quoted above.  They only come on the 300 MB
hard disk-equipped models.  Add about $1000 to $1500 for that.  (I don't
have my price sheet handy.)

>The optical drives are no longer used.  They were slow, but it was
>nice having 233 MB on a single disk.  I have two that I still use.

"Slow" doesn't even begin to describe what heavy disk activity was like
on those boxes.  THank goodness they adopted a fast technology until
the floptical has developed a bit more.

I *am* impressed by the NeXT, but the base ed prices are a bit deceptive.
If you want the development kit and the more arcane software, you have
to pay a considerable amount more.

--Daryl Biberdorf,  dlb5404@{tamuts,rigel}.tamu.edu
  Texas A&M University