Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!psuvax1!news
From: melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger)
Subject: Re: NeXT/Amiga Flamage: Get a life.
In-Reply-To: dlb5404@tamuts.tamu.edu's message of 2 Apr 91 22:15:55 GMT
Message-ID: <gjbGu+lf1@cs.psu.edu>
Sender: news@cs.psu.edu (Usenet)
Nntp-Posting-Host: sunws6.sys.cs.psu.edu
Organization: Penn State Computer Science
References: <563Gxw#d1@cs.psu.edu> <yorkw.670527864@stable.ecn.purdue.edu>
	<2o7G!rpe1@cs.psu.edu> <14026@helios.TAMU.EDU>
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 91 23:55:37 GMT
Lines: 50


In article <14026@helios.TAMU.EDU> dlb5404@tamuts.tamu.edu (Daryl Biberdorf) writes:

   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.  

Moral of the story: don't do heavy disk activity.  The NeXT does have
DMA, how heavy does it have to be?

   >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.

News to me.  Hope your not right.

   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.)

No, you can either buy the entire OS and Apps on floppy or get it from
someone else.  I repeat: YOU STILL CAN GET THE ENTIRE OS AND APPS EVEN
IF YOU DON'T BUY A 400 MB MACHINES.

   >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.

Huh.  Are you talking about hard disk technology?  Uh, that was
available in the last generation of machines, of course.

   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.

If you want to do (hard core) development buy a 105MB NeXTstation for
$3250 then add 8 more megs of RAM(3rd party) and a 3rd party 660MB
hard drive.

-Mike