Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!mintaka!olivea!oliveb!amdahl!JUTS!duts!kls30 From: kls30@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Kent L Shephard) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: Amiga/NeXT flames (Was Re: Amiga OS *IS* state...) Message-ID: Date: 9 Apr 91 19:06:03 GMT References: <46907@ut-emx.uucp> Sender: netnews@ccc.amdahl.com Reply-To: kls30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (PUT YOUR NAME HERE) Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA Lines: 113 In article <46907@ut-emx.uucp> greg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Greg Harp) writes: >[I had to post this because rn kept throwing up when I tried to follow up.] > >Michael D Mellinger writes: > >It's _not_ a great deal in any way for the single user. That was exactly what ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You get some good software and a powerful computer. Software is Mathematica, Webster, Shakespeare, Writenow, TeX, etc. Basically all a single user would need for day to day computing. >I was saying before. Steve Jobs markets it as all a student needs for >college, when it's definitely the _wrong_ box if you're not putting it on a ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why? My stand-alone system is great. >network, and I have only heard of one college that was planning on putting >ethernet jacks in the dorm rooms... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are a couple but that is beside the point. > > > >Me> With 30,000 machines what kind of user groups can you expect? It's ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quite a few as a matter of fact and the number IS growing. >Me> possible that you _might_ know someone else who owns a NeXT, but it's a >Me> small chance. I own one and I know more than a couple of people that own them. > >Hmmm... Now considering the national ranking of the UT CS department, I'd be >willing to bet that a good number of the people here are computer literate. :) >Well, I don't know a single person who is still looking at buying a NeXT, >including those who were planning on it a couple months ago. If that is the case they were never too serious about buying one in the first place. > >What computer literate person _would_ buy a NeXT? You get a non-standard Unix ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well I would and did. Let's see I hold a BSEE and am about to complete my MSEE in computer and digital systems design. I think that qualifies me as computer literate, since I've designed full computer systems. >port on a box that has shipped less than 30,000 units built buy a company that Tell me please, what is so non-standard about the Unix on a NeXT? I looks very much like SunOS. But then I guess Sun has a non-standard port. The standard in educational circles is an AT&T port with BSD extensions. This is what Sun and NeXT have. The MACH kernal is not the standard kernal in the industry but it is widely accepted as a very good kernal. The NeXT kernal allows installable drivers. This means that if you have a device driver and it doesn't work you can back it out of the kernal and not rebuild it. It also means that you don't need to rebuild the kernal everytime you want to add a device. >several competent businesspeople have predicted will fail within a year. Oh! Those people could not be wrong. NeXT is a company worth more than $600,000,000 this is actually before they produced a single machine. Last year they made ~$100 million. >Sounds like a _great_ investment to me... > >I can tell you right now that if I was looking for a high speed Unix box I'd >be buying a SPARC. If I was looking for a practical Unix box with a standard You could buy a SPARC then go out and buy the compiler and all the you need to run at some crazy price. BTW SPECmarks show the '040 NeXT at the same level of performance as a SPARC 1+. >OS I'd be buying an A3000UX. Under NO circumstances would I buy a NeXT. (Of ~~~~~~~~~~ An expensive box with NO Unix software. I don't mean game software for the Amiga but real Unix software. How many orders are in for the A300UX. I bet it isn't 20,000. Compare likes with likes. The only thing close to a NeXT is the A3000UX and it comes up short. >course, right now I'd be waiting for the next generation RISC boxes anyway.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yea, you can wait because there will always be something faster in the pipeline. Face it the NeXT WILL be around for a while. One machine, be it NeXT, Amiga, Atari ST/TT, PC (clone), Mac is not the answer to everyone's needs. Mine are varied and the NeXT doesn't suit them all, but I have a PC clone to pick up the slack. I say find the software you like then buy a machine that you like that can run the software. > > >Greg > > >-- > Greg Harp |"How I wish, how I wish you were here. We're just two > |lost souls swimming in a fishbowl, year after year, >greg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu|running over the same ground. What have we found? > s609@cs.utexas.edu |The same old fears. Wish you were here." - Pink Floyd -- /* -The opinions expressed are my own, not my employers. */ /* For I can only express my own opinions. */ /* */ /* Kent L. Shephard : email - kls30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com */