Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!news.cs.indiana.edu!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR.NET!gacvx2.gac.edu!gacvx2.gac.edu!scott Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Low End NeXTs (was Re: Desktop publishing) Message-ID: From: scott@texnext.gac.edu (Scott Hess) Date: 8 Apr 91 09:58:15 References: <1991Apr1.200929.17719@noose.ecn.purdue.edu><1991Apr3.192844.27708@noose.ecn.purdue.edu> <1462@toaster.SFSU.EDU> Organization: Gustavus Adolphus College Nntp-Posting-Host: texnext.gac.edu In-reply-to: eps@toaster.SFSU.EDU's message of 4 Apr 91 23:24:43 GMTLines: 47 In article <1462@toaster.SFSU.EDU> eps@toaster.SFSU.EDU (Eric P. Scott) writes: In article <1991Apr3.192844.27708@noose.ecn.purdue.edu> songer@orchestra.ecn.purdue.edu (Christopher M Songer) writes: > Absence of network >hardware would lower production costs and the absence of the software >would lower required harddrive space -- raising usability. I can purchase good quality name-brand Ethernet cards for PCs for less than $200. I assume this means the "true cost" of these is really less than $80. But consider that a lot of that is paying for the card itself, interfacing to the ISA bus, etc.--things that aren't needed when the network hardware is part of the motherboard. What are we really talking about here? $30? Less? The savings, if any, is probably negligible. and songer@orchestra.ecn.purdue.edu (Christopher M Songer) writes: Also, just to mention it, I've seen a plotitical war over $8 per unit production cost in a $3000 printer before, I would not describe a cost even as low as $30 per unit negligible. (After all, $30 times 100,000 machines.....) For a market which more than likely consists of between 30,000 and 50,000 machines per year (if they get 50, we'll see celebration in Redwood City!), I think another big point is that two different types of motherboard will be a bother. First, there's the modified motherboards. Then, there's the modified casing (who wants those empty holes in the case?). Then, the ordering overhead, and probably all the complaints about lack of upgrade path. Also, the software installation procedure would be more complicated. Basically, we'd be doubling the number of configurations in which you could order your NeXT - not even considering those who might want a mixture (ability to use UUCP, thus requiring some stuff, while not having TCP/IP). Considering their size, I suspect distributing two machines, one without networking, one with, will actually cost _more_ than just leaving it the way it is. I'd rather then distributed two versions of the keyboard, personally (one being the "correct" one, the other being the newer one :-)! Later, -- scott hess scott@gac.edu Independent NeXT Developer GAC Undergrad "Simply press Control-right-Shift while click-dragging the mouse . . ." "I smoke the nose Lucifer . . . Banana, banana."