Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!uc!noc.MR.NET!gacvx2.gac.edu!gacvx2.gac.edu!scott From: scott@mcs-server.gac.edu (Scott Hess) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Lisp upgrade Message-ID: Date: 25 Apr 91 04:04:23 GMT Article-I.D.: mcs-serv.SCOTT.91Apr24230423 References: <12691@pucc.Princeton.EDU> Organization: Gustavus Adolphus College Lines: 55 Nntp-Posting-Host: mcs-server.gac.edu In-reply-to: cnh5730@maraba.tamu.edu's message of 24 Apr 91 01:55:39 GMTLines: 55 Just to get in a wee bit of public whining (well, not much): In article cnh5730@maraba.tamu.edu writes: In article <12691@pucc.Princeton.EDU> STENGEL@pucc.Princeton.EDU (Robert F. Stengel) writes: Although the Version 2.0-compatible ACL is now available from Franz, NeXT has yet to ship this version to Cube owners who wish to upgrade from the 030 to the 040. [... stuff deleted ...] Just who is minding the store? Perhaps NeXT intends to ship the app on the new 2.88MB floppies and is having trouble with their suppliers for this part? NeXT has taken the rap for late-shipping a lot lately when actually, some of their suppliers have not been able to keep pace with NeXT's demand. Well, on the one hand, this is true. But, on the other hand, it is an _excuse_ - NeXT is responsible to 'we the people who ordered NeXTs' to have enough of what they need to deliver. It's not so much that the suppliers can't keep pace with an increased demand - I don't even think we are out of the backlog announced last Sept. at the "Big Bash", so they should have been prepared. I do think that NeXT was just in an unlucky position - the stuff just wasn't feasable in the timeframe proposed. But some of the ridiculous time spans I've heard make me wonder . . . [Now, with a completely different set of hands -scott] On the one hand, this is the price we pay for running too close to the leading edge. On the other hand, the business market is not going to care too much for NeXT if this becomes a habit. Hopefully they learn from "this" - "this" being the lack of CPU, the lack of 400M hard disks, the lack of floppy media, the lack of optical media, the lack of JPEG, etc, etc. If NeXT ever plans to be selling >50,000 machines/year, all of the elements will have to be there _before_ the machine is promised. Maybe this is why Apple has more boring machines (side note - Apple also makes more money :-). Please don't take this as anything but constructive criticism. I never really complained (well, not publicly) about my machine, or anything. And I really could care less when LISP ships, or whether I can get ODs or 2.88M floppies. Except to the extent other people do - especially those people out there who just happen to have more money than I do, and thus have more machine- purchase ability than I do. I've got my machine, and I love it, and I hate it when I have to use the old, decrepit machines in the lab here, with their measly 8M/40M/68030 . . . :-> [ <-- Yes, that is an evil grin :-) ] 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."