Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!news.cs.indiana.edu!cica!travis!greg From: greg@travis.cica.indiana.edu (Gregory TRAVIS) Subject: Re: NeXT doesn't support 030 machinesn Message-ID: Sender: news@cica.indiana.edu (News System) Nntp-Posting-Host: travis.cica.indiana.edu Organization: Indiana University References: <11876@uwm.edu> Distribution: usa Date: 7 May 91 01:47:11 GMT In <11876@uwm.edu> gblock@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Gregory R Block) writes: >From article , by melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger): >> NeXT Step 2.0 runs on the 030 machines. NeXT didn't make some >> optimizations to the OS because they wanted to make sure that it ran >> on the 030 machines. This doesn't sound true. DEC has certainly managed to produce operating systems that run on an incredibly wide family of processors. I think NeXT has the expertise to do the same. I suspect the O/S senses the type of processor and uses the appropriate optimizations. >> If you wait a year, just get the 88K upgrade >> instead. >Okay, I'll run this by you again, because I know diddley about the >88k. UNLESS IT IS BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE WITH THE 680X0 LINE, THERE >WON'T BE AN AMIGA UPGRADE TO IT. Commodore has no need to leave >people in the dust. And if suddenly an Amiga doesn't run Amiga >software anymore, is it still an Amiga??? (rhetorical, don't answer) You're making it sound as if Commodore has a choice. I daresay there is a lot more NeXT (and UNIX in general) software that's processor independent than there is Amiga software. Many Amiga packages loudly tout the fact that they're 100% assembly (NewTek's paint, for one). Also, much of Exec itself is coded in assembly. It's going to be a lot more painful to move the average Amiga program from an Amiga 680x0 to and Amiga 88K (or whatever) than it will be for the same UNIX program. The emphasis is different between the two systems. One is constrained in both speed and memory while the other is open-ended in both respects. Which is why you get a totally non-portable implementation like Intuition / Exec on one hand and an easily portable implementation like (NeXTStep/X) / (Mach/UNIX) on the other. To be fair, Exec is probably fairly portable. But its extremely lean character, often touted as an asset, is a liability with larger systems. An embarrasment of riches needs to be policed effectively and Exec just doesn't have the authority. At least not for general-purpose computing systems. Let's look at what's happening wrt. Sun's abandonment of the 680x0 line for the SPARC-based systems. Not too much complaining from the customer base 'cause most applications just need to be recompiled. > >> BTW, I think we're forgetting that the NeXT 040 upgrade is $1500 for >> non-University owners. About what one would pay for a decent '030 board for the Amiga a year ago. Even less. And those board don't come with built-in SCSI/Ethernet/Serial ports/DSP. -- Gregory R. Travis Indiana University, Bloomington IN 47405 greg@cica.indiana.edu Center for Innovative Computer Applications Not an offical pinko of CICA or Indiana University