Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!adobe!heaven!heaven.woodside.ca.us From: glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us (Glenn Reid) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: 20 Meg Floppies Message-ID: <492@heaven.woodside.ca.us> Date: 7 May 91 18:02:47 GMT References: Sender: glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us Lines: 35 Brian Bartholomew writes > In article <484@heaven.woodside.ca.us> glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us > (Glenn Reid) writes: > > > To distribute a 200k application on a 256Mb optical disk was > > ridiculous. > > Commercial U*IX workstation software is usually distributed on a $40 > 40 Meg cartridge tape. Distributing NeXT software on a $50 > (subsidized price) 256 Meg OD was no less reasonable. Yes, no less reasonable, but still not reasonable. One of the major problems with UNIX workstations was (and still is, to a large extent) distribution media. That's why SPARCstations have floppy drives, and (part of) why UNIX workstation sales are dwarfed by PCs and Macs. Now, before this turns into a wide-focus discussion on UNIX workstations versus PCs, let me attempt to bring it sharply back to where it started by saying simply that cheaper distribution media is better for software developers (even considering on-line help and manuals and such), but yes, I also like the power and flexibility of all that disk space that was on the OD's. We (RightBrain Software) distributed TouchType on optical disks (because we had to), complete with on-line documentation in both FrameMaker and PostScript form. When the floppies came out, we could still fit the whole thing on one 1.44Mb floppy using the Installer package, which compressed everything quite nicely. And we sent free 2.0 upgrades to the installed base because the media was cheap, and because we believe in free upgrades. -- Glenn Reid RightBrain Software glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us NeXT/PostScript developers ..{adobe,next}!heaven!glenn 415-326-2974 (NeXTfax 326-2977)