Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!lll-winken!sun-barr!rutgers!cbmvax!daveh From: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: NeXT software size Message-ID: <21452@cbmvax.commodore.com> Date: 9 May 91 19:24:06 GMT References: <4d7Gypu=1@cs.psu.edu> <21316@cbmvax.commodore.com> <1991May8.172853.290@sugar.hackercorp.com> Reply-To: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA Lines: 45 In article <1991May8.172853.290@sugar.hackercorp.com> peter@sugar.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) writes: >In article <21316@cbmvax.commodore.com> daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) writes: >> As compared to what? The NeXT isn't architecturally that different than any >> high-end personal computer. >Sure it is. It's not noticably different from the workstation folks, with >the same sort of built in capabilities. I was claiming here that the NeXT is more different from a traditional workstation than from a high end PC. That's only hardware architecture I'm speaking of, I'm not commenting at all on the software. >Actually, the Amiga 3000 really isn't that much different from workstations, >other than the size of the display. Guess you aren't using the same display I have... I don't deny they're converging, of course they are. A3000 and apparenly NeXT have real DMA & interrupt driven I/O, rather than this PIO nonsense found in Clones and most Macs and not found in workstations. They have 32 bit expansion buses (if you consider Cubes at least) too. On the down side, both are missing external cache (optional on the A3000) and real fast floating point typical of workstations (well, the '040 helps here alot if you don't run transendentals, but you generally find something better than a 68882 in any "workstation" level '030 machine). Memory in both the A3000 and the NeXT is better than first generation 32-bit Motorola-based personal computers (Mac II for example), but not as good or costly as what you'll usually find in a workstation. I suppose, functionally, all of this makes really little difference at the functional level, other than for cost and performance levels. I would be willing to bet that two ~$5000 Amiga or NeXT systems together do more work than one 680x0 HP/Apollo Workstation system at $10,000. At least until you find out the Mentor CAD tools you need are only available on the HP/Apollo.... >Peter da Silva. `-_-' -- Dave Haynie Commodore-Amiga (Amiga 3000) "The Crew That Never Rests" {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh PLINK: hazy BIX: hazy "That's me in the corner, that's me in the spotlight" -R.E.M.