Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!csn!datran2!smb From: smb@data.com (Steven M. Boker) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: FSF NeXTstep Message-ID: <1991May10.192720.10614@data.com> Date: 10 May 91 19:27:20 GMT References: <282AE226.3250@deneva.sdd.trw.com> Organization: Data Transforms, Inc. Lines: 60 In article <282AE226.3250@deneva.sdd.trw.com> thomsen@spf.trw.com (Mark R. Thomsen) writes: > >NeXT give NeXTstep to FSF? This would be a wonderful, weird thing. >How likely is this? NeXTstep is one of the technologies that NeXT >has invested in that is superior to competition. It gives them a >difference that is valuable to users. Giving such away would be a >complex decision, I imagine, for NeXT. > A complex decision indeed. However, NeXT did offer NeXTstep in the OSF Request For Technology for GUIs. OSF ended up picking Motif and AIX. But then they changed their mind about AIX in favor of Mach. I think that they really are locked onto Motif in order to have Microsoft look-and-feel. I see three major clusters at this point. Sun and ATT are one cluster. They have the lead and the momentum. OSF is the second cluster. They are fairly disorganized and some might say that they don't have a clear purpose other than not-Sun (or should I say !Sun). The third cluster is forming around Microsoft. Microsoft feels that it is strong enough to cohese a group of venders around Windows running over OS/2 or SCO !Unix. Where does NeXT fit in to all of this? Thats a good question. And a complex one. NeXT could easily be content to be one of the side players like Amiga or Apple. Sure they can sell enough units to be a nice strong company and make lots of money. The question is whether NeXT as a company has the ambition to be a major force. If they decide that they want to compete with the consortiums, they have got to attract other vendors to their side. One of the major reasons that I was excited about NeXT when they first announced was the $10M licensing of NeXTstep by IBM. I was under the impression that NeXT was committed to opening their system up. Open systems is why the IBM-PC (and clones) sold so well. It sure wasn't that the technology was better than Apple's. And the same goes for Sun. Open systems meant that Sun defined the standards. A bold approach that has paid off handsomely. Its a gamble, but I think it is one which will be a big win for NeXT should they decide to release the specification for NeXTstep to FSF. NeXT would be able to _define_ the market. People would vote with their choice of platform and GUI. Every time someone bought another manufacturer's machine and ran NeXTstep, someone wouldn't be buying that same machine and running X-Windows. Once NeXT achieved critical penetration levels, corporate customers would start specifying NeXT since it was the standard. We NeXT users should be aware that if NeXT achieves this level of success, it would be smart for them to have higher prices. We would pay for the priviledge of having a "genuine" NeXT. I'm not sure it is in my own best interest for NeXT to pursue this course, but I do believe that it is in NeXT's best interest to find a way to "open" NeXTstep. The FSF or some independent organization like Mt.Xinu might be the best bet. Steve -- #====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====# # Steve Boker # "Two's bifurcation # # smb@data.com # but three's chaotic" # #====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#