Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR.NET!gacvx2.gac.edu!gacvx2.gac.edu!scott From: scott@mcs-server.gac.edu (Scott Hess) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: New HP machines Bad News for NeXT?? Message-ID: Date: 21 May 91 16:13:34 GMT Article-I.D.: mcs-serv.SCOTT.91May21111334 References: <1991May20.143857.1071@hulaw1.harvard.edu> Organization: Gustavus Adolphus College Lines: 45 Nntp-Posting-Host: mcs-server.gac.edu In-reply-to: cnh5730@maraba.tamu.edu's message of 20 May 91 19:53:57 GMTLines: 45 In article cnh5730@maraba.tamu.edu (Charles Herrick) writes: In article <1991May20.143857.1071@hulaw1.harvard.edu> roth2@hulaw1.harvard.edu writes: I just read in the wallstreet journal that HP will officially anounce it's "proffesional workstation" today, one based on the same '040 the NeXT uses. Interestingly, it will cost about the same as a station (and less than a cube) (around $5000 I think it said) and HP has *already sold* 10,000 of these babies!! Does anyone have any idea what they'll be running on that hardware? If it's anything decent, this would appear to be BAD NEWS for NeXT (no?). If I remember correctly, the HP/Apollo 700 Series (58 MIPS) sells for $10K and up. The machine is an incredible powerhouse, and as such, raises a bar in the industry. In response, I think that HP is to be congratulated for their contribution to distributed computing. I seem to remember that the system runs HP's Unix (don't have my Unix Today with the article in front of me (;-}). Presumably, he's referring to an _'040_ HP machine. I would suspect that it's an extension of the Apollo line (considering that HP bought them, and all, and their machine were 680x0-based), and would thus expect the OS to be Domain-based - Domain's Not Unix (to paraphrase :-). Then again, I think that HP _did_ have some 680x0 machines of their own, but I don't think they were quite so popular as the Apollo machines. But, regardless of what the machine's based on, it's not the 700 series. To get back to the original poster - I don't think they're a whole lot of threat. Sun is a threat to NeXT simply because Sun's already got a large market share, and lots of brand loyalty. HP was for a time, after the aquisition of Apollo, the largest workstation manufacturer - but their product line was a bit less unified than Sun's, which leaves them in a worse position than Sun WRT customer loyalty and all. Then again, these machines would probably be running New Wave, which, while not NextStep, is also not _X_, and has some nice extensions for multiprocessing and the like. Maybe NeXT should be worried (maybe NeXT should be working with them on this? :-). Later, -- scott hess scott@gac.edu Independent NeXT Developer GAC Undergrad