Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!n8emr!cmhgate!p18.f20.n226.z1.FIDONET.ORG!Adam.Frix From: Adam.Frix@p18.f20.n226.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Adam Frix) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc Subject: MacIIci vs. NeXT station? Message-ID: <296193.285E13B9@cmhgate.FIDONET.ORG> Date: 16 Jun 91 01:44:00 GMT Sender: ufgate@cmhgate.FIDONET.ORG (newsout1.26) Organization: FidoNet node 1:226/20.18 - cmhGate UF Gateway, Columbus OH Lines: 51 In message <1208@chem.ucsd.EDU> darin@chem.ucsd.edu (Darin R. Kent) writes: DRK> I am in a sort of dillema. I do not know if this is the appropriate DRK> group to post this, but I am wearing my flame proof suit. I need DRK> to upgrade from my old Mac Plus. I want a much more powerful DRK> machine. I look at a MacIIci, and the 68030, 5Mb, no hard drive DRK> machine costs $3555. And that is without any monitor or keyboard DRK> Then, I look at a NeXT work station that has the 68040, 8Mb RAM, DRK> 105Mb hard drive, a whole mess of bundled software, the ability DRK> to run IBM software using the program SoftPC, and I am told, DRK> soon the ability to run Mac software as well. This machine runs DRK> $3524, including a 17" MegaPixel monitor an accessory kit. What DRK> is wrong with this picture? I am interested in hearing why I DRK> should by the MacIIci or why I should not buy the NeXT station. No flames here, just some observations: 1) That 105MB hard drive on the NeXT is going to be mighty full of system software stuff, about 80 megs of it. That'll leave you 20-25 megs of disk space for yourself. I think rather than looking at raw disk space, you need to determine (percentage of free disk space)/dollar for each setup. A Mac, any Mac, with a 105MB hard drive running, say, System 7, only needs to take up maybe 5 megs of disk space for the base system, leaving you 100 megs free for yourself. (Yeah, I know, my System 6 folder is 12,2 81K--but that's loaded with junk _I_ decided to put there, stuff that doesn't absolutely need to be there and can therefore be trashed if necessary. I guess some of the NeXT stuff can be trashed as well, but I don't know how much. I suspect not bunches, since NeXT doesn't ship any development tools on any disk less than 330MB.) 2) Not only can the NeXT run IBM software via SoftPC, so can the Mac. So, both the NeXT and the Mac can run any Mac or PC software you may need (at least, as soon as the software Mac emulator for the NeXT comes out). The NeXT has the advantage of being able to run NeXT software as well. I don't know how important that is in general right now, or how important it is to your needs right now. Other than that, I grok your observations. The MegaPixel display is ultracool. I guess it boils down to, compare the machines in their environments. The IIci is a higher-end machine in its environment; within the scope of Mac software, it can do some pretty powerful juju. The base NeXTStation is just that, base. Now, I'm not implying that you shouldn't compare the two; on an absolute scale, they're fairly equal performers. But does the NeXTStation have the power to run with the big NeXT boys, or is it the Classic/LC of the NeXT world? (I don't know, I'm just providing some quest ions to ask.) Also, watch that software emulation of other platforms. Do yourself a big favor, and try out SoftPC on both platforms to see how well it works (this comparison works better if you've got an actual PC to compare them to). My suspicion is that you'll be disappointed in its performance. Then extrapolate that to a Mac emulator in software. My suspicion here is that the Mac emulator for the NeXT will be even slower than the PC emulator, because it's doing that much more work. Good luck, --Adam-- **************************************************************** * "...it was a lot easier to train a pilot to pick up * * a rock, than train a scientist to land on the moon." * * --Mark Berent, in _Steel Tiger_ * **************************************************************** * CIS: 70721,504 * * America OnLine: AdamFrix * * Internet: Adam.Frix@p18.f20.n226.z1.FIDONET.ORG * **************************************************************** -- Adam Frix via cmhGate - Net 226 fido<=>uucp gateway Col, OH UUCP: ...!osu-cis!n8emr!cmhgate!20.18!Adam.Frix INET: Adam.Frix@p18.f20.n226.z1.FIDONET.ORG