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From: 128a-3aj@e260-3b.berkeley.edu (Jonathan Dubman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: NeXT secrets
Message-ID: <15478@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 14 Oct 88 16:40:52 GMT
Sender: usenet@agate.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: 128a-3aj@e260-3b.berkeley.edu (Jonathan Dubman)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 78

There's no comp.sys.next yet, so this goes here.

NeXT has gotten so good at keeping secrets that they have managed to keep some
even after the announcement of the machine!  (Can't wait for Byte and
NextWorld...)

1.  What's the real story on the optical drive?  Is it read-only, write-only,
    or both :-?  As has been stated in previous postings, it just isn't clear
    from the press release.  And why the winchesters available if this is
    so great?  Are they a lot faster?  Will floppies be available?  I realize
    they are not "the future" so Steve Jobs may have something against them,
    but for the time being, I think it would be handy, no?  There is the
    software distribution problem, and since the machine depends on lots of
    "courseware" being developed by faculty, students, etc., how is it to be
    distributed?

2.  The monitor.  How many bitplanes?  How fast do the windows move?  Is there
    a graphics coprocessor with hardware line drawing and area fill and so
    forth?  That is one way to blow away Apple- speed of video.  They'd better
    have at least one graphics coprocessor for a million-pixel display with
    many gray scales on which animation is an important task.  Also:  Must you
    use their monitor?  What provisions are there for smaller/larger/multiple
    monitors?

3.  What's the REAL story with the IBM deal?  Is IBM trying to leapfrog Apple
    in the user-interface wars?  (Is this user-interface endorsed by the
    PARC visionaries?)  I guess it's just a mutually beneficial deal, as they
    do not really compete...  I'm tempted to read more into it.  What's more
    important to NeXT, the ten million dollars or the endorsement?

The remaining questions relate to future plans.

4.  Color.  The San Jose Mercury News had an article entitled "Maybe next
    year."  I realize it was impractical right now, but it is obviously the
    way of the future.  By the way, does PostScript/Display PostScript
    have any hooks for color?

5.  Parallel processing.  The version of UNIX they are using, I understand,
    is distinguished by its applicability to parallel processing.  Does Jobs
    have this in mind?

6.  Mac software.  Let's be realistic; I don't care how great the user-
    interface is, the Mac user-interface is darned good and there's tons of
    software for it.  I think of turning my nose down at the PC-compatibility
    question when the Mac came out, complaining "Who would want to run PC
    software?", which I still believe, but the Mac is a different story.
    The software is good.  I am sure the machine COULD run Mac software.
    If an Atari ST can run Mac software (I actually saw it!) then this can.
    I can only see it benefitting from the capability.  The question is, what
    does Apple think on that issue?  Do they feel threatened by the machine?

7.  IBM and Apple have been very successful with the idea of a product family.
    The idea is that one size does not fit all.  I wouldn't expect many
    products before I see one completed, but what's the long term picture
    here?  I guess this is supposed to be the minimum configuration, and
    future products will come along when they may...

And, finally, the big question:

8.  Who do they REALLY intend to sell this machine to?  Come on- Steve Jobs
    does not set his sights low.  And to be honest, the higher education market
    just doesn't strike me as that big with the current bureaucracy.  I just
    can't see students shelling out eight grand for a computer, especially with
    today's college prices.  An article quoted Jobs as saying "The world
    doesn't need another $100 million computer company." (I think those were
    the exact words)  How are we to interpret this?

-> What's the catch? <- 
After being used to Apple's prices, the $6500 for the machine, monitor,
optical drive, keyboard, etc., sounds like a BARGAIN, especially with the
inflated RAM prices.  (I realize this is not street price, but a sort of
"consortium" price.  Even so...)  And how can he possibly sell a 400 DPI
laser printer for $2000?  I hope there's no law against dumping laser printers
below cost...

I guess the catch is, you can't buy one.

	-Jonathan Dubman