Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cwjcc!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!orstcs!jacobs.CS.ORST.EDU!jasmerb
From: jasmerb@jacobs.CS.ORST.EDU (Bryce Jasmer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: NeXT or a used SUN?
Message-ID: <8710@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU>
Date: 8 Feb 89 04:29:14 GMT
References: <549@loligo.cc.fsu.edu>
Sender: usenet@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU
Reply-To: jasmerb@jacobs.CS.ORST.EDU.UUCP (Bryce Jasmer)
Distribution: na
Organization: Oregon State University - CS - Corvallis Oregon
Lines: 37

In article <549@loligo.cc.fsu.edu> perrone@loligo.UUCP (Perrone Ford) writes:
>
> Hello,
>	I am battling making a decision between buying a used SUN workstation
>and buying a NExT.  The major factor that could sway my decision is
>in the optical disk system on the NExT.  I understand that the disk can come
>in as variety of sizes ( capacities )

The optical disks on the NeXT machine only give you one choice. A Cannon
256 megabyte optical disk.

>but what I want to know is how much does it cost to swap in new disks.
>If I buy the 300M for example and fill it up...how much will it cost me
>to stick in another 300M? 

The optical disk cartridges cost approximately $50.

>Also, is the OD similar to a cd...or does it come encased in some type
>of plastic shell?

It is *similar* to a audio compact disc but in no way the same. The
optical disc comes encased in a hard plastic shell (very heavy duty)
and is about 25% larger than a CD case.

>P.S.  Can I boot of the Optical, and can I back it up with a 1/4" tape?

If you get it up on the network, backing it up is pretty trivial. I did
a baseline of my optical (which happens to be the boot disk) onto an
exabyte with no problems. 

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Bryce Jasmer             |
c/o Support Staff        | Internet email: jasmerb@cs.orst.edu
Computer Science Dept.   |
Oregon State University  | NeXT voice mail: jasmerb@hobbes.cs.orst.edu
Corvallis, OR  97331     |    (I finally received my machine!!  :-)
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