Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncrcae!hubcap!gatech!bloom-beacon!think!fad From: fad@think.COM (Franklin A Davis) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Various questions... Summary: Try before you buy! We're talking BETA software. Message-ID: <37418@think.UUCP> Date: 13 Mar 89 15:14:51 GMT References: <2174@tank.uchicago.edu> Sender: news@think.UUCP Reply-To: fad@think.com (Franklin A Davis) Distribution: na Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation Lines: 61 In article <2174@tank.uchicago.edu> phd_ivo@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes: >I am just about to go out and buy myself a NeXt computer---withou having seen >one yet. !!!!!???! >Software: > (1) Can I write simple UNIX C programs (i.e. using stdio.h), and run them > from some sort of command line? Yes. They have both a shell window and a terminal emulator window. They're not as nice as X or even SunTools, but they'll do. From there, it's standard unix. > (2) Is there a good symbolic debugger on Mach? (I am currently > more familiar with VMS than the various UNIX brands.) Yes, they use GDB, which is the Gnu debugger. They also use Objective C, which is object-oriented C based on gcc, the Gnu c compiler. GDB has been enhanced to understand all of the Objective C syntax, and it's an excellent debugger. > ... > (5) Is there a good Fortran Compiler? -"- -"- No -- there's not a good ANYTHING on it yet -- it's a "baby" machine. Well, the C compiler is good, because it's based on Gnu, and GnuEmacs is pretty good (but you can't set the mark with Ctrl-SPACE, so even that software is brain-damaged for the time being). Also, it runs Sun3 binaries (if they don't do graphics) so that gives you some leverage. But there ain't much software -- yet. > (6) Is there a TeX/LaTeX version for it? -"- -"- > Does it work well with the NeXt printer? This might be running at some university already, but I haven't heard -- anyone?? >Hardware: > (1) How reliably is data stored on the OD? I realize that the head > shouldn't crash, but do sectors go bad (often) ? I believe it's very relieable. Time will tell. > (2) Is the OD usable for normal applications? How does its feel > compare, say, to a Macintosh 65ms harddisk? It's a *lot* slower, for intensive disk access. Steve Jobs says that as a vanilla user he doesn't mind it, and I believe him. But for a programmer, the hard disk is a requirement. > (3) Has anyone made a 9600baud modem out of the DSP? Can it be > used to communicate with a USR Courier HST? Wow, what do you want in a couple of months?? Do you have any idea how hard this is??!? Sure, someone will do it... but don't hold your breath! >Any information would be appreciated. I second an earlier comment -- don't buy before you try. I like the machine, but at version 0.8 I would NOT want to rely on it as my workhorse machine (I'm sitting at my Sun). --Franklin franklin a davis Thinking Machines Corp. Cambridge, MA 02142 617-876-1111 {topaz, harvard, uunet}!think!fad If you plant ice, you're gonna harvest wind