Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!tank!phd_ivo@gsbacd.uchicago.edu
From: phd_ivo@gsbacd.uchicago.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: NeXt Performance/Price
Message-ID: <2648@tank.uchicago.edu>
Date: 7 Apr 89 19:48:12 GMT
Sender: news@tank.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Graduate School of Business
Lines: 36

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Let's be fair here. The NeXt has a real problem when it comes to computing
power, but it still is a bargain. If you add up the cost of an optical disk and
or tape drive for mass backup (>$3,000), the cost of a 9600baud model (>$600),
the cost of Mathematica for a comparable system ($1,500), the cost of a display
system (>$1,200), and the cost of a UNIX license (>$400), you will realize (1)
that the MIPS, and a lot of other goodies of NeXt is almost free, and (2) that
any comparable 88K system costs twice as much. In addition, NeXt's other
peripherals are cheap.

Still, I find three things unfortunate:

	- NeXt is EXTREMELY unccoperative with having small developers
	  obtain machines to develop for them. If you aren't a big
	  shot and still have a good idea, better get an 88K

	- NeXt doesn't speak. They don't tell anybody whether they
	  intend to provide any upgrade paths for people buying the
	  machine now, or whether they will be stuck eternally with
	  machines working at about 1/4 the horsepower of the current
	  RISC Technology.

	  WILL THERE BE UPGRADE PATHS??

	- FLP performance is miserable, and prevents competition with
	  even an 80386/7 system. Some relief is on the horizon: Weitek
	  offers an flp chip for use in a 68030. I haven't found out
	  details yet, though. Maybe NeXt should bundle this chip instead
	  of the 68882?

In any case, you can always buy NeXt for its few bundled programs, and use
it as a server to your computing workstation... :-)

/Ivo Welch	phd_ivo@gsbacd.uchicago.edu