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: Re: NeXt Performance/Price
Message-ID: <2653@tank.uchicago.edu>
Date: 8 Apr 89 16:39:38 GMT
Sender: news@tank.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Graduate School of Business
Lines: 49

writes

>         If you amortize the [backup] cost across many systems,
>	  the cost per workstation goes down considerably.

True for you, false for me. Fact is, not everyone runs in a network maintained
by a high-cost computer department.

>	* The NeXT machine does not provide a modem of any sort. Furthermore,
>	  many purchasers of Mac/Sun systems don't need or use a modem, so if
>	  it had one for cheap, it wouldn't enter into their purchasing decision.

Yes and no. NeXt has hardware in it that allows someone to write a soft modem.
For me, I need high-speed remote communications.

>	* I doubt that most users of the NeXT machine will ever use Mathematica
>	  except as a toy. If there were lots of people willing to pay the price
>	  you quote, I dare say Wolfram Research would be worth a bundle (and
>	  in fact the price would have come down).

Again, yes and no. I know lots of people seriously interested in Mathematica.
My background in economics tells me that Wolfram's price discrimination
practices makes perfect sense when it comes to maximizing revenue.

>	* Lots of users get by with a $600 display subsystem (university prices)
>	  on current Mac II's.

I know of LOTS o' people who would never go back to a small display after
having used a big one. Almost all workstations, for example, recommend them.

>...This is about the cost (university prices) of a MacIIcx.  I am
>sympathetic to the NeXT effort, and their box is certainly better in a
>number of respects.

Add in the price of A/UX, please. Then you get a box 1/2 the speed, a flaky
implementation of UNIX, no OD, no nice screen, no Ethernet (just
Apple-slow-talk) etc.

Yes, Mac-II has more software. But non-DTP publishing software is sparse. Try
running SAS, S, Fortran, Emacs, etc. Moreover, no alleviation is on the
horizon. The Mac is just TOO difficult to program. At least, I see normal
people being able to program NeXt.

In sum, you complain about the bundling of many features into NeXt, which
certainly does cost money, but also adds value. Sorry, that's personal
preference. I am just trying to argue here that NeXt does offer value for
money, even though it may be of lesser value to you.

ivo