Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!tank!eecae!cps3xx!usenet
From: usenet@cps3xx.UUCP (Usenet file owner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Where O Where IS 0.9?
Message-ID: <2863@cps3xx.UUCP>
Date: 5 May 89 17:10:53 GMT
References: <915@garcon.cso.uiuc.edu>
Reply-To: riordan@frith.UUCP (Mark Riordan)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Engineering, Michigan State University, E. Lansing
Lines: 44

NeXT local reps were here on campus yesterday for a routine talk/demo.  They 
had just (that very day) received 0.9 and said that it had started 
shipping on Wednesday, 3 May 1989.

Just yesterday I came across a copy of the document _0.9/1.0 Release
Description_, dated March 1989.  I will quote selectively from this
29-page document, which is lying open on my desk right now:

Release 0.9:  Summary of Planned Changes:

-  optical disks are automatically mounted and dismounted for you.
-  the first release of NetInfo, a utility for configuring networks,
   is included.
-  ability to copy files between optical disks.
-  blank optical disks are automatically initialized.
-  a generalized SCSI device driver makes it easier to support
   various SCSI devices.
-  Interface Builder is greatly changed in its appearance and uses
   a new file format.
-  custom objects can now be linked to Interface Builder for testing.
-  a terminal-based version of Franz Allegro CL common Lisp is included.
-  the Objective-C compiler compiler faster.
-  WriteNow and Digital Librarian have numerous changes and 
   enhancements.
-  a beta version of Mathematica has been included.
-  Terminal supports fuller VT100 emulation, and the Terminal 
   window can be resized.
-  the Printer application has a new user interface; it now supports
   printing across networks and printing on non-NeXT printers.
-  Motorola 56001 DSP assembler included.
-  support for user-developed DSP programs.

[end of quote.  I have excerpted those items I thought most interesting;
certainly there's a lot I have omitted]

At the demo, my colleagues and I noted (from our very limited 
experience with NeXT computers) that the Interface Builder did
seem to be much improved.  I was still disappointed with the speed
of the machine--as far as I could tell without actually being at
the keyboard.  We can only hope that this will improve with 1.0,
which apparently is going to be primarily a bug fix/performance
enhancement release.

Mark Riordan    riordanmr@clvax1.cl.msu.edu   Michigan State University