Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!shadooby!samsung!think!mintaka!oliveb!stratus!cloud9!jjmhome!cpoint!alien
From: alien@cpoint.UUCP (Alien Wells)
Newsgroups: comp.object
Subject: Re: WOULD *YOU* BUY A NeXT COMPUTER? (Read even if you wouldn't)
Message-ID: <3262@cpoint.UUCP>
Date: 27 Dec 89 14:09:29 GMT
References: <317@ns-mx.uiowa.edu> <1TqpCt#6PkSJw=eric@snark.uu.net> <11199@muvms3.bitnet>
Reply-To: alien@cpoint.UUCP (Alien Wells)
Organization: Clearpoint Research Corp., Hopkinton Mass.
Lines: 45

In article <11199@muvms3.bitnet> edm002@muvms3.bitnet writes:
>...  I get the feeling that Jobs *knows* what we need, even if we don't, and 
>he's going to be ready when we finally realize the error of our ways and how 
>we should have bought those Lisa's years ago. ...

I think you are being a little over generous here, and perhaps there is a bit
of hero worship thrown in?  The Lisa failed for the same three reasons that the
Xerox Star (which it was a 'clone' of) failed:
	- It was too expensive and required too many resources
	- It didn't do single tasks as well as less expensive machines
	- It was slowwwwwwwww
The biggest thing that Apple did to make the Mac marketable was to get rid of
the multi-tasking operating system.  Of course, that is now one of the Macs
biggest weaknesses ... technology changes and you have to have the right box
for the technology of today, or at least the near future.

Xerox clearly did a lot of revolutionary things.  Jobs was clever enough to
realize what they had done.  He has spent a lot of his career trying to
commercialize it.  However, along with his clever side is a dark side which
is just as strong.  He was responsible for the 128K and the lack of slots 
which almost killed the Mac and gave it the nickname of Macintoy.  From all
accounts (especially from contacts at Next) he is incredibly arrogant and
almost impossible to work for unless you are a professional syncophant.

As to NeXT, they have done some very good things in the software.  Expect to
see these copied very quickly in other more 'mainstream' environments.  At
that point, NeXT is left with a quirky box with major problems.  For instance,
there are a number of systems being set up which will allow you to write in
C++ to the Mac, OS/2, Windows, OSF/Motif, and Open Look through a transparent
shell which converts your code to appropriate system calls.  Note the lack of
support for NeXT and its Objective C.

As the saying goes, you can tell the pioneers by the arrows in their backs.
In other words, NeXT was unique, but not unique enough.  The window isn't 
going to be large enough to establish it as an alternate standard (as the
Mac did) before its competitive advantage is gone (probably in late '90).
Once the advantages are gone, who will want to program for a non-standard
box with a limited market?

If only IBM had come out with the new RT sooner ... perhaps they would have
had a chance ...
-- 
--------|	Rest assured that a walk through the ocean of most souls
Alien   |   		would scarcely get your feet wet.	- Deteriorata
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