Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!beach.cis.ufl.edu!rlp
From: rlp@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Bob Powell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Apple class machine of the 90's
Summary: blow Mac and Next away
Keywords: multiprocessor ||
Message-ID: <21562@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>
Date: 23 Dec 89 08:06:11 GMT
References: <47808ed2.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM>
Sender: news@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU
Reply-To: rlp@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Bob Powell)
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Organization: Bad Bob's Byte Basilica
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In article <47808ed2.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM> ross@apollo.HP.COM (Mike Ross) writes:

>The original subject line was " What I'd like to see on an Apple of the 90's".
>Now the answer to *THAT* question is interesting. I'd like
>to hear what other people would like to see on a machine
>at the price of a MAC or NEXT in the 90s.

Hmmm, well, it *is* Christmas time, so why not a wish list.  What
I'd like to see in a Mac or Next-class machine of the 90s:

* This is based on the idea of a $10,000 machine (approx. the cost
of a Next + printer, or Mac II*, in a reasonable configuration [i.e.,
one that won't run out of memory with four processes]).

* Base machine would have at least two processors, running in parallel.
Shouldn't be that expensive; the Jan. issue of Discover has an article
on computing in 1989.  In the article it states that Thinking Machines
of Cambridge, MA released in 1989 a system known as the CM-2a, with
4,000 processors.  The price on this baby is about half a million bucks.
If my calculations are correct, that works out to $125 per processor.
Throw in some extra for basic support hardware and design cost recovery,
and you've still got very inexpensive parallel processing.  No flames
for my oversimplification, please; || processors aren't that expensive
(though the software to run 'em is), so why bother with squeezing more
MIPS out of CISC/RISC single-processor machines.

* If we're going to stick with single-processor systems, or even if
we go to || processors, let's go with a 64-bit system.

* The machine should have a minimum of 128M RAM.  If it has > 2
processors, each should bring an additional 64M.

* Minimum storage, in the main system chassis, of 4G, with access time
of around 15 mS.  For the college kiddies and techno-nuts, a removable
optical disk, CD-sized (and with no cartridge around it) and capacity
(600M [vs. 256M for the current Next cartridge]).  Also, a cheap (couple
of bucks per disk) system for flinging a data file across the office
or to take home.  In other words, a 3.5" 1.4M disk, much like that used
in the (surprise!) Mac.  I don't think anyone's going to release a
laptop, or even a AC-powered portable, with an optical disk system
(they're not particularly small nor light), and I wouldn't want the
hassle of plugging my laptop into the Ethernet just to load the
latest revision to the Jones contract.

* High-resolution display, 300 dpi, on a flat 21" screen.  If the
system is configured for color (user's option, and the thing would
work in either mono, grayscale, or color, with the hardware handling
color-to-grayscale mapping), lower resolution would be tolerable.

* Keyboard with a looong cord, for lap use.

Well, that covers most of the hardware.  I don't want to think about
the software yet; it's too early in the morning, and it's snowing outside
(yes, it's Florida, and it's snowing).

Bob