Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!dino!hascall
From: hascall@cs.iastate.edu (John Hascall)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Next computer (was Re: CISC Silent Spring)
Summary: All the world's an engineer?
Message-ID: <521@dino.cs.iastate.edu>
Date: 6 Feb 90 17:18:38 GMT
References: <8859@portia.Stanford.EDU>
Sender: usenet@dino.cs.iastate.edu
Organization: Iowa State Univ. Computation Center
Lines: 24

In article <8859@portia.Stanford.EDU> underdog@portia.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe) writes:
 
}NEXT can only be saved if Steve Jobs replaces the 680X0
}with RISC processor like the Sparc chip.  In all compute
}intensive applications, the Sparcstation I beats the NEXT
}timewise.  Worse, NEXT costs MORE than a Sparstation I.
 
     Actually, there are probably already more RISC/UNIX/whatever
     workstation vendors than the market can support, so I don't
     see the profit in leaving their niche to join the crowd.

}Too, the extra gadetry (like the DSP chip) on the NEXT is
}unlikely to be used by engineers doing compute-intensive 
}applications...

     Time for a reality reminder.

     Not everyone in the world is an engineer, not everyone needs or
     wants an engineering workstation.  In fact, while workstations
     may be the glamour boys, there really aren't that many of them
     compared to the many "less exciting" uses of [micro]processors.


John Hascall