rsilvers@hawk.ulowell.edu (Robert Silvers) (10/14/88)
In article <3019@haven.umd.edu> louie@trantor.umd.edu (Louis A. Mamakos) writes: >I'm really surprised at all of the concern over not having a floppy disk or >something to load software from. Have you all forgotten the ethernet >interface? Remember the environment that this thing is targeted for. Why >would you want to load software off of a floppy disk when you could do it >over the ethernet. > >The DEC VaxStations 2000 that I have on my desk has a 70MB disk on it, and >no load media other than the ethernet. I don't miss having a floppy drive >because I do all of the software installation over the ethernet from a >server with large, friendly disks and tape drives. > You are assuming that everyone has a setup like you. The Vaxstation 2000 I am writing this on also is NFSed to a dozen other computers. What happens if I send away to the mail order place for SubLogic Jet for the NeXT. Are they going to mail me a $50.00 optical plater? I would like either a tape cartridge or a 1.44 Meg. 3.5" floppy. It is aimed at the educational market, but that does not mean I dont want one in my home. No other computers in my home are going to have NFS and ethernet. What it I want to take a file from my NeXT at home and put it on the NeXT at school. I live in a dorm room without phone lines. I would find a floppy drive very useful. He could have put one in for 1 or $200.00 dollars. --Rob. Robert Silvers. Box #1003 University of Lowell. Lowell Ma, 01854 (617) 452-8823 Rm. 322 "Live free or live in Massachusetts."
louie@trantor.umd.edu (Louis A. Mamakos) (10/15/88)
In article <3019@haven.umd.edu> I write: >>I don't miss having a floppy drive because I do all of the software >>installation over the ethernet from a server with large, friendly disks >>and tape drives. In article <10369@s.ms.uky.edu> sean@ms.uky.edu (Sean Casey) writes: >Duh...because people want to take one home, and they don't have large friendly >disks and tape drives and file servers lying about??? This thought was not lost on me. But you have to consider what market this configuration of the product is targeted for. It is specifically aimed the the University environment, and in that situtation you certainly do have ethernets and servers with large disks. I makes sense to use shared global resources to support the machine. I'm sure that when a version is available for us common folk to take home, a different configuration of the product is in order. How much stronger can the marketplace be defined when you only sell to one group of potential customers? Louis A. Mamakos WA3YMH Internet: louie@TRANTOR.UMD.EDU University of Maryland, Computer Science Center - Systems Programming
ns@cat.cmu.edu (Nicholas Spies) (10/15/88)
In article <6899@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> kramer@bionette.UUCP (Jack Kramer - CMBL) writes: >back an forth. Maybe I am just not up to date enough with an ethernet >lan connection to my living room.... Perhaps now's the time to force cable TV companies, through their franchise contracts, to use part of their huge bandwidth to facilitate data transmission. ...perhaps you DO have an ethernet connection in your living room! :-) -- Nicholas Spies ns@cat.cmu.edu.arpa Center for Design of Educational Computing Carnegie Mellon University
ls1i+@andrew.cmu.edu (Leonard John Schultz) (10/16/88)
>In article <6899@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> kramer@bionette.UUCP (Jack Kramer - CMBL) writes: >>back an forth. Maybe I am just not up to date enough with an ethernet >>lan connection to my living room.... >Perhaps now's the time to force cable TV companies, through their franchise >contracts, to use part of their huge bandwidth to facilitate data transmission. >...perhaps you DO have an ethernet connection in your living room! :-) Great idea! How do we go about doing it?