melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) (05/11/91)
In article <PETRILLI.91May11113913@wookumz.gnu.ai.mit.edu> petrilli@wookumz.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Chris Petrilli) writes:
So... let's all do something. Everyone write a letter to NeXT (or
contact your CC or Rep for the area) and tell them how this would
benefit them as well as humanity.
I like the idea of free software, and I hope that I can contribute
something, but a world based on Stallman's ideas is not going to work.
Stallman is on the 50 year software development plan. We're all going
to be dead before all the basic software is done at the rate things
are going.
If NeXT wants NeXTStep to become a standard they need a lower priced
machine that more American can afford. The competition is making it
more difficult. 486 machines are becoming really cheap. The average
guy is going to buy 386 or 486 PC that run Windows because everyone
else is doing it.
Next year a $3000 NeXT($2000 for us deserving college students --
about a million or two of us?) and a multiprocessing 88K Cube will
will help convince those confused DOS owners(Windows or OS/2 2.0?)
that OS/2 2.0 wasn't really worth the wait after all.
Yeah, forget the fancy commmercials. NeXT can just show people what
IBM and MS having been working on for the past 5 years and then show
them what NeXT had this year. There's no comparison.
-Mikephilip@utstat.uucp (Philip McDunnough) (05/12/91)
In article <z53Hj7m1@cs.psu.edu> melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes:
[quotes and comments re NeXt vs. micros]
To those who think Unix is going to replace DOS,OS/2 ver2.0, Windows, Mac OS,
etc...as a general purpose computer, may I suggest you think about what you
are saying and come down to reality.
I am a very happy cube user, but I also feel that the software and maintenance
costs of a NeXT (and even moreso for Sun's, HP's,etc...) simply make it
very debatable even as a student purchase.
As far as corporate earth is concerned, PC's reign and will for a long time.
Why should most change? they are hardly using the capabilities of their
current micros at the moment.
NeXT would have to do more than come out with neat computers in order to make
a dent. NeXT is a niche player( nothing wrong with that), and if I had to
wager on it, will remain so for a long time.
What's best is not always what's optimal. For a computer with so much going
for it, why don't we have MusicProse, Director, etc...on it? I think the
answer is clear. I suspect we're in for the long term. In any case, while
it may be the most interesting computer out there, it's hard to identify
markets where other platforms don't make more sense.
Philip McDunnough
University of Toronto
[my opinions,...]waltrip@capd.jhuapl.edu (05/14/91)
In article <1991May11.233300.1944@utstat.uucp>, philip@utstat.uucp (Philip McDunnough) writes: > In article <z53Hj7m1@cs.psu.edu> melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes: > > [quotes and comments re NeXt vs. micros] > > To those who think Unix is going to replace DOS,OS/2 ver2.0, Windows, Mac OS, > etc...as a general purpose computer, may I suggest you think about what you > are saying and come down to reality. Easier said than done:^) > > I am a very happy cube user, but I also feel that the software and maintenance > costs of a NeXT (and even moreso for Sun's, HP's,etc...) simply make it > very debatable even as a student purchase. > > As far as corporate earth is concerned, PC's reign and will for a long time. > Why should most change? they are hardly using the capabilities of their > current micros at the moment. The current software capabilities are, of course, attuned to the PC hardware and OS capabilities which are, to state the obvious, limited-- especially when compared to a broad spectrum of UNIX workstations. A real voice recognition system capable of taking dictation priced at under $5K would take the business market by storm and represents an opportunity for a new platform(s) to take hold. So do pen-based systems. And, in fact, so do integrated business systems. Corporations still stand to benefit from central system management. Lack of central system management is the greatest impediment of all to the usability of desktop computers. Most PC users are their own system managers and aren't sophisticated enough to get everything out of their machine that is potentially available even now. UNIX and VAX/VMS (and, to a lesser degree, some network operating systems such as VINES) permit central system management which frees users to do their own work. > > NeXT would have to do more than come out with neat computers in order to make > a dent. NeXT is a niche player( nothing wrong with that), and if I had to > wager on it, will remain so for a long time. They could join the ACE consortium, adopt the ACE hardware and OS and then concentrate entirely on those unique applications that their corporate vision already contemplates. NeXT users would get the best of the rest of the world (via the ACE compatibility) plus the best of the NeXT world. > > What's best is not always what's optimal. For a computer with so much going > for it, why don't we have MusicProse, Director, etc...on it? I think the > answer is clear. I suspect we're in for the long term. In any case, while > it may be the most interesting computer out there, it's hard to identify > markets where other platforms don't make more sense. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I think that's true for now, but this is the time to be building a foundation for the future and I don't believe either DOS or Mac boxes look anywhere near as close to the future boxes as our black boxes do. > > Philip McDunnough > University of Toronto > [my opinions,...] c.f.waltrip Internet: <waltrip@capsrv.jhuapl.edu> Opinions expressed are my own.