[comp.sys.next] NeXT <-> PC interconnect

kenb@amc.com (Ken Birdwell) (04/15/91)

-- 

kenb@amc.com (Ken Birdwell) (04/16/91)

Sorry about the first one, we have a really wimpy micro-vax as our gateway 
machine and it locked up after I tried to send the file, so I went home.

How do I get an interpersonal relationship between my IBM AT and my NeXT box 
going?   All I want to be able to do is to easily share files (printer's and 
other stuff is not that important).  I called NeXT and was told of a $1800 
and a $3000 solution, not quite what I had in mind.  I said I was looking 
for a $500 to $1000 solution and the guy from NeXT recomended I call IBM for 
help (I tried not to laugh).  So, has anyone out there connected up a IBM AT 
and a NeXT? 

OK, I admit, it's a fairly disgusting thought but I have no choice. I need 
to share several hundred megs of image files between the two, and I don't 
want to have to keep moving hundreds of floppies.  I'm planning on buying a 
1.2G fujitsu, and want to use it on both machines.  Also, I would like to 
use my tape drive on my AT so I can send out my images to be recorded on 
film (several local recording houses use a low cost micro-tape system on 
PC's to transfer computer animation images) 

<random NeXT and Windows flame to follow, hit 'n' now if you want to skip it>

PS: for whoever's keeping records, I ordered my 040 upgrade Jan 9th, and got 
it Mar 29th after about 5 phone calls to straighten everthing out.  They had 
put my order on hold for a month or two because I didn't order my 2.0 
upgrade at the same time. I had ordered it over a month before (Nov 29th) 
using my own name rather then my company name and they couldn't correlate 
the two.  Also, it took from Oct 1st to Dec 10th, to get a developers 
application from NeXT, then I wasn't appoved until Jan 4th (that's why I 
waited to order my 040 and NeXTdimension) though I made it to developers 
camp Feb 4th!.

PPS: I used to think MS Windows was just bad but after NeXTstep I realise 
it's a form of torture developed by the anti-christ (any thought that it's a 
Japanese and/or Soviet plot to destroy America's software productivity are 
greatly underexagerated).

PPPS: Industry standards are that Windows Apps require 8 times the number 
of programmers than a normal text based DOS app.  From my own experience, 
NeXTstep Apps require about 1/2 the time of normal DOS apps, and you get a 
great interface to boot!  Unfortunitly, there's over 1000x more DOS machines 
then NeXT machines (over 16mil IBM PC&AT's) so the extra people are worth it 
if you're into doing the same old sh*t over and over again and have lot's of 
$'s.  How do you think I paid for my NeXT cube? (I'm a DOS whore).  I think 
we'll start seeing great 1-2 programmer software again, it's just about dead 
in the PC world. 

PPPPS:  Bonus Question Time:  How any different versions of Windows has 
Micro$oft done before Windows 3.0  (No, the answer is not 3, totally 
scrapped versions that were never released count).  (double points if you 
know what Billy's favorate party game is (PS: did you know his paper value 
overflows a unsigned long?)).  

- Death to Windows, Death to DOS, Long live NeXT.


-- 

anderson@dogie.macc.wisc.edu (Jess Anderson) (04/16/91)

In article <1991Apr15.224329.19155@amc.com> kenb@polaris.amc.com () writes:

>How do I get an interpersonal relationship between my IBM AT and my NeXT box 
>going?   All I want to be able to do is to easily share files (printer's and 
>other stuff is not that important).  I called NeXT and was told of a $1800 
>and a $3000 solution, not quite what I had in mind.  I said I was looking 
>for a $500 to $1000 solution and the guy from NeXT recomended I call IBM for 
>help (I tried not to laugh).  So, has anyone out there connected up a IBM AT 
>and a NeXT? 

I have a (so far) $200 solution: a Western Digital Ethercard
Plus (16-bit, thin wire) and ten feet of thin wire.  Using NCSA
packet drivers and version 2.3beta15, I can telnet to the NeXT
from the AT and ftp in both directions.  So far, it's just a little
LAN consisting of the two machines.  Still to be tried is PC NFS
(or something) to share file systems.  Still to be tried is SLIP
to connect to the office (I'm real interested in TeleConnect in
that [ha ha] connection).  The ultimate goal is that my little
LAN will join the Internet, und zen za vorld! :-)

<> Don't worry about people stealing your ideas.  If your
<> ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's
<> throats. -- Howard Aiken
--
Jess Anderson <> Madison Academic Computing Center <> University of Wisconsin
Internet: anderson@macc.wisc.edu <-best, UUCP:{}!uwvax!macc.wisc.edu!anderson
NeXTmail w/attachments: anderson@yak.macc.wisc.edu  Bitnet: anderson@wiscmacc
Room 3130 <> 1210 West Dayton Street / Madison WI 53706 <> Phone 608/262-5888

kenb@amc.com (Ken Birdwell) (04/18/91)

Thanks for all the response; over 18 messages!

Solutions ranges from $643 to $6, including software.  The solution I'm 
going for is a Western Digital Ethernet card (WD8003) along with Sun's 
PC-NFS system, or maybe Beames and Whitesides, whichever takes up the least 
ram (total ~$600).  Both allow the PC to access the NeXT's harddisks as its 
own.  

Big thanks to everyone who responded.  100line and 300line edited versions of 
their messages are avail upon request

>From: uw-coco!yoda.eecs.wsu.edu!eric (Eric Schneider)
>From: uw-coco!cobalt.cco.caltech.edu!madler (Mark Adler)
>From: uw-coco!sdcc14.UCSD.EDU!ph600fbj (james dehnert)
>From: uw-coco!csn.org!datran2!smb (Steven M. Boker)
>From: uw-coco!PSUVM.PSU.EDU!DWN2 (Dave Norton)
>From: uw-coco!faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU!pts (Paul T. Shannon)
>From: "Adrian Goldman, WIM, Rutgers" <uw-coco!ocelot.RUTGERS.EDU!GOLDMAN>
>From: uw-coco!ee.tamu.edu!cantrell (Pierce Cantrell)
>From: uw-coco!wimsey.bc.ca!jchin (Joseph Chin)
>From: Will Raymond <uw-coco!cs.unc.edu!raymond>
>From: Michael D. Callaghan <uw-coco!wam.umd.edu!mikec>
>From: uw-coco!oddjob.uchicago.edu!oconnor!op (Mike O'Conner?)
>From: uunet!wang.com!ice (Fredrik Nyman)
>From: uunet!galileo.govt.shearson.com!nwc (Nick Christopher)
>From: uw-coco!gibbs.physics.purdue.edu!murphy (William J. Murphy)
>From: anderson@dogie.macc.wisc.edu (Jess Anderson)



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