phd_ivo@gsbacd.uchicago.edu (06/12/89)
**************************************************************** BACKUPS I just tried to do my first backup from my harddisk to the OD. After unsuccessfully playing with dump for a while (this is my first self-administrated machine), I decided to just copy all files using browser windows from the workspace. My copying included such funny files as those in /private and /dev. What bad could happen? Anyway, the computer froze (maybe it didn't like copying /dev/od0a or /dev/sd0a). Upon plug-out (power off didn't work), the computer didn't boot anymore from the SCSI. Well, eventually I found in the release notes how to reboot from an OD (the SCSI harddisk was set as the startup disk). Turns out that a lot of nasty things happened to the file system. To make a long story short, I highly recommend including a shell script or other utility that allows a novice to backup modified files (since date yymmdd below subdirectory /x/y/z) to an OD. Incidentally, the mounting of inserted disks is a bit erratic. Sometimes, I find myself unable to unmount (from the workspace) a disk, simply because upon insertion, it is nowhere attached to my directory structure. The way to get rid of it then (real ugly!) is to click on mount (which ejects the inserted OD and asks for another one). OTHER PROBLEMS Among other problems I found, I would like to mention the inability of a combination of ps4014 and the 2 postscript viewing programs to deal with some SAS/Graph and Speakeasy generated files. I also tried the phone number given for TeX problems in the documentation, but it was false. My problem here was a shortage in the default size of the TeX distribution's main memory from the 65K words (or so). Incidentally, does the gnu cc license allow me to write and sell commercial software developed with it? (Compiled programs will obviously include copy-lefted library routines.) SUGGESTIONS Please, please, please: include g++ and gcc sources. And, if you find some time, please give non-sound oriented users some use for the DSP. I bet a majority of NeXT users play music to show off their new machine to their friends, and then never bother again with music. A 9600-baud V.32 modem (another $1,000 argument for purchasing a NeXT!), a fast numerical library (eg. eispack or linpack), or optional employment of the DSP in the screen manager could be quite useful for a larger audience. /ivo
ali@polya.Stanford.EDU (Ali T. Ozer) (06/13/89)
In article <3775@tank.uchicago.edu> phd_ivo@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes: > ... I decided to just copy all files using >browser windows from the workspace. My copying included such funny >files as those in /private and /dev. What bad could happen? One bad thing that could happen is moving the files instead of copying them. If you miss the COMMAND key when you drag, the files will be moved. Any chance of something like that happening? >I also tried the phone number given for TeX problems in the >documentation, but it was false. The number mentioned in the release notes (the number for Radical Eye Software BBS) is a valid and active phone number. Is that the number you tried? >Incidentally, does the gnu cc license allow me to write and sell >commercial software developed with it? (Compiled programs will >obviously include copy-lefted library routines.) I think developers will be able to write and sell commercial software for the NeXT machine without having to give their sources away --- otherwise most developers would not be too crazy about developing software for the NeXT machine. The libraries that come on the machine are all developed by NeXT; thus your compiled application does not contain any GNU code. > ... please give non-sound oriented users some use for the DSP. 1.0 will come with an Array Processing library that provides functions to do some number crunching on the DSP. Ali Ozer, NeXT Developer Support aozer@NeXT.com
phd_ivo@gsbacd.uchicago.edu (06/13/89)
>One bad thing that could happen is moving the files >instead of copying them. If you miss the COMMAND key when you drag, the files >will be moved. Any chance of something like that happening? Possible. Hard to remember. I would still recommend some automization for the non-hacker Unix user... >The number mentioned in the release notes (the number for Radical Eye >Software BBS) is a valid and active phone number. Is that the number >you tried? Yes, it certainly is the number I tried. It said something about cellular telecommunications network assigned number about 3 to 4 weeks ago. It now works. I tried it repeatedly at the time, and on various days. I can't believe having misdialed it often, earlier. Today it works, though. >1.0 will come with an Array Processing library that provides functions >to do some number crunching on the DSP. Good news...That may also calm some of the complaints made in the earlier message that thet 68882 is slow at addition and multiplication. (Damn slow...) /ivo welch phd_ivo@gsbacd.uchicago.edu