From: fischer@iesd.auc.dk (Lars Peter Fischer)
Subject: Re: specifically comparing NeXT with Mac...
Organization: Mathematics and Computer Science, Aalborg University
	<ewright.720893515@convex.convex.com>
Date: 6 Nov 92 04:08:56


>>>>> "Lars" == Lars Peter Fischer (fischer@iesd.auc.dk)
>>>>> "Edward" == Edward V. Wright (ewright@convex.com)

Lars> Sure, and? Some of us do not do these things -- or do them in black
Lars> and white (i.e., publishing). 

Edward> Especially those who own NeXTs.  

No. Especially those who have decided that colour does not provide a
productivity boost for the kinds of things they do and that the extra
money is better spent of other things, or not spent at all.

Lars> A lot of people do not use colour for
Lars> anything but fiddling with their Windows background colour. 

Edward> Yeah, I'm sure.  Then there are those of us who own Macs.

I own a Mac. It's has a B&W screen. I like it that way.

Edward> Expensive?  Nonsense.  You can score a 24-bit graphics board, with
Edward> acceleration, for under $400 -- retail.

And the Sony trinitron? I use computers extensively most every day of
my life, I care about my health. I *refuse* to use some low-price
monitor, I refuse to stare at grainy flickery images, and I refuse to
use small screens. Cheap monitors simply do not cut it -- they are
much too tiring for the eyes. Never minds the graphics card, it's
that's important.

Edward> A monochrome monitor is useful for perhaps 20% of the things that
Edward> a computer can do today.

Do you have any statistics or substantial studies to back this
assertion? I use computers for quite a number of things, and I really
do not feel the need for colour. I can see that there are things I do
not do that need colour, but I really can't see them as 80% of all
computer use.

How much of all computer use is accounted for by word processing and
basic spreadsheets?

Edward> That makes the monochrome NeXTstation 1/5 of a computer -- a
Edward> (much) faster version of the Mac Classic with a large screen.

Nonsense. Disregarding the matter of the figure, if a monochrome
machine (be it a Mac or a NeXT) servers my needs and can do the things
I need from a computer, it's a full computer for me. The fact that
there are other things that other people need that it can't do is
totally irrelevant to me.

Your logic is on par with "a Ferrari can do only 5% of the things
you'd use a car for, so it's really only 5% a car".

Edward> Yeah, they have NeXTdimension.  "Color for the rest of us" --
Edward> where the rest of us is defined as people like Steve Jobs and
Edward> Ross Perot. 

How about the Color NeXTstation? Just like the monochrome one, only it
has a colour screen. You even get to choose from a low-price monitor
that will kill your eyes in a few weeks time and a wonderful 21-inch
trinitron.

Edward> If you can afford to spend $60 million to buy a Presidential
Edward> election for a buddy from Arkansas, you can afford a
Edward> NeXTdimension.  If you can't, you can't. :-)

Well, we don't get Clingon attacks over here, so I really don't care.

/Lars
--
Lars Fischer, fischer@iesd.auc.dk | It takes an uncommon mind to think of
CS Dept., Aalborg Univ., DENMARK. | these things.  -- Calvin