HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: mhovan@rdr.com (Mike Hovan)
Subject: Re: DSP chips are dinosaurs (!RTF)
Reply-To: mhovan@rdr.com
Organization: RDR, Inc.
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 02:41:15 GMT


Bruce Perens writes:
> Well, they may still have some purpose for real-time sound
> mani 
 
pulation, but it is _so_ hard to justify a DSP when the
> main processor can process signals faster! That's why the NeXT
> is the last 
 
 of the modern workstations to incorporate them.

	Hmm, I disagree.  For certain purposes it can be real nice to have access to a processor that can handle "real-time" processing.  No matter how fast CPU's get they still use Operating Systems which interupt tasks whenever they want.  Sometimes you *HAVE* to know that a loop is going to take 250us.

	Now, if CPU's get so cheap that they can throw a couple into a box and the silicon designers provide ways to invalidate pipelines and anything else that can screw up timing.  Maybe we will see the DSPosaurs fall into the tar pits.

> 					Bruce


	Mike 


ve access to a processor that can handle "real-time" processing.  No matter how fast CPU's get they still use Operating Systems which interupt tasks whenever they want.  Sometimes you *HAVE* to know that a loop is going to take 250us.

	Now, if CPU's get so cheap that they can throw a couple into a box and the silicon designers provide ways to invalidate pipelines and anythin
-- 
KCAH                              |                            HACK
N       "Who is John Galt?"       |         Mike Hovan            N
A                      -Ayn Rand  |     RDR, Inc. Fairfax, VA     A 
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: zenon@resonex.com (Zenon Fortuna)
Subject: 9-track tape drive for NeXT
Organization: Resonex Inc., Sunnyvale CA
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 20:29:08 GMT

Some time ago I have posted a question how would it be possible to use
a 9-track tape drive in a NeXT system. There were a few short answers, but
no specific suggestion which (low cost) drive to use.
On another hand there are a few tape-drive producers, advertising in PC
journals, with prices set lower than for products in the workstations/
mainframes world.

Being in need I have asked the Overland Data, Inc. for a unit to evaluate.
I have received the TL5612/SCSI drive for almost a week, and have run
different extensive tests on this drive.

In general this device works as good (with the same limitations) as the most
of the DAT systems, and is "almost" the "plug+play".

I have prepared a detaily description how I have run the tests. This is
about 4 pages of the text, so I will send it only by e-mail to those
interested.

		-Z.

PS. In a few days I will obtain a unit for evaluation from the Laguna Data
Systems. I expect it to work as well, but the price and performance are
different.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: louie@sayshell.umd.edu (Louis A. Mamakos)
Subject: Re: DSP chips are NOT dinosaurs
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 15:45:55 GMT

In article <1aehh5INNa0r@stephen.cs.ubc.ca> sritchie@cs.ubc.ca (Stuart Ritchie) writes:

>What is the future of serial ports?  Most general purpose processors
>can't keep up with the high interrupt rate.  Will a serial port
>replacement eventually evolve... perhaps something like a serial
>port version of SCSI?  What is the bandwidth of Apple Desktop Bus?

Serial ports don't have to interrupt on every character.  If there
were a moderately intelligent serial controller, plus DMA support for
the I/O transfers, then things could be quite zippy, thank you.

Doing transfers on the SCSI bus, while cheaper than fielding thousands
of interrupts per second, are not free either.  Consider that with the
current products, you'll likely make a context switch into user code
for the process that actually drives the SCSI device.  A well designed
serial interface, with proper kernel support, ought to be able to do
better.

The real shame is that the NeXT 68030 boards in the original cubes had
hardware support for DMA channels for the serial interfaces, though
the software apparently didn't us it.  Those DMA channels were dropped
in the 68040 products..

louie
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: andrew@cubetech.com
Subject: Re: Nitro
Organization: Cube Technologies, Inc.
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 08:22:14 GMT

In article <1anj1tINNkjg@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> rhino@r2d2.eeap.cwru.edu (Rhino Project) writes:
>ADB compatibility is good because it allows NeXT users to use alot
>of Macintosh products which are generally cheaper. If NeXT stuck 
>with their non-standard keyboard architecture it would have been
>awhile before we see graphics tablets and all the other great
>input devices that have appeared on the macintosh.
>CW

Not really...  I think all of the good tablets are serial.  Also, the
NeXT hardware doesn't really support everything about ADB.  Most
keyboards and mice are game (just keep your NeXT keyboard on the chain
so you can control the brightness, sound, and power...), but things
like modems are way out.


andrew
-- 
andrew@cubetech.com     | "We shall not cease from exploration
Andrew Loewenstern      |  And the end of our exploring
Cube Technologies, Inc. |  Will be to arrive where we started
                        |  And know the place for the first time." -T.S. Eliot
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: jmd@cube.handheld.com (Jim De Arras)
Subject: Re: > 9600 bps
Organization: Hand Held Products, Inc.
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1992 23:21:38 GMT

In article <dillon.0o6l@overload.Berkeley.CA.US> dillon@overload.Berkeley.CA.US  
(Matthew Dillon) writes:
> In article <1992Sep23.064108.7652@unixg.ubc.ca> besler@geop.ubc.ca (Steve  
Besler) writes:
> >
> >
> >	I seem to remember from somewhere that NeXT serial ports can
> >not exceed 9600 bps.  Is this true?
> >
> >	Just wondering...
> >
> >	Steve Besler
> 
>     Apparently 030 based NeXT's have problems *receiving* at greater then
>     9600 bps.  This is due to the fact that parts of the kernel are
>     disabling interrupts for too long a period of time to perform critical
>     functions.
> 
>     NeXTStation 030's did not have hardware handshaking (RTS/CTS).
> 
>     NeXTStation 040's do and it isn't a problem anymore.  Note that I have
>     not tested this yet on my 040 NeXT but will in the next week or so when
>     I get SLIP up and running.
> 
> 					    -Matt
> 
> --
> 
>     Matthew Dillon		dillon@Overload.Berkeley.CA.US
>     1005 Apollo Way		uunet.uu.net!overload!dillon
>     Incline Village, NV. 89451	ham: KC6LVW (no mail drop)
>     USA 			Sandel-Avery Engineering (702)831-8000

Of course, Yrrid's TTYDSP can blaze at 128kbs on a lowly '030, or even an '040!
And with 3.0 handling a lot of the sound work in the 680x0 processor when the  
DSP is busy, there's little, if any, penalty!
My '030 uucp/print server handles 56kbps without a hitch!  Since the '030 is a  
'little' slow, it had trouble playing the various printer messages without the  
DSP available, but I used sndconvert to change them to 16 bit 22050Khz streams,  
which takes less effort to play, and the '030 speaks clearly again!

Jim

--
Jim De Arras            | The opinions expressed herein are
Hand Held Products, Inc.| not necessarily those of Hand 
804.784.3090 voice      | Held Products, Inc., and may not 
804.784.3147 FAX        | even be mine. Use at your own risk
From: todd@liveware.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Floppy drive cache size
Keywords: Cache Floppy Controller
Date: 29 Sep 92 21:55:56 GMT
Reply-To: todd@liveware.com
Organization: Liveware Corporation   Fort Collins, CO.  USA.

Hello Out There...

Could someone please let me know what the exact size
of the Drive Controller RAM cache ;')

Todd Nathan
Liveware Corporation
<todd@liveware.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: omv@athena.mit.edu (Daniel K Hartman)
Subject: Re:  Magnetic field affecting hard drive?
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 12:07:17 GMT

In article <dillon.0of9@overload.Berkeley.CA.US> dillon@overload.Berkeley.CA.US (Matthew Dillon) writes:
>>In article <1992Sep26.163328.833@proforma.com> jgg@proforma.com (J. G. Gregory) writes:
>>>In article <1992Sep26.015600.12679@redbaron.uucp>
>>
>>Disk drives have motors in them.  Motors have magnetic fields around them.
>>Disks work.
>>
>>Don't worry.
>>--J Gregory
>
>    Disk drives have incredible magnets in them, it can take 10+ pounds of
>    force to pry them apart.  (The head positioning mechanism).
>
>					-Matt
>

Yeah, but if the motor is designed correctly, you won't have any magnetic
field leakage (well, very little).  I would try to explain the physics, but
I think I'd be laughed off the net.

Anyways, for a demo, find someone who's really into RC Electric cars, and
ask to look at one of the really good motors (like an Astro-Flite cobalt).
Almost zero magnetic leakage, but wow, are the magnetics strong!

No, I'm not affiliated with Astro-Flite in any way, other than owning two
of their motors 8-).

-dan hartman
From: sritchie@cs.ubc.ca (Stuart Ritchie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Re: Nitro
Date: 6 Oct 1992 18:49:21 -0700
Organization: Computer Science, University of B.C., Vancouver, B.C., Canada
NNTP-Posting-Host: stephen.cs.ubc.ca

andrew@cubetech.com (Andrew Loewenstern) writes:
>If you have a Turbo, try turning on the "swaptimizer" (see the swaptab
>man page).  The swaptimizer compresses pages before they go out to
>disk to reduce disk IO.

Does anyone know the compression algorithm used here?

Stuart
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: deepthought!redbaron!aaronh@ms.uky.edu (Aaron David Herskowitz)
Subject: Magnetic field affecting hard drive?
Keywords: modem hard drive speaker magnetic
Reply-To: deepthought!redbaron!aaronh@ms.uky.edu
Organization: Case Western Reserve University NeXT Users Group, Cleveland, Ohio
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1992 01:56:00 GMT

I just bought a US Robotics modem and would like to put it on top of or  
near my external hard drive to free up some desk real estate. I know that  
all speakers have magnets in them and was wondering if it is dangerous to  
get a modem with a speaker too close to a hard disk.

I would appreciate any comments or experiences with something like this.

Thanks,
Aaron

--
Aaron  Herskowitz   deepthought!redbaron!aaronh@ms.uky.edu    [NeXTmail]
  Case Western Reserve University NeXT Users Group, Cleveland, Ohio
-- 
Aaron  Herskowitz      deepthought!aaronh@ms.uky.edu      [NeXTmail]
From: pyrros@braindamaged.cis.udel.edu (Christos T. Pyrros)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: How about a PixelBurst socket on new NeXTs?
Date: 27 Sep 92 07:34:08 GMT
Organization: University of Delaware, Newark


Wouldn't it be great if new high-end NeXTs had a socket for Adobe's 
PixelBurst chip?

NeXT/Adobe could sell the chip with a 4,800 dpi RIP license or some such.


It would make NeXT not only the sweetest PostScript machine, which it is
now, but the fastest, too!

Chris
From: izumi@pinoko.berkeley.edu (Izumi Ohzawa)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Two kinds of keyboard? and Who makes the new Trinitron 17" monitor?
Date: 28 Sep 1992 22:34:25 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Distribution: world
Reply-To: izumi@pinoko.berkeley.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: moica.berkeley.edu
Keywords: keyboard, color display


NeXT apparently now has two kinds of Starting Point Kits (keyboard/mouse)
3.0A [N8504-4996] and 3.0 [N8504-5216].  What's the difference?

NeXT also now has a 17" Color display which is Trinitron.  Is this a
SONY monitor or if not, who manufatures it for NeXT?
Is it any better than the old Phillips 17" display?


--
Izumi Ohzawa             [ $BBg_78^=;(J ]
USMail: University of California, 360 Minor Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
Telephone: (510) 642-6440     Fax:  (510) 642-6341
Internet: izumi@pinoko.berkeley.edu (NeXT Mail OK)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: jscoggin@netcom.com (Jerry Scoggins)
Subject: Re: Winter 1992 NeXTWORLD??
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 18:09:15 GMT

simsong@next.cambridge.ma.us sayz:
>In article <1992Oct2.083053.25066@netcom.com> jscoggin@netcom.com (Jerry  
>Scoggins) writes:
>> Yes and no.  I picked one up for free at Seybold, but my mail subscription
>> hasn't arrived yet.  Sorry to say, but the cover is rather ugly.  :-(
>> However, I love the rest of it. :-)
>
>What's ugly about the cover?
>-- 
>
>................................................................simson

Well, it is just my opinion, but the cover is a man holding open a newspaper
page of articles about NeXT.  However, most of the page is out of focus.
The page appears bleached out.  Just no flash.  Nothing of real interest,
nothing catching my eye.  How about some color?  NeXTWORLD picks the cover 
subject based upon the primary subject of that months issue.  This month 
is about publishing, so I can see why they picked a newspaper page.  It 
just lacks color or something.  Well, just my opinion.  It really doesn't 
count.  :-)

++jerry(); // jscoggin@netcom.netcom.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: m@crito.stanford.edu (M Carling)
Subject: Re: 40MHz NeXTs?
Reply-To: mcarling@NetForce.com (M Carling)
Organization: DSO, Stanford University
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 92 18:17:44 GMT

In article <1992Oct2.234927.14466@muddcs.claremont.edu>  
wfp@jupiter.claremont.edu (W. Frank Price III) writes:
> Could you be a little more precise?  I don't want to make an entire  
purchasing  
> decision based on one guy on the net saying it aint so.  I can wait a  
month to  
> buy my next NeXT, so if they are bringing a 40 MHZ one out I'd like to  
know.   
> And can I quote you? ;)

Motorola has announced that the 40MHz 040 will ship in Q4. That means  
December at the earliest. NeXT is absolutely not going to ship 40MHz  
NeXTstations two or three months before they get the CPUs. And yes, you  
can quote me on that. This is not to say that NeXT will ever produce a  
40MHz 040 product, but if they do, it won't be before December at the  
earliest.

M Carling
Director, Bay Area NeXT Group
General Manager, NetForce Inc.
--
"High tech is potent, precise, and in the end, unbeatable. The truth is,  
it reminds a lot of people of the way I pitch horseshoes. Would you  
believe some of the people? Would you believe our dog? Look, I want to  
give the high-five signal to high tech."
                          George Bush, 4/25/89
From: rick@mft.neusc.bcm.tmc.edu (Rick Gray)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Will Sony GDM-1601 work w/ new color systems?
Date: 6 Oct 1992 18:54:47 GMT
Organization: Division of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine,
 Houston, TX
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: mft.neusc.bcm.tmc.edu

We're putting together an order for a color turbo slab, and had
intended to use an existing Sony GDM-1601 as the monitor.  We are
using one of those on a NextDimension and it works well.  Is it
compatible with the newest color systems?  The Sony specs say 63.34
KHz (fh); 59.98 Hz (fv) and video bandwidth 60 Hz-100MHz, but I
believe the values are at least slightly tweakable.

Thanks for any info,
rick

-- 
Rick Gray, Division of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine,
Houston, Tx 77030 | Phone:(713)798-3346|Internet: rick@mft.neusc.bcm.tmc.edu
NeXTMail accepted                   
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: fluet@ee.ualberta.ca (Kevin Blaine Fluet)
Subject: HP Deskjet 500C drivers for NeXT?
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 22:25:08 GMT

Hi,

Can anyone tell me if there are drivers out there somewhere that will
allow me to print colour images on the HP Deskjet 500C printer,
specifically from a Mono (Standard) NeXTSTATION?

Thanks in advance.

----------------------
Kevin Fluet
fluet@ee.ualberta.ca
----------------------
From: billabs@nic.cerf.net (Bill Romanowski)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Re: DSP chips are NOT dinosaurs
Summary: Indigo DSP I/O spigots
Keywords: Indigo DSP
Date: 1 Oct 92 13:30:17 GMT
Organization: CERFnet

>But the difference is that there is no
>DSP port on Indigo, which substantially limits its usufullness.

Granted the Indigo does not have the serial port-ish plug for the DSP but
it does have the far-more-fun stereo input plugs so you can record audio at
8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 32, 44.1 or 48K without an add-on box. 

It also has an aes/ebu digital input and output spigot. I hooked a portable 
Kenwood CD player to it with a simple mini stereo plug and direct digital 
recording to disk "just worked". It also has a mike mini plug like the NeXT plus
seperate headphone and line level outs. 5 DSP audio ports in all.

SGI takes a more specific approach with it's DSP. It's used only as an audio
resource for the system. No DSP coding support is provided (that I could find)
for math or serial port hacking. But the audio is clean, fast and useable up to
DAT rates.

bill romanowski
vp of audio i/o
prairie research

Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: Garance A Drosehn <gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu>
Subject: Re: Two kinds of keyboard? and Who makes the new Trinitron 17" monitor?
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 04:41:05 GMT

izumi@pinoko.berkeley.edu (Izumi Ohzawa) writes:
> NeXT apparently now has two kinds of Starting Point Kits
> (keyboard/mouse) 3.0A [N8504-4996] and 3.0 [N8504-5216].  
> What's the difference?
> 
> NeXT also now has a 17" Color display which is Trinitron.  Is this a
> SONY monitor or if not, who manufactures it for NeXT?
> Is it any better than the old Phillips 17" display?

First, there's the new monitor.  It's 17" and from Sony.  List price is  
$300 more than the old 17" monitor, and NeXT claims it's much better.   
They now call the old 17" monitor the "Fimi" monitor.  The new monitor can  
only be used on NeXTstation Color Turbo and NeXTcube Turbo systems.

If you get the new monitor, you must get the new Starting Point kit.
If you get the old 17" monitor, you must use the old Starting Point kit
If you get the 21" Hitachi monitor, you can take either kit.
If you get the new starting point kit with any monitor, you must get the  
new Sound Box (there's two "Sound Box" options now).  If you get the old  
SPK, you must get the old Sound Box.

The big deal about the new starting point kit is that it has the new ADB  
keyboard, and a new ADB mouse.  The new mouse is supposed to be 30%  
lighter, and have a better ergonomic design.  The new keyboard is the one  
with the new keyboard layout.

New monitor, features/benefits:
    - higher contrast
    - flatter display
    - better focus and convergence
    - 72Hz refresh rate for rock solid image
      (vs. 68Hz refresh rate on "Fimi" monitor)
    - fully compliant with NPR-2 regulations for ELF and VLF emissions
    - universal power supply

All this is from NeXT writeups, I haven't seen one yet.

That probably doesn't cover *all* the details, but that's most of it.

--
Garance Alistair Drosehn     =     gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu
ITS Systems Programmer            (handles NeXT-type mail)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute;           Troy NY    USA
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: thf@zelator.in-berlin.de (Thomas Funke)
Subject: Re: V.32bis modem on NeXT serial port slow...
Reply-To: thf@zelator.in-berlin.de (Thomas Funke)
Organization: NNU Corp. - NeXT is Not UN*X
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1992 10:14:35 GMT

In article <1992Sep29.154555.20768@cs.rose-hulman.edu>  
bohlkejh@nextwork.rose-hulman.edu writes:
> 
> I was looking at average bps on a rz session and it was > 50kbps.
> 

Hasn't April 1 passed already ???



-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas Funke  ** E-mail: thf@zelator.in-berlin.de
NeXT-Developer * Unix-Consultant
------------------------------------------------------------------
From: coco@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (felix.lugo)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Re: V.32bis modem on NeXT serial port slow...
Date: 29 Sep 92 01:56:08 GMT
Organization: AT&T

In article <1992Sep29.004641.12797@cs.rose-hulman.edu> bohlkejh@nextwork.rose-hulman.edu writes:
>
>I did not change my /etc/ttys file and I am getting > 50kbps with my ZyXel  
>modem which runs at 38.4kbps to the serial port.
>
>
>Jon
>

	Gee, you achieved 50Kbps even though your port was set at 38.4Kbps!
8^O

I've had a ZyXEL U1496 (the LCD model) and the throughput display has always
topped at around 35-38Kbps.  Check your numbers, what you're saying is not
possible!!!.  8^)

--Felix
From: ns111310@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu (The BLaCKSMiTHE)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Winter 1992 NeXTWORLD??
Date: 2 Oct 92 03:33:57 GMT
Organization: Colorado State U. Engineering College

I would like to know if the witer 1992 NeXTWORLD is out,
you see, finding NeXTWORLD here is like finding three dollar
bills -- not that easy!

+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|   Nate Sammons                                                   |
|   PLEASE EMAIL at <ns111310@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu>           |
|                                                                  |
|  "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work.           |     
      
|   I want to achieve immortality through not dying." -Woody Allen |
|                                                                  |
|  "We are the children of concrete and steele....                 |
|   ..everything is possible, but nothing is real." -Living Colour |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: modman@liveware.com
Subject: Re: How to use apple cd-rom drive?
Keywords: CD Rom Apple Drive disk rw scsi whatelse do you want
Reply-To: modman@liveware.com
Organization: Liveware Corporation   Fort Collins, CO.  USA.
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 20:27:04 GMT

In article <1992Sep26.001235.4726@dartvax.dartmouth.edu>  
fermat@fermat.dartmouth.edu (Michael Glenn) writes:
> 
> I've been told by several people that it is possible to use an apple  
> cd-rom drive to read the 3.0 disk.  I've tried, and get nowhere.  From  
> within the "disk" utility, I get the following:
> 
> disk name: SONY CD-ROM CDU-8002
> WARNING: device sector size (2048)incompatable with DEV_BSIZE 1024
> disk type: removable_rw_scsi
> 
> Well, it isn't a rw device, so it already goofed up.  Do I need a disktab  
> entry to handle the drive?  And if so, what should it be?
> 
> Whenever I insert the cd, it says "External disk is unreadable, ignore or  
> initialize?"
> 
> I *hate* it when people say "it just works".  For me, it never does. :(
> 
> fermat@fermat.dartmouth.edu (NeXTmail welcome)

I got this from my Apple SC CD-ROM drive

stout# disk -s /dev/rsd1a
NOTE: This device's block size (2048) is too big to coerce to DEV_BSIZE (1024).
You won't be able to use it with software versions earlier than Release 3.0.
disk name: SONY CD-ROM CDU-8002
disk type: removable_rw_scsi
stats: invalid request for type removable_rw_scsi

So indeed it is a rw scsi device (NOT)...  I wouldn't mind knowing
what the deal is...  Seems like your drive and mine are similiar.  Is
yours a 541-22 (or something like that) mechanism...?  I hate to say
this, but mines works and works well...
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: hybowie@sunvis2.vislab.olemiss.edu (Randy Bowie)
Subject: building a next
Organization: Mississippi Center for Supercomputing Research
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 18:59:08 GMT

i think you'll find that legally, you will have to purchase a license to NeXTStep.
also, you might find that most monitors ain't as high-res as the megapixel, and you may want to splurge for one.

the documents you require are available from NeXT, and cost about $70 before the educational discount.  (BackPlane, etc)

over all, if you want to get a decent NeXT up and running, unless it's more for a project than anything else,  go ahead and get a used NeXT.  use the mboard as a secondary processing board in your cube.  or, just do the '030 as a hobby project.  unless ya wanna spend a good bit of time/work/cash...

just my 2 cents.
(and yes, i've built one before)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware