From: gh1w+@andrew.cmu.edu (Gregory A. Haverkamp)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Apple and NeXT move off of 680x0 base (was Re: 68050)
Date: 28 Sep 92 06:47:49 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.kellgJi00VopAegVNj
	<Sep27.223836.41789@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU>
Organization: Junior, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

While Nate was making his valiant attempt at starting another platform
war, he made several statements that seem to deserve a response.

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.mac.hardware: 27-Sep-92 Apple and NeXT
move off of .. The BLaCKSMiTHE@longs.LA (2897)

> First of all, NeXT is **NOT** moving off of the 680x0 base, except for 
> abandoning the obsolete 68030/68882 combination.


He goes on to talk of the various reported portings (which may be
accurate) of NextStep.  

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.mac.hardware: 27-Sep-92 Apple and NeXT
move off of .. The BLaCKSMiTHE@longs.LA (2897)

> NeXT is expected to be releasing a dual 88110 computer called the "brick"
> in 1993

So, next is not leaving the 680x0 family of processors, but they seem to
be focusing vast amounts of effort on changing their processor platform.
 Additionally, from my chats with some Next employees, Next has no plans
to build another machine based on a member of the 680x0 family.  My
question is, who cares?  Computers, and the processors in them, move on
over time.  When was the last major release of a 650x computer, or a
Z-80?

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.mac.hardware: 27-Sep-92 Apple and NeXT
move off of .. The BLaCKSMiTHE@longs.LA (2897)

What NeXT is doing is broadening it's base...  

And base broadening is a good thing to do if you're a company selling a
product that no one wants to buy.  Let's face it, NextStep is the only
thing people find even remotely appealing on the Next, and from my
experience, I can live quite nicely without it (and Unix for that
matter).

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.mac.hardware: 27-Sep-92 Apple and NeXT
move off of .. The BLaCKSMiTHE@longs.LA (2897)

> Apple has pretty-much abandoned "pink"

Well, I'm not sure where this comes from.  Taligent is certainly still
operating.  Apple's job is now to create hardware platforms in which to
install the PowerPC, which they continue to report progress on.

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.mac.hardware: 27-Sep-92 Apple and NeXT
move off of .. The BLaCKSMiTHE@longs.LA (2897)

> since system 7 is a patch on a patch on a patch on a
> patch.

While I'm certainly no fan of the behemoth System 7, it was written from
the ground up - hence it's slowness - in C.

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.mac.hardware: 27-Sep-92 Apple and NeXT
move off of .. The BLaCKSMiTHE@longs.LA (2897)

> the PowerPC thing is a joke.

Well, the verdict's still out on this one.  Bear in mind that the
PowerPC is coming from the same source that your beloved Next has built
it's computers on, and, by your own admission (the 88110) continues to
build its computers on.

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.mac.hardware: 27-Sep-92 Apple and NeXT
move off of .. The BLaCKSMiTHE@longs.LA (2897)

> the first chips won't be out 'till 1994,
> and I'd bet on 1995 AT LEAST before anything comes about as a result of
> it, besides

Well, I'm sure IBM, Apple, and Motorola would find fault in these statements.

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.mac.hardware: 27-Sep-92 Apple and NeXT
move off of .. The BLaCKSMiTHE@longs.LA (2897)

> Apple is targeting the really-low end of the market (which is fine) but
> they think they can replace UNIX with a version of MacOS.

Your lack of information on these topics slays me, seeing as how you
promote yourself as knowing all.  Replacement of Unix is not the plan. 
A Unix kernel that can handle MacOS would be a better (though not
entirely accurate) description.  In fact, the whole Pink concept strikes
me as the final move by the big two to finally accept defeat at the
hands of Open-ness and Unix.

Excerpts from netnews.comp.lang.forth: 

> Miscrosof wants to replace UNIX on lots-o-platforms with Windows NT.

Like your beloved Next, if you have something that people want, you make
sure that they can get it.  You don't seem to be able to accept the fact
that there are other machines in this world that have merits and that
also are not black and stamped with Next,

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.mac.hardware: 27-Sep-92 Apple and NeXT
move off of .. The BLaCKSMiTHE@longs.LA (2897)

> windows is a joke, and the idea of a REAL computer running Windows is
> something I have had many a chuckle
> over...

While I despise Windows immensely, calling a program that has become a
veritable institution with such an enormous following and some of the
best and most consistent sales of any program ever a joke may be a
little extreme.  In fact, wouldn't it seemingly be more appropriate to
call a computer company that has had an obnoxious founder dumping both
his and many other investors' millions into a company that managed to
sell only 300,000 units last year a joke.  Lets face it, one of the
primary reasons Next doesn't sell is because there's no hard evidence
that it will be around tomorrow.  And that reassurance is something that
computer purchasers (especially the volume buyers in industry) want.  If
next were to disappear tomorrow, the number of people left out in the
cold wouldn't come close to equalling the number of Apple II users who
feel alienated by Apple.  When Windows NT comes out, in all fairness, it
will more than likely be sold faster than it can be stocked.  Can you
honestly call that a joke?

	A real computer running windows?  Well, the now almost common 50 Mhz
486 will outpace your Next.  (and hey, I'm a Mac person; think how it
must hurt me to say that!)  Why don't you chuckle over that a few times.

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.mac.hardware: 27-Sep-92 Apple and NeXT
move off of .. The BLaCKSMiTHE@longs.LA (2897)

> recently, a Miscrosoft guy was facing off against Steve Jobs and the
> "Object oriented" OS from Microsoft
> crashed, and they had to reboot under DOS... good luck guys. 

Good luck?  I'm sure they had ample experience rebooting under DOS.  The
one you should be wishing luck to is Steve Jobs.

Bottom line, I'd take a Mac over a Next anyday.

Greg
[:--------------------------------------
[: Greg Haverkamp - gh1w@andrew.cmu.edu
[: Junior, Elec. Eng./Eng. and Public Policy
[: Student Senator, CIT
[: Chair of Rules Committee
[:--------------------------------------
[: "You better learn it fast, you better learn it young... 
[:  Someday never comes."  Creedence Clearwater Revival
[:--------------------------------------