From: jfr@RedBrick.COM (Jon Rosen)
Subject: Re:  100 Mips Intel NeXT (moved from comp.sys.next.misc)
Organization: Red Brick Systems, Los Gatos, CA
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 17:30:11 GMT

In article <1992Dec14.180303.20755@adobe.com> byer@adobe.com (Scott Byer) writes:
>Matthew Dillon writes
>
>>     First, to get it running on relatively generic 486 boxes, and
>>     none of this crap about it working only on specific non-mainstream
>>     hardware or only with video standards that nobody heard of 8
>>     months ago, etc...
>
>The previous video standards of the PC are unuseable for several
>reasons, all due to massive original design flaws.  Register-based
>interfaces cannot support the raw video bandwidth required by a
>GUI.  Color tables provide a severe problem for doing reasonably
>quick alpha-channel computations, not to mention that color tables
>are a severe problem for doing just about anything reasonable in
>a multitasking GUI environment.
 
  Huh?  Has anybody told Microsoft about this?  Last time I checked,
  Windows ran quite nicely thank you on a 386 box, let alone a 486
  box.   Sure it runs BETTER with wider bandwidth, but to say it is
  UNUSABLE is quite an indictment that I don't believe at all.

  Color tables are CLEARLY a problem in a multi-tasking GUI (ala
  X/Motif for instance, 8-bit color tables SUCK rocks), but my
  proposal has been to support continuous 6-bit color (+2 bits
  alpha) which gives 64 colors without color tables (if the hardware
  has color tables, the Display Postscript Server would simply FIX
  the color tables itself with the correct 64 colors).  This is
  certainly NOT useful for doing high-rez photorealistic rendering,
  but the NeXT's current principal mission is Mission Critical Custom
  Applications, most of which are business related, and most of which
  have relatively little need for photorealistic rendering.  What
  they DO need is SOME color to improve ease of use for people who
  are constantly entering data.  What is the matter folks, hasn't
  ANYONE kept up on the human factors issues that have been researched
  over the last 10 years?  Color is GOOD.  64 colors is perfectly 
  satisfactory for building a data entry screen (hell, we did it
  quite nicely with 16 on the original CGA character standard on the
  PC).  
>
>Even Microsoft is pushing for LocalBus framebuffer based video.
>It's about time the PC video hardware made it into the 90's...

  True, but this doesn't deal with the MILLIONS of installed 486s
  that will NOT have localBus video.  NeXT has got to start addressing
  MARKETSHARE, the only thing that will finally drive their business
  to a resounding success.  Purism has no place in these matters.
>
>>     Second, to cut a deal with (predominantly hardware) companies
>>     to port NeXTStep to other state of the art platforms and to
>>     OEM those platforms.  You can't hope to develop your own hardware
>>     faster then others have, so don't even try!
>
>Developing hardware is more than just throwing chips on a board.
>I/O bandwidth, memory bandwidth, DMA channels, good bus archtectures
>- all relatively ignored by the PC makers (ISA? EISA? For serious
>work?!?).  And what about a good multi-chip design?

  I would LOVE to see NeXT build a 586-based workstation that kicked
  the clone's (and IBM's) collective butt all over the market.  With
  a relatively inexpensive workstation and the best software in the
  business, people would have to notice.  BUT THAT DOESN'T OBVIATE
  THE NEED TO ALSO PROVIDE A MARKET TO THE REST OF THE WORLD THAT 
  HAS ALREADY PURCHASED (albeit inferior) CLONES.
>
>>     Why spend major kilobucks on color NeXTStation hardware when
>>     I can spend a quarter of the money on a 486 box with equivalent
>>     capabilities?
>
>You couldn't get anywhere near the ColorStation's capabilities for
>1/4 the price.  Or even half.  You'd be hard pressed to match it
>dollar for dollar, though it could be done if you love fiddling
>with the gazillion primitive dip switches that are always present
>on PC hardware to remind you how out of date their architectures
>are.  NeXT has fallen behind the power curve, we all know that,
>but PCs still don't in general have the capabilities to be
>workstations without massive hardware retrofitting, or shelling
>out the bucks in the first place.

  Well, again, I respectfully disagree.  A 486 PC with NO changes
  in its hardware still has far more capability that a circa 1989
  workstation.  It may not be up to CURRENT workstation standards
  but that is all relative.

>All of the 486-based OSs coming out really want new hardware -
>Solaris, NT, NeXTSTEP.  They all love memory bandwidth, video
>bandwidth, and disk bandwidth.  PCs with those things built in are
>right on par with the low end workstations for price.  NeXT has
>some hardware catching up to do, but they aren't that far behind.
>Certainly not enough behind to justify shutting that part of the
>company down.

  Here we agree on that last statement.  I hope NeXT builds the
  next really great (insanely great) workstation for a cheap
  price.  

  Jon