From: rob@hobbes.cuc.ab.CA (Rob Parkhill)
Subject: Re: Mac & NeXT camp
Organization: The Ohio State University Department of Computer and Information Science
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 04:05:37 GMT

mmunson@animal.es.com (Mark Munson) writes:

>In article: <1992Dec14.195557.25818@athena.mit.edu> Eric M Hermanson writes: 

>
>ML> I'm a powerbook user. I use the thing so much, I thought about getting a 

>ML> desktop computer now that I am nearly out of school. I called NeXT and got
>ML> their literature on the NeXTstation Turbo and NeXTstep. I was really
>ML> excited about it. I researched it, talking to proponents (in come cases,
>ML> fanatics) and detractors. Then I decided to buy a Quadra. Why?
>ML>
>ML> Well, when I asked the simple question of why I should buy a NeXT machine, the
>ML> NeXT people responded that it can do A, B, and C. Great, but I went home and
>ML> realized my powerbook (180, 12mb RAM, 80mb drive, System 7.1) could A,B, and
>ML> C also.
>ML>
>ML> So I went back to the NeXT camp and they said "Oh, we didn't know that little 

>ML> toy could do that, but have you seen how NeXT can do D,E,and F."
>ML>
>ML> But, the Mac camp showed me how those, too, could be done on my "toy".
>ML>
>ML> So I went back to the NeXT camp and they said "Oh, really? I don't believe
>ML> the Mac can do that. But the NeXT just does things better. It's a REAL
>ML> computer."
>
>EH> Boy, how easily you forget our discussion, M.Firoze.  You never did show me
>EH> how seemlessly a Mac plugs into a Novell Network.  You never did show me
>EH> how quickly a 68030 Mac Powerbook Multitasks 12 applicatoins running at the
>EH> same time.  You never did show me these "apple events" talking to each other
>EH> in every application that you own (which they can't do because software
>EH> is not written to take advantage of apple events).  You never did show me
>EH> how simple it is to obtain data from a SYBASE database and incorporate it
>EH> into one of your applications.  You never did show me the CD-quality sound
>EH> (44kzH) coming out the the Powerbook speakers.  You never did show me drag
>EH> and drop capability as far as changing text color, or sending folders in a
>EH> multimedia mail message.  You never did show me the built in Webster dictionary
>EH> on your hard drive.  You never did show me Mathematica bundled on your system
>EH> when you buy it.  You never did show me full MIDI and ISDN capability.  You
>EH> never did show me a lot of things that NeXT can do, and Mac can't.  I DID,
>EH> however, show you those things on the NeXT, and I was about to show you
>EH> the multitude of new software available for NeXT until you decided to 

>EH> end the learning experience and go out and buy an overpriced Quadra. (ugh).
>
>The NeXT is a wonderfull machine with lots of good features.  But did you
>tell ML the whole story?
>
>* Did you show him the portable NeXT?
In a couple of months

>* Did you show him the DuoDock NeXT? 

Hmmm.. not too sure.. but probably in a couple of months (DuoDock is just a Powerbook
that plugs into a base station with a big monitor and other connections easily,right?
If not, correct me)

>* Did you show him the color-capable NeXT priced under $1500?
What Mac is colour capable for under $1500? (Please tell me!!) The only
Mac I know of for under $1500 is the Classic II (lists for about $1250 

up here in Canada, I think)

>* Did you show him 44 KHz sound coming out of the portable NeXT?
In a couple of months. Is there 44KHz STEREO sound coming out of
a portable Mac (if so.. COOL!)

>* How about the huge library of NeXT applications?
Seems to be plenty of good apps out there. Just no CAD program yet (But with 3-D kit, 

shouldn't be too long now)

>* How about the large variety of plug-in NeXT hardware? 

Well.. if it fits on the SCSI port of a Mac.. odds are pretty darn good
that it fits on the SCSI port of a NeXT

>
>* Also, since ML has both a portable Mac and a Macintosh desktop machine, he 

>  can use AppleTalk Remote Access to easily gain access to his network and
>  run applications on his desktop machine remotely.  Did you show him how
>  a NeXT would let him work this way?
>
>* Somehow, I don't consider it a mojor shortcoming to not have Mathematica
>  in a separate box when you purchase it (assuming you really need it).
>
>* I think the Macintosh model of "select and operate" is just as usable and
>  viable as the "drag and drop" approach.
>
>* I felt that hooking up a Mac to a Novell network was very easy.  The
>  EtherNet board and the Software extensions all installed easily and
>  without difficulty.  Configuring the PC was somewhat difficult though. :)
                                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Heh, I could go on for days on that one.. that was my job last summer :-)

>
>* Macs are well known for their good music software.  Hooking up a MIDI 

>  adapter is very simple and hardly worth mentioning.  Did you show ML
>  NeXT music software that is as good as the Macintosh titles?
>
>* Built in ISDN sounds real nice.  Where do you get to use this "feature"?
How about using that DSP and the ISDN adapter to emulate a modem in software?
Or hooking it up, whipping together a program to give you voice-mail?
Or how about a combination of the 2, and throw in fax capabilities...

But.. it's M.Firoze's money, and he can do what he wants with it... if a Quadra
suits his needs, he'll be happy (although paying too much). But for me, a Quadra
just wouldn't cut it. Nor would a PC of any type (well... until a REAL OS is released
for the 486 in a couple of months :-)

			Rob
---
Rob Parkhill
rob@hobbes.cuc.ab.ca
(NeXTmail preferred!)



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