HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jefferis@manas.engr.widener.edu (Raymond P Jefferis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.advocacy
Subject: DSP-NeXTstep Thesis
Date: 30 Dec 1992 19:02:05 GMT
Organization: A poorly-installed InterNetNews site
NNTP-Posting-Host: engr.widener.edu

Due to very heavy, I could even say surprising, demand, I am extending the  
time window for those who are interested to "ftp" Abhi Dodamani's thesis  
until Friday, January 8, 1993, after which time it will be removed from  
our ftp area in,
	manas.engr.widener.edu
in order to conserve badly needed space.

Many thanks to all for their interest,
Raymond
jefferis@manas.engr.widener.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.advocacy
From: wilcoxt@cuug.ab.ca (Terrance Wilcox 229-3361)
Subject: Re: End of NeXT
Organization: Calgary UNIX User's Group
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1992 17:22:42 GMT

In article <1992Dec27.145119.7923@wam.umd.edu> rsrodger@wam.umd.edu (Yamanari) writes:
>
>        Can you buy the beta of NS486--right now?
>
No. You can get it free from NeXT (if you are a developer, ask them. They
might send you a copy).

>	<Incidentally, people who buy the beta get the release version
>	for free>
>
They better. Leave it to MS to make money off of beta testers.


>        NS486 has been demoed.  It cannot be purchased in stores.
>	It cannot be ordered.  It cannot be reliably judged.

You mean Chrysler didn't actually order NS486? McGaw (sp?) cellular
didn't order it? They shouldn't have announced ordering it if they can't.


>        Until such time as it has even limited availability and
>        can be judged by something other than NeXTs press releases
>        (which have repeatedly shown themselves to be a little
>        less than truthful) it is v a p o r.
>

NS486 does have limited availability. Many people use it and are judging
it right now. Can you point out any non-truths in NeXT's press releases?
I think it's your anti-NeXT bias speaking here.

>>Dave Cutler (the guy in charge of NT) has said that NT isn't a microkernal.
>>The guys that worked on Mach at CMU aren't working on NT. I assume those guys
>>already know NT isn't a microkernal.
>
>        That's interesting.  Care to cite a source?
>
Why? You have yet to cite a source :). Anyway, read comp.os.mach. The
thread Mach vs. NT has attracted MS guys. Read what they have to say.
There's also a book by Helen Custer (I don't know the title).


>>Instead of making misguided, inflammatory comments, why don't you read
>>the newsgroups involved. There's a lovely thread in comp.os.mach about
>>Mach VS. NT. It'll explain all about NT not being a microkernal.
>
>
>        Already do.  .mach ought to just be an advocacy group for
>        all of the reality that you see there.
>

I see. It doesn't agree with your reality, so it's fantasy. Well, I can't
argue with your reality if it doesn't coincide with everybody else's.
So let's face facts. If I cite a source, you'll say that source is incorrect.
If I correct your facts, you will contradict me with your own facts, based
on your own reality.

There's really no point in continuing your attack on NeXT. If you can't
provide factual arguments, all you have is opinion. 

Terry Wilcox


Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.advocacy
From: chuck@nighthawk.jhuapl.edu (Chuck Waltrip)
Subject: Re: the REAL problem is...
Organization: JHU/Applied Physics Laboratory
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 17:48:28 GMT

In article <BzLJvs.Jn2@news.cso.uiuc.edu> jeffo@uiuc.edu (J.B.  
Nicholson-Owens) writes:
	[...material deleted...]
> NeXTSTEP 486 users will soon discover that, just like UNIX, the NeXT is  
> a developer's machine; built by developers for developers.  Users have  
> no place here because there isn't that much to do if you don't know  
> UNIX and can't build your own applications.
> 
	I agree.  

	It appears that NS486 users will also have a reasonable 	 
	environment for running Windows apps as well.  And I suspect that,
	in large organizations, central system administration will be
	easier than for MS-DOS PCs.

	But these things are true for NT as well; and NS486 won't even
	cause a ripple in the NT tide.

	Based on what we have seen so far, it appears that NS486 will
	appeal to two groups of users:  companies with NeXTSTEP mission
	critical apps who also want access to Windows apps; and places
	that want access to some killer app(s) only available on NeXTSTEP
	but need access to PC (and perhaps Macintosh via Executer) apps as
	well.

	Now while this ain't much of a market in MicroSoft terms, it may
	be enough to let NeXT grow into a sort of fragile viability.

	But NeXT's only real asset is its (diminishing) head start in the
	OOP arena.  It needs to give its developers a real market and then
	let NeXTSTEP apps take over that market until users are thoroughly
	weaned from their old PCs and Macs.

	The market is available:  port NeXTSTEP to NT and NeXTSTEP apps
	can run alongside Windows.  No worries about selling potential
	users on an unknown OS.  Let them keep their NT until they don't
	need it anymore.  Then the BBBs (beautiful black boxes) can move
	in and the '86s can become historical relics along with IBM.

	But there's not much time folks.  Lots of other folks with big
	money have been working furiously on developing object-oriented
	environments.  NeXTSTEP is there for them to learn from and 	 
	improve upon.  We need NeXTSTEP on NT as soon as NT is introduced.
	Otherwise, Redwood City might as well be the Palo Alto Research
	Center.  (But it will have been fun while it lasted 8^}

c.f.waltrip
Opinions expressed are my own.
Email:		<chuck@nighthawk.jhuapl.edu>	NeXTmail accepted.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.advocacy
From: rsrodger@wam.umd.edu (Yamanari)
Subject: Re: End of NeXT
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1992 14:51:19 GMT

In article <1992Dec26.183705.4765@cuug.ab.ca> wilcoxt@cuug.ab.ca (Terrance Wilco
x 229-3361) writes:
>In article <1992Dec25.144047.4289@wam.umd.edu> rsrodger@wam.umd.edu (Yamanari)
writes:
>>In article <1992Dec24.211611.15877@cuug.ab.ca> wilcoxt@cuug.ab.ca (Terrance Wi
lcox 229-3361) writes:
>>>Are you sure you mean vapor? There are developers out there with beta
>>>copies.
>>      You can *buy* NT _right now_ for $69.  Call MS.
>No, you can buy the NT SDK. NT is not shipping a release version yet.
>It's still beta testing and won't be released for quite a while. There's
>an email address you can contact if you want to beta test NS486. Just
>because MS will sell you a copy of beta software doesn't mean it's shipping.


        Can you buy the beta of NS486--right now?

	<Incidentally, people who buy the beta get the release version
	for free>


>In any event, the term vapor is commonly applied to annoounced but
>non-existant software. If you choose to use the term incorrectly, that's
>your problem.


        You do not understand the term.  As it stands, software that
        is demoed but not available is *vapor*.   Take, for instance,
        the Mac-emulator-for-PC's that has been demoed on OS/2.  It
        has been demoed at least three times in the last year (I know
        someone who was present for one of the demonstrations)
        yet--wouldn't you term this vapor?

        I sure would.  The Apple Newton has been shown.  Is it
        real or is it vapor?

        NS486 has been demoed.  It cannot be purchased in stores.
	It cannot be ordered.  It cannot be reliably judged.
        Until such time as it has even limited availability and
        can be judged by something other than NeXTs press releases
        (which have repeatedly shown themselves to be a little
        less than truthful) it is v a p o r.



>>>The only thing you can't do is go to the store and buy it.
>>Oops.  Looks like NT is a little less vapor than NS486, then.
>
>You mean NT is available in stores? Where?



        A lot more available than NS.



>>      Microkernel does not necessarily mean Mach.  In any case, if
>>      it's not microkernel, well, tell that to the guys at MS
>>      who used to work on Mach for Carnegie Mellon.>

>Dave Cutler (the guy in charge of NT) has said that NT isn't a microkernal.
>The guys that worked on Mach at CMU aren't working on NT. I assume those guys
>already know NT isn't a microkernal.



        That's interesting.  Care to cite a source?


>Instead of making misguided, inflammatory comments, why don't you read
>the newsgroups involved. There's a lovely thread in comp.os.mach about
>Mach VS. NT. It'll explain all about NT not being a microkernal.


        Already do.  .mach ought to just be an advocacy group for
        all of the reality that you see there.

-- 
	This weakness that you've told us of, it must be very comforting
	to have some make-believe specter on which to lay your blame.

	Blaming society for your problems is like blaming clouds for rain.
From: scheurer@lithnext.epfl.ch (Marco Scheurer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.advocacy
Subject: Re: End of NeXT
Date: 28 Dec 92 09:57:26 GMT
Reply-To: scheurer@lithnext.epfl.ch

In article <1992Dec27.145119.7923@wam.umd.edu> rsrodger@wam.umd.edu (Yamanari)  
writes:
> In article <1992Dec26.183705.4765@cuug.ab.ca> wilcoxt@cuug.ab.ca (Terrance  
Wilcox 229-3361) writes:
>> In article <1992Dec25.144047.4289@wam.umd.edu> rsrodger@wam.umd.edu  
(Yamanari) writes:
>>> In article <1992Dec24.211611.15877@cuug.ab.ca> wilcoxt@cuug.ab.ca (Terrance  
Wilcox 229-3361) writes:
>>>>Are you sure you mean vapor? ...
>>>...
>>...
>...

My vapor is hotter than yours. This thread about what is vapor and who is more  
vaporous is getting silly.
---
Marco Scheurer	scheurer@lithnext.epfl.ch (NeXTMail)
Laboratoire d'Informatique Theorique
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
IN-Ecublens
CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland)
(+41) 21 693-2589
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.advocacy
From: shawn@monitor.com
Subject: Re: Portable NeXT?
Reply-To: shawn@monitor.com
Organization: Monitor Company / IE
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 21:31:37 GMT

Naoki Saito writes
>Dear NeXT experts,
>I'm interested in having NeXT capability on the note book computer.
>Is there any plan for NeXT Inc. to introduce a not book NeXT in the near
>future? Or it's better to wait for NeXTStep on 486 and buy 486-based note
>book computer?
>I would appreciate any comments and suggestions.
>
The rumour mill seems to indicate the following:

- NeXT will not be producing a 680x0 notebook
- A Taiwanese company will be producing a 486 notebook with color display and  
500MB or 1GB disk drives and 16MB RAM (or so) VERY soon after the official  
release of NS'486

They're just rumours........
-- 
Shawn Broderick
Monitor Company / Information Engineering
Director, BCS NeXT
shawn@monitor.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.advocacy
From: edwardj@microsoft.com (Edward Jung)
Subject: Re: Insults (was: Re: standardizing NeXTSTEP)
Date: 30 Dec 92 08:44:23 GMT
Organization: Strategy Division, Microsoft Corp.

Robert Alexander Wyatt writes:

>However...if I am not mistaken, was it not Bill Gates who initiated the war 
>between MicroSoft and NeXT?  From what I understand, Jobs wanted MicroSoft to
>port software to NeXT, but Gates flat out refused...in fact, didn't Gates
>make some ridiculous comment to the effect that he would rather piss on the
>machine then develop for it?...(read it in UNIXWorld or some mag like that - 
>don't flame me if I'm wrong)

I find it difficult to believe that people think there is a "war"
between Microsoft and NeXT. There were offers and counter-offers
from both sides over the period of 1989-1991; I was personally
involved in some of these. Neither side came up with a solution
that made good business sense -- in fact this had more to do with
the differences in business outlook driven by volume than anything
else. Microsoft was thinking about business deals that made sense
in the millions of units quantity, whereas NeXT was looking at deals
that made sense in a more workstation-oriented market (i.e. vs. Sun).
The kinds of royalty, revenue, support, and feature issues involved
are quite different.

Industry observers like to make much of these kinds of decisions,
being that the industry is still dominated by individual personalities.
It is quite amazing how often the failure of business deals can be
blown out of proportion and become out-and-out personal vendettas
in the eyes of the public. But it makes for more interesting reading,
no?

--
Edward Jung, Software Architect     edwardj@microsoft.com
Advanced Systems, Microsoft Corp.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.advocacy
From: vin@netcom.com (Vin Locke)
Subject: Re: NS'486 - Verrrry interesting ...
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1992 16:46:39 GMT

In article <SCOTT.92Dec17064956@nic.gac.edu> scott@nic.gac.edu (Scott Hess) writes:
>Anyhow, on the left, second shelf, midway across, there's a package
>called "NeXTSTEP".  "NeXT" is in white, "STEP" is in orange.  It's
>an end view of the box. There's a PC-type color monitor at the
>bottom with windows and stuff in it. [. . . ]


I think you may have encountered the publishing/packaging business's
equivalent of rapid prototyping.  "Strategic partners" are always trying to
hitchhike in each other's ads, and there is alwaylobbying going on to 
"get our product in there."  There's phone calls, conference cal, meetings,
lunches, etc involved with making these things happen.
I would guess that they had throw something together to make the Intel
ad deadline.
-- 
					--vin

vin@netcom.com

"Every reform movement has its lunatic fringe"
					--Teddy Roosevelt

Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: dleon@seas.smu.edu (David Leon)
Subject: Re: Device Block Size
Organization: SMU - School of Engineering & Applied Science - Dallas
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 15:38:19 GMT

In article <IfDmIJD0Bwx5I1_r4u@transarc.com> Jim_Laredo@transarc.com writes:
>I installed the 1.23GB HD, and found that it came with a device block
>size of 512Bytes. The original Seagate was formated with a 1024Bytes
>block size.
>
>Do you have any idea what the performance impact is? Should I try to
>reformat the disk to get a block size of 1024Bytes?
>
>
>How hard is to reformat the HD to set the block size to 1024, can I do it
>or is it a manufacturer's job?
>
>
>thanks in advance,
>Jim.

Do it!  When I refeormatted my drive from 512 to 1024 byte sectors, I gained
about 15% extra space and about 2x faster speed up (using the speedometer
program).  You will need the scsitools available on sonata (sense and one
other).  Be careful, as I irreparably damaged one drive by using the GUI
version of the program without first saving the sense file.

David L. Leon
dleon@seas.smu.edu

Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware,comp.sys.next.sysadmin
From: sherwood@space.ualberta.ca (System Administrator)
Subject: Re: DAT backup recommendations needed!!
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 23:58:34 GMT

Kharim Hogan (hogan@sound) wrote:
: 
: 
: Hi,
: 
: The faculty here has finally decided that it's time to 
: purchase a serious backup unit for our net.  At the 
: moment we have 6 NeXTs, a Sun and several Macintoshes
: with a total of 4.1 Gb of disk space.
: 
: I have to present several options at a meeting next
: week and would like to hear about what other people
: are using and what type of backup units you would
: recommend.  They are thinking of getting a DAT backup
: and are not sure yet how much they are willing to pay.
: 
: So what do you suggest, what are you using, where did
: you get your unit and how much was it are among some
: of the questions I'd like feedback on.  And if someone
: said to you, "you can get any backup unit you want",
: what would you go for?
: 
: Thanks for your help!


We have an exabyte 8200 which I loathe, and an HP 35480A which I love.
The HP has been much more reliable, is an order of magnitude faster to
retrieve files, and never goes wandering off onto cloud 9.

The DAT may not fit the entire 4.1 GB on a single tape, even if you
get 90 meter tapes and use hardware compression.  However, you probably
want to make separate backups of system vs user files anyway.

Example:  One of my users left last summer, so I deleted her account.
Today my boss needs some of her files.  So, I look up in UserArchives, and
find that her files were last on the tape labeled Nov-92-Archive, and that
they are on file 23 of that tape.

Throw the tape in the drive.
         

su boss
cd /u/scratch
setenv TAPE /dev/nrst0
mt fsf 23
gnutar -xvb16
mt offline

3 minutes later her 25 mb of files are back.  Another ten minutes and
the boss has picked out the ones wanted, and the remainder are deleted.	



--
=> Sherwood Botsford                   sherwood@space.ualberta.ca <= 
=> University of Alberta         Lab Manager, Space Physics Group <=         
=> tel:403 492-3713                             fax: 403 492-4256 <=
From: byrne@cstore-next.cl.msu.edu (Eric J. Byrne)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: External Floppy Drives
Keywords: external floppy drives
Date: 28 Dec 92 14:25:22 GMT
Organization: Michigan State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: cstore-next.cl.msu.edu



  Can anyone recommend a good brand and source for external floppy drives
  for use on a NeXTcube?  I have a cube with an optical drive and need to
  use a floppy as well.

     Thanks
       Eric Byrne
From: izumi@pinoko.berkeley.edu (Izumi Ohzawa)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Re: Flickering in new 17" Trinitron monitor
Date: 21 Dec 1992 23:04:35 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Distribution: world
Reply-To: izumi@pinoko.berkeley.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: moica.berkeley.edu

In article <1992Dec20.182151.3909@lilliput.fdn.org> joseph@lilliput.fdn.org (Joseph Goldstone)  
writes:

>Apparently it works pretty well.  As was told to me maybe 6 weeks ago, if you  
>have an Olde Systeme like mine, Olde '040, Olde ND, Olde SoundeBoxe, Olde  
>Keyboarde, &c, the display works but with the following quirk: the active area  
>of the display is shifted offcenter, I forget exactly howmuch, maybe 3/16" if  
>memory serves, and I forget to which side.

There is usually a trimmer for "Horizontal Centering" inside the monitor.
It is not difficult to recenter the raster with this.
The only question is about liability and warranty.  For my protection,
let a qualified personnel do it.

--
Izumi Ohzawa             [ $@Bg_78^=;(J ]
USMail: University of California, 360 Minor Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
Telephone: (510) 642-6440     Fax:  (510) 642-3323
Internet: izumi@pinoko.berkeley.edu (NeXT Mail OK)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: philip@utstat.toronto.edu (Philip McDunnough)
Subject: Re: Modem info request
Organization: University of Toronto, Dept. of Statistics
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 06:09:33 GMT

In article <1992Dec30.063726.4269@netcom.com> death@netcom.com (David Burrowes) writes:
>I'm looking at buying one of these relatively inexpensive 14400 fax/V.32[bis]
>modems that I've seen advertised.  The one called the supra fax modem has 
>generally looked like a good deal.

For what it is worth, if you are planning to use a faxmodem with a NeXT, then
you would be far better off with a ZyXEL. Contact Craig at B&W. They have
a really good driver for the ZyXEL (they sell it alone or bundled with
black ZyXEL's). This really solves the famodem problem for NeXT's. His
e-mail address is craig@bandw.com . They had an excellent review in NeXTWorld.
 
[ ]

Philip McDunnough
University of Toronto
philip@utstat.toronto.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: dleon@seas.smu.edu (David Leon)
Subject: Re: External Floppy Drives
Keywords: external floppy drives
Organization: SMU - School of Engineering & Applied Science - Dallas
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 15:40:26 GMT

In article <1hn2oiINNfem@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> byrne@cstore-next.cl.msu.edu (Eric J. Byrne) writes:
>
>
>  Can anyone recommend a good brand and source for external floppy drives
>  for use on a NeXTcube?  I have a cube with an optical drive and need to
>  use a floppy as well.
>
>     Thanks
>       Eric Byrne
I have been using a PLI supuerfloppy 2.8 for about two and a half years without
problems.  Although the drive is incredibly slow, I imagine that is a function
of being a floppy dove rather than the brand.  All in in all, it is a nice
unit.

David
dleon@seas.smu.edu


Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: zeke@znext (james dehnert)
Subject: Re: CD-ROM causes system panic
Reply-To: zeke@znext.cts.com
Organization: pnet
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1992 19:17:16 GMT

In article <1992Dec24.165506.13710@venice.sedd.trw.com>  
verket@venice.sedd.trw.com (Paul Verket) writes:
- Mark T. Dornfeld (mark@cyantic.com) wrote:
- : I have tried reading several CD's for Sun with no success.  The Workspace
- : just spits them back out with no information as to why.
- 
- Most Sun CDs are encoded in their own ufs format which the NeXT doesn't
- understand. (Neither does the Mac) 
- 
Stuff deleted..
-
- The funny thing is that the first CD put out by Sun, the original CDROM
- demo disk was a nice standard format that the Sun, NeXT and Mac could
- all read.
- 
- Paul Verket (NeXTmail ok)

  The Sun disk I am using is the origonal Demo Disk, and I have read things off  
of it in the past. ( Before installing 3.0, now that i think of it ).
  My problem has just gotten worse.  It seems that using the OD will also cause  
a system panic now.  I'm begining to suspect a hardware problem.  ( Yikes )

  Here is the message from the OD panic'

Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: trap: type 0x10 fcode 67113256 rw 67113430  
faultaddr 0x40938de
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: trap: pc 0x4008a54 sp 0x3fffecc sr 0x2300
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: trap: cpu 0 th 0x101129c8 proc 0x10112870 pid 0 pcb  
0x107ab00c
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: traceback: fp 0x400122a
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: called from pc 0401cab0 fp 0400126a 4-args 00000001  
00002204 04058a0a 00000001
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: called from pc 04058a2c fp 04001296 4-args 04079a16  
00002300 00002209 04058a0a
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: called from pc 0408f1d0 fp 040012c6 4-args 00000000  
0000010c 00000000 00000001
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: called from pc 04001aa0 fp 107abf95 4-args 00000001  
4eb90401 48260c39 0000040a
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: last fp 0x107abf95
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: panic: (Cpu 0) illegal instruction
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: NeXT ROM Monitor 2.2 v63
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: panic: NeXT Mach 3.0: Wed Jul 29 19:43:28 PDT 1992;  
root(rcbuilder):mk-127.15/BUILD/RELEASE_M68K
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: 
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: panic: (Cpu 0) thread_continue
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: NeXT ROM Monitor 2.2 v63
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: panic: NeXT Mach 3.0: Wed Jul 29 19:43:28 PDT 1992;  
root(rcbuilder):mk-127.15/BUILD/RELEASE_M68K
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: 
Dec 26 11:06:42 znext mach: rebooting Mach...

  I'm starting to be tha panicy one now!
  Has any body else seen this kind of behavior?

  Thanks,
	Zeke
-- 
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
=+   +=   Eschew Obfuscation           Next Mail Welcome  =+   +=
+=   =+   James "Zeke" Dehnert        zeke@znext.cts.com  +=   =+
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=