From: spagiola@frinext.stanford.edu (Stefano Pagiola)
Subject: Re: specifically comparing NeXT with Mac...
Reply-To: spagiola@frinext.stanford.edu
Organization: DSO, Stanford University
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 92 00:56:08 GMT

Ishir Bhan writes
> I've been debating whether or not to buy a NeXT for a while
> now.  Chances are I'll buy a new computer at the end of the
> month.  But it seems that I'll be getting a Mac rather than a
> NeXT.  Probably a Mac IIvx.  Why?
> 1)Steep price: though you get a lot for the money, much of
> it is useless to me.  To get color, you need to spend at
> least $6000 (with an edu. discount) on the NeXT.  It's a lot
> cheaper on the Mac.

'much of it is useless' isn't very informative if you don't give  
details.  Certainly if you don't need the kind of power that a NeXT  
can offer (heavy-duty multi-tasking, display postscriot, no-board  
ethernet, etc) then go with a lower-end machine like the IIvx; no  
sense spending money on things you don't use.

> 2)Lack of bit depth: The NeXT's in the IIvx price range only have
> greyscale, and it's only 2-bit greyscale.  That's a pretty limited  
range.

There was a lot of debate here recently about whether color was truly  
useful for most of the work people do.  Many people disagreed, but I  
maintain that unless you're into image processing, color does not add  
much to your productivity.  I have a mono NeXT, and deliberately  
chose it over a color machine.  Similarly, if I was to buy a cheap  
system to do the odd job at home, it would be a Classic II, not an  
LC.  2-bit greyscale gives you 8 shades of gray, which is quite  
sufficient, I find, to give the display enough visual depth (much  
more than a mono Mac, BTW) for everyday work.  Again, if you're into  
image processing, or have other specialized needs, then get the best  
color you can for your money.  But otherwise, think carefully about  
whether color is worth having a less powerful computer.

> 3)Lack of upgradability: the NeXTStations don't have slots.
> You can't buy a NeXTStation and upgrade to a NeXTStation color.
> [possible mac upgrades deleted]
> 
Well, right now there is nothing you could really put into a slot,  
even if you had one.  That's partly due to so many things being built  
in (eg thick and thin ethernet, two serial ports, a SCSI port, a  
separate printer port, a DSP port).  SCSI takes care of many possible  
add-ons.  Many people have found that upgrading a mono NeXT to color  
is not difficult: sell the used NeXT to people like you who can't  
afford a new one, and buy a color NeXT (check  
comp.sys.next.marketplace).

> I like the NeXT a lot, but these limitations are severe enough
> to prevent me from buying one.  What do you all think?

We all make our own trade-offs.  I certainly wouldn't trade my mono,  
non-turbo NeXT for TWO color Mac IIci or IIvxs.  But not all would  
agree with me.

Whatever you decide, may I suggest that you post the same (or a more  
detailed) post to comp.sys.next.advocacy?  This is not so much in the  
hope that someone there will convince you, but because there has been  
a long on-going debate there about the need for a cheaper, low-end  
NeXT.  Having the perspective of somebody in the market for such a  
machine, especially one who is leaning away from NeXT for precisely  
that reason, would be helpful.

--
-
Stefano Pagiola
Food Research Institute, Stanford University
spagiola@frinext.stanford.edu (NeXTMail encouraged)
spagiola@FRI-nxt-Pagiola.stanford.edu (NeXTMail encouraged)