From: johnsd2@jec313.its.rpi.edu (Daniel Norman Johnson)
Subject: Re: Macintosh advocacy (really!)
Keywords: NeXT, Mach, Mac, NeXTSTEP, Unix
Reply-To: johnsd2@rpi.edu
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY.
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 18:17:31 GMT

In article <1992Nov5.170719.3586@cuug.ab.ca>, wilcoxt@cuug.ab.ca (Terrance Wilcox 260-8100) writes:
|> In article <8jf1cnb@rpi.edu> johnsd2@rpi.edu writes:
|> 
|> >I thot NeXTstep refered to everything graphical, but not the
|> >kernal or shell.
|> NeXTSTEP is everything. NeXTSTEP486 will be everything from kernel up.
|> >
|> >Id rather run native apps, and thereby take advantage of the
|> >platforms Im using, whatever it is. I dont see how this makes
|> >the NeXt superior, tho. Nor do I see the relevance of NeXTSTEP 486.
|> 
|> Its relevance is sales. People would rather buy cheap clones than 
|> Mac's or NeXTs. The cheap clone buyers need a decent operating system.

Oh, ok! You are quite right, I misunderstood- I thought you were
talking about the NeXT origional, 680x0 box type things. As if
somehoe NeXTstep 486 would change them.

|> >
|> >|> On a system with logins, like a NeXT, every user has a home directory.  Each
|> >|> application can store its configuration in a 'rc' file in the current user's
|> >|> home directory.
|> >
|> >Oh gads!
|> >
|> >That's aweful!
|> >
|> >I thot NeXTSTEP had done away with rc files!
|> >
|> I've got 2 rc files in my home directory. I've never looked at them. NeXT 
|> applications save their defaults in a default database. You never have to
|> see it. The advantage is that each user has individual defaults. No more
|> putting up with people that crank the volume and then leave.

Ok, I see. That's difference. I could live with that. :)

|> >
|> There was some comment about case sensitivity and deleting files. Why
|> not just drag them to the recycler?

Twasn't my comment. :)

|> >
|> >|> > |> > System Level Print Monitor
|> >
|> >Details?
|> Sure. I select print from the menu. A print panel pops up. I can save,
|> print, or preview (or fax if I had the modem for it). This is the standard
|> print panel for all NeXTSTEP apps.

The Mac can do exactly this- but its not the Print Monitor, its
the Print Manager. The Print Monitor is an app that displays
a list of print jobs queued up, lets you pause printing,
cancel a job and re-arrange stuff.

[deletia- universal event support]
|> >
|> >|> Regarding monitors: I don't know about NeXT's, but other unixes in their
|> >|> general class support multiple monitors well.
|> >
|> >No, they don't do so in a useful way. They use X, which knows about
|> >multiple "displays" but requires you to muck about a bit to
|> >tell an app where to open its windows. You can't move them around
|> >on the fly, and its inconvinient, requiring you to know display names.
|> >
|> >But as NeXT uses display postscript, I thot it might be different.
|> 
|> The NeXTdimension supports multiple monitors. A cube with multiple CPU
|> boards supports multiple monitors (in a completely different way).

Oh. What's the different way?

|> >
|> >Hmmm. I dunno, A/UX really doesn't bring that much to the party. I
|> >think you can reasonably compare NeXTstep and MacOS. Some Macs
|> >are in teh NeXT performace class, CPU-wise anyway. Tho I understand
|> >they are pricyer.
|> When I bought my NeXTstation, the Mac Plus was $1000 educational here in
|> Calgary. No hard drive, 1 800k floppy, 1 Meg RAM. My station was $3900,
|> 17" monitor, 105 Meg HD, 8 Meg RAM, etc. I didn't have to do much agonizing
|> over what to buy. The low end modular Mac at the time was as expensive
|> as the NeXT.

True- NeXT do compare well with Macs on CPU vs price.
Pity the selection is a bit limited.

|> >|> Of course, this would make the Mac look pretty bad on a price-value
|> >|> basis.
|> >
|> >Yeah! None of that! :)
|> >[actually, I think it depends on what you mean by "value"]
|> >
|> Exactly. It's nice to see that attitude. Value is user-dependent. A 486
|> running Windows 3.1 is valuable to some people, but some of us don't
|> play Wing Commander, so we think it's of little value :).

I wouldn't want to think about playing Wing Commander in windows.
Its a bit intense; Try DOS; the multitasking could trip it up.

But I see your point.

-- 
			- Dan Johnson
And God said "Jeeze, this is dull"... and it *WAS* dull. Genesis 0:0

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