HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: po87553@cs.tut.fi (Pasi 'Albert' Ojala)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Re: A couple of questions of NeXT's hardware (repost)
Date: 14 Oct 1992 16:49:00 GMT
Organization: Tampere University of Technology
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: kaarne.cs.tut.fi
Keywords: PUP keyboard hardware

Due our news server disk crash I think the original message never get out
of Finland, so here it comes again:

This is a forwarded message from: Juha Tuominen

I've got a 030 motherboard and a couple of questions came up:

1. What's the secret connector in the middle of 030 NeXT's mother board at
   the front (next to NeXTbus connector)? Somekind of test pins? I checked
   a 040 board as well, and there's couple more of those..

2. What exactly happens, when power key is pressed on keyboard?
   Motherboard receives the signal through monitor connector 
   (MON POWER PIN) and on the motherboard battery wakes power supplier
   up using PUP (power up) signal. That's clear this far, but will
   PUP remain active high until power is pressed again on the keyboard AND 
   NeXT's operating system is happy about closing system? Or will 
   PUP drop after PON (power on) is active high? I couldn't find
   precis explanation about this from any of the NeXT's hardware
   manuals. 

3. Can I use 4 MB simms on 030 board?

4. Does NeXT's 2.88 meg floppy drive and 256 meg optical drive use
   same data cable? Is it possible to connect PC's 1.44 meg floppy
   to a NeXT by using the internal optical drive connector? Is there
   schematics available for that connector? (Pins etc.) What other
   storage options (floppy/optical) there's available for NeXT?

Thanks in advance (reply using email, please).
-Juha
-- 
 Pasi Ojala            Why does my signature keep changing??
 po87553@cs.tut.fi         Am I doing something wrong?
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: spagiola@frinext.stanford.edu (Stefano Pagiola)
Subject: Re: Ethernet?
Reply-To: spagiola@frinext.stanford.edu
Organization: DSO, Stanford University
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 92 22:51:04 GMT

David Lemson writes
> spagiola@frinext.stanford.edu (Stefano Pagiola) writes:
> >Keep in mind that not all people's needs are identical.

> you sometimes never know what you will need/want in the future.
> Having ethernet built-in means a couple of things:
> - If you ever need to rebuild your machine, you can take it to a
> networked site and netboot with little trouble (arguable, but you
> never know)
> - You might want to have another machine in the future, whether it
> is a PC, or another NeXT and may want to share files. 
> ...
> - Like EPS said, ethernet added into a NeXT probably costs <$30, by
> my guess. Certainly less then $100 in raw parts, since you can get
> a PC ethernet card for that, albeit not a fast 32-bit one like the
> NeXT has.

I agree with all these points, but the last one about costs is the  
clincher.  To all the other points, one could easily argue that if  
needs develop such as to require networking, then add it at that  
time.  If ethernet added $1000 in cost to every system, would the  
other points be compelling (even though they'd remain valid)?

My argument with EPS is that calling people morons because they asked  
a reasonable question was insulting to people whose only fault is not  
knowing the info on costs above, and that the attitude of "everybody  
needs x" is, in general, just plain wrong.

Much more accurate to say, "most people could potentially benefit  
from x; since x is so cheap, lets give it to everybody."  But note  
that you can't carry on this argument forever.  At some point you  
have to make tradeoffs, and decide that "even though many people  
would find y useful, either they are too small a fraction of all  
potential users or the cost is too high, so y is best left out and  
added by users as necessary."

--
-
Stefano Pagiola
Food Research Institute, Stanford University
spagiola@frinext.stanford.edu (NeXTMail encouraged)
spagiola@FRI-nxt-Pagiola.stanford.edu (NeXTMail encouraged)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: 105MB Hard Drive
From: Jerrod T. Carter <Jerrod@Lilly.Com>
Date: 9 Oct 92 15:25:22 EST
Distribution: world,local
Organization: Eli Lilly & Company
X-UserAgent: Nuntius v1.1.1d11X-XXMessage-ID: <A6FB53FBF8030103@venus.d46.lilly.com>X-XXDate: Fri, 9 Oct 92 20:21:31 GMTLines: 18

I've recently purchased and installed a 521MB hard drive in
my NeXTstation color. To do so, I removed the 105MB hard drive
that came in the machine. Since then, I got an external enclosure
for it (an old PLI removable cartridge enclosure) and would
like to use the drive on my machine.

Now the problem, whenever I hook the drive up and try to format
it with either 'disk' or 'formatter', I get a sense mode error.
What does this mean, and what jumpers do I need to change? Does
anyone have the specs on the 105MB drive that NeXT shipped in their
machines? I also need to change the SCSI id. It came as ID 1, but
I changed it to 4 by changing what looked like the right jumpers,
I just didn't know what I was changing it to. I really want it
to be ID 2....

thanks.

jerrod
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: outland!jmast (John A. Mastrolia)
Subject: Changing Byte from 512 to 1024 *Help*
Reply-To: deepthought!outland!jmast@ms.uky.edu
Organization: Kentucky NeXT Users Group (KYNUG)
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 12:44:44 GMT

My drive is currently configured to 512 bytes per sector, however,  
according to most posts out here, the way to go is 1024 bytes.  The drive  
I'm using does support SCSI MODE SENSE commands, so I believe it is  
compatable with the formmatter_1.2 on the net.

Now the question:  This would be a major hassle considering all the  
software installed on this drive (after all, I just got c-news up and  
running properly).  Would it be worth the effort to switch over?  Are  
there other benefits to this change that I'm not mentioning here?

Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

-- 
John A. Mastrolia				+1 606 258-8989
   deepthought!outland!jmast@ms.uky.edu
Univeristy of Kentucky
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: basil@aelle.cs.odu.edu (Keith Basil)
Subject: High Bandwith and NeXT cubes
Organization: Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 04:21:09 GMT

	I'm considering using a Turbo Cube for a network and was
	wondering if someone can give me some insight on its 
	ability to handle a 56Kbps connection with about 30-40
	shell level users.  Ideal configuration would be 64M ram.

	Anyone have experience with UniNet's SLAT-1 device?

	keith
From: koelman@cuby.stc.nl (Ton Koelman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: video for NeXTstep/486
Date: 15 Oct 92 11:22:17 GMT
Reply-To: koelman@stc.nato.int
Organization: SHAPE Technical Centre, NL


Can somewhone recommend a good video setup for NeXTstep/486 with
a monochrome 16" or 17" monitor?
please include prices of the video card and monitor.


--
Ton Koelman   e-mail: koelman@stc.nato.int (NeXT Mail Welcome!)
SHAPE Technical Centre, P.O. Box 174, 2501 CD  The Hague
The Netherlands  (voice: 31-70-3142429, fax: 31-70-3142111)
From: fo6r@ellis.uchicago.edu (Eric 'Bird' Fortune)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Ethernet?
Date: 13 Oct 92 21:18:57 GMT
Article-I.D.: midway.1992Oct13.211857.26003
Reply-To: fo6r@midway.uchicago.edu
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations

I wish NeXT offered a machine without ethernet.  My NeXTstation lives at
home, far away from the prying eyes of my boss and the ethernet.  I suspect 
that a significant portion of NeXTs end up never being connected to the 
ethernet, which is a travesty but definitely a reality.  Why not sell some 
NeXTs with a fast FAXmodem/ISDN built in instead of the ethernet card?  
If it were possible I'd cut the ethernet off of my NeXT's board and sell it to 
pay for my Supra. Dropping the ethernet (and therefore the price) on some 
low-end stations would help sales, especially to students.  Perhaps NS486 will 
fill this gap, or is NeXT going to require that all of the NeXTstep PC's have 
ethernet cards?

eric fortune
fo6r@midway.uchicago.edu
no NeXTmail
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: NeXT dimension edu prices
From: smithw@physc1.byu.edu
Date: 28 Sep 92 21:42:07 -0600
Distribution: world
Organization: Brigham Young University

Subject: EDU prices of NeXT dimension board.

For those of you that have access to edu pricing,
what does the ND board cost at your school?
My old price list seems to be out of date for
this item -  it was marked at about $2,700.
I was quoted a price of well over 3K recently.
What are they going for elsewhere?? So, now
that I've got some hardware money, I don't
think I can afford the thing.  Cheaper to
just buy a NSC when you include everything
(but no full color of course).  So, if you
can, let me know what you are paying for
this board, and while you're at it, tell
me your color monitor prices too.
-Bill
--
NeXTmail: bill@mathnx.math.byu.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: pascal@nextasy.physics.mcmaster.ca (Pascal Gaudette)
Subject: Micropolis 2105s ???
Organization: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 21:31:14 GMT


As anybody successfully installed one of these drives to a NeXT?

It is a 3.5" drive, and the folks at Acropolis tell me it has
a 10 ms average seek time, 5400 rpm spindle rate, and 560 Mb
formatted capacity. Basically, this looks like it could
be an attractive alternative to a Fujitsu 520...

Thanks for any info,
--
Pascal "The Rascal" Gaudette       pascal@nextasy.physics.mcmaster.ca
MacNUG president                      | *NeXTmail encouraged* 
graduate student, McMaster university | Je ne suis pas infaillible.
Physics and astronomy dep.            | Vive le Quebec LIBRE!
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: john@nextdoor.com (John McCracken)
Subject: Re: Nitro (medium - long)
Reply-To: john@nextdoor.com
Organization: Nextdoor Software, San Jose, CA, USA
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 13:34:30 GMT

In article <BvysJq.32x@access.digex.com> hacker@access.digex.com (Dark Hacker)  
writes:
> 
> My biggest complaint are the new icons.  GOD those things are ugly.  And not
> just a couple of them.  EVERY SINGLE ONE is hideously rendered.  I thought
> the old "folder" icon was dumb looking but the new one is just plain stupid
> looking.  And the mailbox.  Yuk!  It looks like they were trying for some
> kind of enhanced perspective effect but it comes off really bad.  Please oh
> please oh please NeXT PLEASE bring back the old icons and ditch these
> turkeys!

Is this a joke?  I haven't seen them on a monochrome system, but they look
absolutely FANTASTIC in color!  They're beautiful.  Works of art.  They
continue to "raise the bar", giving NeXTStep the slickest interface of
any platform I've seen.

Is yours a monochrome system?

-- 
 John McCracken                   White Computers
 john@nextdoor.com                  Can't Jump
 NeXTMail welcome
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: BrianW@SoundS.WA.com (Brian Willoughby)
Subject: Re: E-mail adress of   Dove Computer Corporation
Reply-To: BrianW@SoundS.WA.com
Organization: SoundSoftware, Bellevue, WA, USA
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 03:58:20 GMT

Erland Wittkoetter writes
| I can remember, that I have seen the Email Adress of Dove Computer
| Corporation. (They produce the DoveFAX !) 
| I am looking for the E-mail Adress.
| The  Fax-Number would also be helpful.

This is from a file I had sitting around called "DoveFax Release Notes.rtf"

Dove Customer Support		(919)763-7918		 
next1!support@uunet.UU.NET	or 	uunet!next1!support
Dove Computer Corp.
1200 N. 23rd St.
Wilmington, NC  28405
-- 
Brian Willoughby	Software Design Engineer, BSEE NCSU
BrianW@SoundS.WA.com	Sound Signal Processing Software and Consulting
NeXTmail welcome	- NO EMAIL SOLICITATION without prior permission
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: alberto@parsec.mixcom.com (Manuel Alberto Ricart)
Subject: Re: Nitro
Organization: Is the act or process of organizing or of being organized.
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 22:22:18 GMT

[stuff about what you can plug into ADB]
>Like... COPY PROTECTION DONGLES???


IMHO, I don't think that this will be a trend.
Specially since:

A) All NeXT brand computers, already have  unique numbers.
B) All future non-NeXT brand computers running NeXTSTEP probably won't have
   ADB............... NOR built-in unique numbers on the hardware.

As it has happened on other platforms, upgrades, and other advancements make
copy protection schemes break. Perhaps the standard will be runtime 
protection on a network.


Yuck!



-- 
Manuel Alberto Ricart
alberto@parsec.mixcom.com <NeXTMail Welcome>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: hybowie@sunvis2.vislab.olemiss.edu ()
Subject: live action/NeXTDimension from disk
Organization: Mississippi Center for Supercomputing Research
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 18:26:01 GMT

Ok, I'm wanting to do direct dumping of video from nextdimension to disk, and vice versa.  is this possible without the JPEG chip?
if anyone has done this before, please let me know...  

thanks,
Reagen B. Ward

(NOTE: PLEASE reply to ward@hydra.cche.olemiss.edu and not directly)
From: dillon@overload.Berkeley.CA.US (Matthew Dillon)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Re:  Nitro
Distribution: world
Date: 8 Oct 92 20:21:36 PST
Organization: Not an Organization

In article <1992Oct6.160854.19152@cubetech.com> andrew@cubetech.com (Andrew Loewenstern) writes:
>In article <BvnJ4A.pL.2@cs.cmu.edu> nash+@cs.cmu.edu (Richard Nash) writes:
>>>In article <dillon.0oq2@overload.Berkeley.CA.US> dillon@overload.Berkeley.CA.US
>>>(Matthew Dillon) writes:
>>>>
>>>>	 The main problem with 3.0 is in paging from disk, a faster processor
>>>>	 will not help at all in that area.
>
>GET MORE MEMORY!
>
>You are using more memory than you have, that is why you are paging.
>
>If you have a Turbo, try turning on the "swaptimizer" (see the swaptab

    Simply put, that's an answer that is not an answer.  I should not have
    to put 256MB of memory in a machine to make it useable.  If a 16MB
    machine is not usable, THEN NEXT SHOULD NOT SELL A 16MB MACHINE.

    The NeXT has some *serious* problems with it's paging and file caching
    (and I've mailed bug_next with specific examples).  Adding so much
    memory to your machine that you are essentially completely defeating
    demand paged virtual memory is not a solution.  No matter how much
    memory you have, when the NeXT eventually pages something it usually
    pages the WRONG something and the machine hicups.

						-Matt

>--
>andrew@cubetech.com	 | "We shall not cease from exploration
>Andrew Loewenstern	 |  And the end of our exploring
>Cube Technologies, Inc. |  Will be to arrive where we started
>			 |  And know the place for the first time." -T.S. Eliot

--

    Matthew Dillon		dillon@Overload.Berkeley.CA.US
    1005 Apollo Way		uunet.uu.net!overload!dillon
    Incline Village, NV. 89451	ham: KC6LVW (no mail drop)
    USA 			Sandel-Avery Engineering (702)831-8000
From: gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu (Garance A. Drosehn)
Subject: Re: Yet another confirmation of the demise of the '040 cube (was: Re: keyboard/mouse question)
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 17:58:53 GMT

jeffo@uiuc.edu (J.B. Nicholson-Owens) writes:
> Garance A. Drosehn writes
    [on the question of upgrading a NeXTcube to support the new
     ADB keyboard and mouse]
> > I believe the official word (for the moment, at least), is "No".
> > That's an answer that applies to almost every NeXT that was sold
> > before before these ADB options were announced.
> 
> So it would seem, therefore, that if all the old NeXT machine owners
> want ADB support, they must purchase a Turbo machine or is there
> some way for cube owners to trade in their old CPU board for a
> discount on a Turbo board?

At the moment there are no official upgrade paths for someone who wants the  
ADB option.  You can probably buy an upgrade to a turbo board, but I don't  
think there are any discounts on that, and I must admit I don't know if that  
will give you the ADB support you want.

This may all change soon, and NeXT seems eager to switch over to the ADB  
world, and thus they may have some other options available in the next month  
or so.  I must also admit I haven't read *this* month's announcements from  
NeXT yet, so there may already be some options that I'm not aware of.

> Is buying a Turbo board possible (just the board for the cube, not
> the cube shell itself)?  If so, how much is list price on that?

It isn't on our price list (the price list for the store), but it might be  
available from someone who is certified to do NeXT hardware servicing.

--
Garance Alistair Drosehn     =     gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu
ITS Systems Programmer            (handles NeXT-type mail)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute;           Troy NY    USA
From: tagreen@lothario.cica.indiana.edu (Todd A Green)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Re: Nitro
Date: 7 Oct 92 14:59:54 GMT
Article-I.D.: usenet.BvrAzu.DI8
Organization: CICA - Center for Innovative Computer Applications

In article <1992Oct7.030838.9785@u.washington.edu> basiji@stein.u.washington.edu (David Basiji) writes:
>andrew@cubetech.com (Andrew Loewenstern) writes:
>
>I just checked the man page (NeXTSTEP 3.0.1) and it seems that compression
>is on by default. Now, regarding the number of buffers...I have 32 Meg of
>RAM in my 25MHz slab but the thing still churns like crazy when task 
>switching.  
>

Not according to the docs that I read (Dev Release Notes OperatingSystem.rtf):

	Compressed swapping is enabled automatically on monochrome machines
	that have up to 12 megabytes and on color machines that have up to 16
	megabytes. 

Thus if you have 32Meg, compression is not on by default.

Todd
--
NeXTmail:  tagreen@cica.indiana.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: eps@futon.SFSU.EDU (Eric P. Scott)
Subject: Re: new EP-S toner cartriges for lessthan $125? where?
Reply-To: eps@cs.sfsu.edu
Organization: San Francisco State University
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 08:10:12 GMT

In article <Oct13.191240.50969@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU>
	ns111310@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu (Nate Sammons) writes:
>I need to know the numbers of some national stores
>that have new EP-S (NeXT compatible) toner cartriges
>for sale fo rless than $125
>BTW>> I am buying a printer from next, and need to buy a
>cart separately and NeXT wants $125 -- this seems high.

It *is* high.  In the San Francisco Bay Area, new HP cartridges
sell for around $73 each.  Call around, but don't even mention
NeXT.  ("Huh?  What's that?")  Say you're looking for HP LaserJet
II or Apple LaserWriter II NTX cartridges--they're exactly the
same.

					-=EPS=-
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: klenfest@cerberus.UWaterloo.ca (Kurt Lenfesty)
Subject: connecting HP48SX to NeXTstation turbo
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 01:51:19 GMT

Is it possible to connect a NeXTstation turbo to a
HP48SX calculator?  I know there is a Mac cable kit
out there for it, but I believe the interface would
be for RS-422 and not RS-423.  Will it work?
Also, is there a Kermit program for the NeXT?
Please let me know.

Thanks.		klenfest@zeus.UWaterloo.ca
	or	kdlenfesty@1308.watstar.UWaterloo.ca
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu (Garance A. Drosehn)
Subject: On NeXTdimension and Renderman - Who does most the work?
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 17:32:19 GMT

Release 3.0 comes with Renderman, which brings up the following question.

For those people who have the money to own a NeXTdimension board, what part  
of the system is doing most of the rendering work?  Is it the 68040 on the  
NeXTcube, or is it the i860 processor which is in the NeXTdimension board?

I'd suspect it's the 68040, but I'd like to think that Interactive Renderman  
would be able to take advantage of the features & speed of the i860.

--
Garance Alistair Drosehn     =     gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu
ITS Systems Programmer            (handles NeXT-type mail)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute;           Troy NY    USA
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: BrianW@SoundS.WA.com (Brian Willoughby)
Subject: Re: MIDI interface for NeXT - which one?
Reply-To: BrianW@SoundS.WA.com
Organization: SoundSoftware, Bellevue, WA, USA
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 04:14:17 GMT

Sebastian Nightingale Cain writes
| Hi - I combed through the FAQ and couldn't find any reference to which  
| MIDI interfaces will work with an older '040 cube, 3.0, and Presto. What  
| is the current situation with Presto anyway? Is there a full fledged  
| release in the works , or is the current version it?  Anyway, where can I  
| get an interface (don't need a large one - something inexpensive  
| preferably) and the cabling for it?

For the '040 machines, the only (ha, ha) problem is the cable for the RS-423  
connector (since most Macintosh MIDI interfaces are RS-422).  I would imagine  
that any self-powered Macintosh interface would work with a properly wired  
cable, although I suppose one might need an active adaptor in some rare cases.   
The MIDI interfaces from Apple Computer take power from the cable, and only the  
'030 NeXTs supply power to the cable, but I suppose you could use a battery or  
wire a special cable which spliced in power from another source if you really  
wanted a $60 interface.

I understand that the "Opcode Studio 3" interface and the Mark of the Unicorn  
"MIDI Time Piece" interface both work with the cable described in the zs(4) man  
page.  I have personal experience with the J.L.Cooper Sync-Link which works on  
my '040 cube/dimension with a cable that I figured out myself (I would be  
willing to share the pinout with anyone who asks).

Basically, I sought the cheapest interface which had the features I wanted (2  
MIDI interfaces plus SMPTE for $170) and used my EE experience to make a cable  
that worked.  If you have a local friend who knows MIDI and electronics, it  
shouldn't be too difficult.

If you stick to interfaces which are known to work (like above), then you can  
have the appropriate cable made locally, or try Redmond Cable in WA at  
206/882-2009

There are also NeXT-specific interfaces, but the cost is more than a similarly  
featured Mac MIDI interface.  You won't even have to scratch your head to get  
them working, though (I suppose.  YMMV).
-- 
Brian Willoughby	Software Design Engineer, BSEE NCSU
BrianW@SoundS.WA.com	Sound Signal Processing Software and Consulting
NeXTmail welcome	- NO EMAIL SOLICITATION without prior permission
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: spagiola@frinext.stanford.edu (Stefano Pagiola)
Subject: Re: NeXT trackball
Reply-To: spagiola@frinext.stanford.edu
Organization: DSO, Stanford University
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 92 20:29:32 GMT

Todd Katz writes
> Is there a source for a trackball for a NeXT? Thanks in advance.

CH Products has a NeXT version of its RollerMouse.  I think its  
reviewed in the latest NeXTWorld.

--
-
Stefano Pagiola
Food Research Institute, Stanford University
spagiola@frinext.stanford.edu (NeXTMail encouraged)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware