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Date: Sun 07-Nov-1989 08:21:58 From: Unknown Subject: Rumor Time on next NeXT Probably everyone has heard the rumors that Jobs is ready with the successor to the next. I think there was some information in PC Week. I recall that the article said it would have a 68040, 512mb (versus 256) floptical, and all the old stuff with the addition of some Motorola or TI graphics processing chip. Anyone heard anything else? Rumors of color? Come on, get those rumors out there. I also believe that the article said that the only thing that was preventing Jobs from releasing it was Motorola's insistance that he wait for the 68040 to really be available. Compaq announced some of their new machines, sans working 80486, so why not NeXT? --- "Computer Scientists are at the top of the nerd heap" - Curtis Dyreson Nick Kline, Univ. of Az., Computer Science, Tucson, AZ 85721 (kline@cs.arizona.edu -or- {noao|allegra|cmcl2}!arizona!kline) >From: wb1j+@andrew.cmu.edu (William M. Bumgarner)
Date: Sun 07-Nov-1989 16:39:43 From: Unknown Subject: Re: Rumor Time on next NeXT Apparently, they aren't rumors. My company just had a person go through the developer's course and Steve Jobs took everyone (all 20 or so) out to dinner the first night. The machine will be everything you mentioned. Release in late January (may if on the same time scale as the first cube :-) 2 to 4 times the current speed. down on cube #1 also. Taht's what he said-- up to you to believe or not. b.bum >From: jnicolas@athena.mit.edu (Julien J Nicolas)
Date: Sun 07-Nov-1989 21:54:16 From: Unknown Subject: Re: Rumor Time on next NeXT In article <IZJkJDy00VcI03ZFQa@andrew.cmu.edu> wb1j+@andrew.cmu.edu (William M. Bumgarner) writes: >Apparently, they aren't rumors. My company just had a person go through the >developer's course and Steve Jobs took everyone (all 20 or so) out to >dinner the first night. > >The machine will be everything you mentioned. > >Release in late January (may if on the same time scale as the first cube :-) > >Color: 32 bit; 24 bits of color, 8 bits of transparency. Accelerated to > 2 to 4 times the current speed. > >Price: incredibly surprisingly low is all Jobs said. Probably a major mark > down on cube #1 also. > >Taht's what he said-- up to you to believe or not. > >b.bum Now this *is* interesting. One of the NeXT representatives hinted at NeXT taking the NeXT Step, during a recent campus presentation. Same thing, 32 bit color, low price compared to the $80,000 you would have fork out for the equivalent today... He certainly didn't say the machine would be coming out in January. Perhaps an official announcement would help dispell doubts, one way or another. Will it be a new machine, a new MegaColorPixel board/display for the previous NeXT? If it is a new machine, what commonality will it have with the current NeXT. I thought (perhaps naively) that NeXT was committed to building a solid platform for the academic community... Not one that changes every year or so. Should people contemplating buying a NeXT wait until January??? >From: eht@f.word.cs.cmu.edu (Eric Thayer)
Date: Sun 07-Nov-1989 22:44:44 From: Unknown Subject: Re: Rumor Time on next NeXT In article <15731@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> jnicolas@athena.mit.edu (Julien J Nicolas) writes: > ... I thought (perhaps naively) that NeXT was committed to building a > solid platform for the academic community... Not one that changes every > year or so. The new hardware rumors don't necessarily imply that you will have to change any source code when you go to the new hardware (unless you want to take advantage of the added functionality). I don't believe NeXT will change the programming interface out from under everyone, but then again...
Date: Sun 08-Nov-1989 00:20:01 From: Unknown Subject: Re: Rumor Time on next NeXT In article <15731@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>, jnicolas@athena.mit.edu (Julien J Nicolas) writes... >... I thought >(perhaps naively) that NeXT was committed to building a solid platform >for the academic community... Not one that changes every year or so. >Should people contemplating buying a NeXT wait until January??? >From the NeXT attitude that I have been experiencing so far, I would guess that upgrades will be available to those people who have already bought a machine (although I have no insider information whatsoever). It's very important that the machine keeps growing. We are already seeing machines that rival NeXT's abilities in some areas. A small computer company can only survive if it keeps ahead technologically of its competition. In any case, as long as the new machine allows us to use the same software (albeit faster and better), why complain? Oh, since we are at it, I definitely hope that NeXT will use the new Motorola DSP. Not only is it compatible with the old DSP, but it will also allow us scientists to use its IEEE floating point power seamlessly in our calculations... /ivo welch ivo@[128.97.74.50] ivo@next.agsm.ucla.edu iwelch@agsm.ucla.edu >From: gil@daffy.gatech.edu (Gil Neiger)
Date: Sun 07-Nov-1989 22:42:20 From: Unknown Subject: Re: Rumor Time on next NeXT In article <15731@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> jnicolas@athena.mit.edu (Julien J Nicolas) writes: >In article <IZJkJDy00VcI03ZFQa@andrew.cmu.edu> wb1j+@andrew.cmu.edu (William M. Bumgarner) writes: >>Apparently, they aren't rumors. My company just had a person go through the >>developer's course and Steve Jobs took everyone (all 20 or so) out to >>dinner the first night. >> >>The machine will be everything you mentioned. >> But you WON'T be seeing a 50MHZ machine anytime soon. The support for the chip is very limited. It will cost a great deal of money to enable the CPU to communicate with the rest of the computer. There just aren't many other devices that can talk that fast yet. +=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+ | Honesty is in the eye of | Phil Meyer | | the creditor. | Usenet: <backbone>!attctc!phil | | | VoiceNet: (214) 991-0897 | +=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+ >From: cs141043@brunix (Ronald Antony)
Date: Sun 08-Nov-1989 02:04:03 From: Unknown Subject: Re: Rumor Time on next NeXT > ... I thought (perhaps naively) that NeXT was committed to building a > solid platform for the academic community... Not one that changes every > year or so. consider the following: a) you have officially no means to access the screen other than using display postscript and the window server. b) postscript is working with color by default. there is no need to change any programs to run it with a real color screen. only that you really see color and not just gray scale emulation. c) the graphics coprocessor will probably only be accessible to the window server (will be used with a MACH-thread) so except from having a bigger storage capacity, a faster processor, a color screen and a higher price, there will be no change worth mentioning. Well, maybe we see system 1.1 or 2.0 or whatever, maybe we will also enjoy the additional comfort of using renderman for 3d scene description, but the system will be a stable one, as far as I can guess the NeXT philosophy. Ron ask a lawyer what disclaimers might be used here and consider them to be here >From: daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie)
Date: Sun 07-Nov-1989 21:54:37 From: Unknown Subject: Re: Rumor Time on next NeXT in article <IZJkJDy00VcI03ZFQa@andrew.cmu.edu>, wb1j+@andrew.cmu.edu (William M. Bumgarner) says: > In-Reply-To: <15289@megaron.cs.arizona.edu> > Apparently, they aren't rumors. ... Release in late January > (may if on the same time scale as the first cube :-) > b.bum Well, he may release the machine in late January. But if he wants 68040s in it, he'd better wait a little longer, or he's not going to have any CPU to drive the thing when it's released. It's no secret that the design of the NeXT motherboard will readily map into the 68040 system (not to say it's all that amazing a design, only that they had the same nondisclosures as everyone else, only they were building a new system and kept both the future and cost in mind). They have had plenty of time to work out the graphics, which is where all the real work needs to be put anyway (eg, the current machine is SLOW in that area).
Date: Sun 08-Nov-1989 04:40:30 From: Unknown Subject: Re: Rumor Time on next NeXT jnicolas@athena.mit.edu (Julien J Nicolas) writes: >Perhaps an official announcement would >help dispell doubts, one way or another. Will it be a new machine, a new >MegaColorPixel board/display for the previous NeXT? If it is a new >machine, what commonality will it have with the current NeXT. I thought >(perhaps naively) that NeXT was committed to building a solid platform >for the academic community... Not one that changes every year or so. >Should people contemplating buying a NeXT wait until January??? Well, I doubt there will be much of an official announcement before it is officially announced but, I am hoping for some options. In particular, I'd like to have the option to upgrade the board but not the diaplay since I can't afford even an incredibly cheap color monitor in addition to however much they plan to charge for an upgrade (if there is an upgrade :-( ) for they system board. Somehow I doubt they are going to fit all that crap on a square foot anyway. Chris
Date: Sun 08-Nov-1989 15:30:26 From: Unknown Subject: Re: Rumor Time on next NeXT >> >>Release in late January (may if on the same time scale as the first cube :-) >> >>Color: 32 bit; 24 bits of color, 8 bits of transparency. Accelerated to >> 2 to 4 times the current speed. >> >Now this *is* interesting. One of the NeXT representatives hinted at >NeXT taking the NeXT Step, during a recent campus presentation. Same >thing, 32 bit color, low price compared to the $80,000 you would have >fork out for the equivalent today... He certainly didn't say the machine >would be coming out in January. Perhaps an official announcement would >help dispell doubts, one way or another. I think that release means "press release" in Janurary. A NeXT rep told me the same... 32 bit colour, 8 bit alpha plane etc but that the board wouldn't be ready until the summer. If it's 68040 based then this is the machine for me (if it's inexpensive)! John T. Nelson UUCP: sun!sundc!potomac!jtn Advanced Decision Systems Internet: jtn@potomac.ads.com 1500 Wilson Blvd #512; Arlington, VA 22209-2401 (703) 243-1611 >From: gessel@cs.swarthmore.edu (Daniel Mark Gessel)
Date: Sun 16-Nov-1989 23:48:38 From: Unknown Subject: Re: Rumor Time on next NeXT I would like to second Ivo's hope that future NeXT systems incorporate the Motorola 96002 DSP. This would ease the development burden for DSP-type software significantly!
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