🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <rs4G8kw&1@cs.psu.edu>, melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes:
> In article <-U3BJU9@xds13.ferranti.com> peter@ficc.ferranti.com (peter da silva) writes:
>    The NeXTstation costs 5 grand. I can practically buy a new car for that.

> Check out the price of an SE/30 two years ago.  Guess what it costs
> $5000.

Check out the price of Macs today... they've gone down quite a bit.

> How much does a 386 computer from IBM or Compaq cost today?

I can get a 386SX clone with 1 MB of RAM for $875, and it runs Windows 3.0
just as well as those IBMs and Compaqs. Oh, sure, it costs a bit more to get
a good VGA, a decent sized hard disk, etc... but 2 grand is about right.

> Which computers can you buy from IBM, Compaq, Apple, Sun, Dec, etc,
> that cost $2000?  The NeXT is still competitive in SPEC/$, something
> that not many of the PC makers can claim.

What does SPEC/$ do for J. Random Suit? Judging by the NeXT software
catalog, that's who they want to sell to.

> A SSII goes for $14K, so
> it's not in the same market as the NeXT.

Never said it was.

> In short, you are comparing
> computers without regard to how they fit into the market.

No, I'm looking at the market and I'll be damned if I can figure out where
the NeXT fits in.

> Something else you aren't considering, a 486 machine running DOS +
> Windows is not going to be as versatile as the NeXT.

True. It's not going to be as versatile as a Mac or Amiga either. But people
keep buying the damn things...

> Maybe Microsoft will surprise me.

What? And give up show biz?
-- 
Peter da Silva.  `-_-'  peter@ferranti.com
+1 713 274 5180.  'U`  "Have you hugged your wolf today?"