🚀 go-pugleaf

Well, after much thought and the sad realiztion that NeXT is not going
to go with the R4X00 or any other really badass cpu, I have an idea
for the NeXT "RISC" Workstation ("RISC" because the Intel chips are
not really RISC).

NeXT should release a new slab based around the Intel architechture
asap. The support hardware should match the current slab as much as
possible (DMA, DSP etc) and it should have some sort of bus.

The CPU should be a 486DX2/66MHz, but here's the catch - there should
be a socket for a second cpu and both cpus should be upgradeable to 
the Pentium (P5) chip.

This would mean that - down the line a few months or a year - NeXT
slabs could be upgraded (NeXTSTEP 4.0 I guess) to a symmetric
multiprocessor machine which (theoretically) would SPEC
at about 100 Marks and run at somewhere near 200 MIPS. 

NeXT could realase the single cpu, 486 model for about $6k INCLUDING
a color monitor and thus be competitive with the new miniSPARC
machines which will be announced on Nov. 10.

The same $6k machine could be upgraded (I know - a new idear for NeXT)
at a fairly minimal cost to a 2x486 cpu machine, 1xP5 cpu machine, or
a 2xP5 machine.

The other plus is that if NeXT makes this box there will be a hardware
platform for NeXTSTEP 486 which is guarateed to be compatible!

C'mon NeXT, I gotta write the purchase req. in the 'NeXT' ten days.

Eric S. Boltz