Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!labrea!rutgers!njin!princeton!phoenix!mbkennel
From: mbkennel@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Matthew B. Kennel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Changing the World, One Person at a Time
Message-ID: <3785@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 28 Sep 88 03:33:59 GMT
References: <430043@hpcea.CE.HP.COM> <3600031@iuvax> <69545@sun.uucp> <1282@cbnews.ATT.COM> <6295@ut-emx.UUCP> <17682@apple.Apple.COM> <8079@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> <1473@pur-phy>
Reply-To: mbkennel@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Matthew B. Kennel)
Organization: Princeton University, NJ
Lines: 36

>my posting of a few days ago saying I'm glad I bought a Mac.  Maybe in 
>a year....  The programmer's interface is the thing that's making me drool.
>If I could only be guaranteed that good software would be available within 
>months, and that the company would do well in the marketplace, so I don't
>get stuck with a nice machine that isn't worth much (like the Lisa)....
>-Sho

Good software for the NeXT machine is available in _seconds_, is pretty
much free and comes with source code:  How about

ftp uunet.uu.net
ftp>cd comp.sources.unix

I'd guess that, if they did things right, most software should compile
as is.  (well, maybe). 

Oh, so you wanted _windows_?  I'm not sure, but I thought the NeXT user
interface was based on X windows.  (Note that X does NOT specify a user
interface; many have been developed that use X as the underlying
protocol).  Then, by presumption, NeXT has X, and so alot of basic X
software will run.  (No, so far I haven't seen any X programs that are
as nice or friendly as the Macs', but my I think my customized twm is
pretty nice).  

Presumably, the FSF will include the NeXT machine in their emacs and
C compilers configuration file:

Then, you can get the world's best text editor, and a C(and C++)
compiler that's far better than anything on a micro (and on most larger
computers, too!), for free.

Matt Kennel
mbkennel@phoenix.princeton.edu

(Pray that NeXT/IBM give the NeXT interface to the OSF and that the OSF
 uses it)