Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!pacbell!ames!elroy!cit-vax!woolstar
From: woolstar@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (John D Woolverton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Possible cheap next machine for students
Message-ID: <8798@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: 3 Dec 88 08:50:17 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Lines: 29

Was just thinking about a number of problems that people were
complaining about on the computer (coming soon) from next:

	1. It cost ~$6500
	2. It includes a optical drive even if you don't need it.

Now since several people brought up the idea of booting/using a 
Next machine without any drives, and no-one has come up with a
reason why it wouldn't work, this should be possible.

Now another fact that I can attest to is that there are people out
there who have other computers who would love an optical drive
for data storage.  (A 250 meg optical removable drive sure beats
a bourneli (sp?) box, for size (MB) and safty (optical vs magnetic).)

So for the student who wants a $4000 Next machine, who can get
a network feed to boot off of, could just buy the Next machine
and sell the optical drive for ~$2500 to someone. (look in ca.wanted,
post in ?.forsale, etc...  We could even create a group
comp.next.optical_for_sale :-)

This idea brings the Next machine just a little closer to 
being possible.  (Now if I can just get that Apple grant... :-)
	woolstar@mynext.caltech.edu?
-- 
--------------
 John D Woolverton                      "Yes it's true..."
jdw@tybalt.caltech.edu
 woolstar@csvax.caltech.edu