FIRST I M P R E S S I O N S

Fast New Systems from NeXT

I n addition to considerable fanfare drive is excellent as a backup device and and praise, the original NeXT The new NeXT systems will be offered as an option for that Computer received a fair share of purpose. criticism. It had been faulted for its The drive of the nineties is lack of color options, high price, a per sport lower price tags, now the good old 3 Vi-inch drive, but ceived lack of performance, and—most with an increased capacity of 2.88 MB often—its lack of a floppy disk drive. and the capability to read and write files With the new NeXT systems that were in more speed, in 1,44-MB and 720K-byte MS-DOS for troduced in September, NeXT has built mats. This floppy disk drive is now stan on its past achievements and addressed dard equipment on all NeXT machines the majority of these weaknesses. and a long-sought and will be the primary medium for the NeXT now has a product line that fea distribution of software and data. The tures the new 68040 microprocessor run new NextStep operating-system software ning at 25 MHz, an MS-DOS-compatible floppy disk drive automatically mounts the floppy disk and 2.88-megabyte floppy disk drive, a new displays its files in the system’s Direc “slim-case” desktop model that retails tory Browser. In addition, the software for the relatively low price of $4995, and supports CD-ROM drives (see the text color options due out early year. box “A New Version of NextStep” on According to NeXT’s numbers, the page 167). Nick Baran and 68040 has a performance rating of ap While the new 2.88-MB drive cannot Owen Linderholm proximately 15 million instructions per read and write -formatted second and 2.8 million float Photo 1: files directly, the high-den- ing-point operations per sec Unlike the original NeXT Computer, the new Nextstation sity floppy disk drive (Super- ond (MFLOPS), about three Color features a slim-case, or “pizza-box, ” system unit. Drive) available on Macin times faster than the 68030 Inside is a powerful 68040 processor and 12 MB of RAM. toshes can convert to MS- used in the original NeXT DOS format; thus, Macintosh Computer. The 68040 also in file compatibility should not cludes memory management be a big problem. and floating-point coproces NeXT’s system boards now sors on the main chip. include a twisted-pair 10- When the NeXT Computer Base-T port, as well was introduced in 1988, one as the thin Ethernet port that of its primary features was an is on the current system erasable 256-MB optical disk board. Another change is the drive, which touted use of the 50-pin SCSI-2 stan as the floppy disk drive of the dard rather than the older 25- nineties, allowing users to pin SCSI standard. SCSI-2 “take their whole world in offers greater reliability and their backpacks.” But the op faster transfer rates than does tical drive has proved to be standard SCSI. SCSI-2 is too slow for use as a main backward compatible so that storage device, and the car existing SCSI devices can be tridges are too expensive for attached using a cable adapt use as a data-exchange medi er. The new system boards um: No one wants to send a also support parity memory file on a $50 storage medium. checking, a feature that has In addition, the price of the been requested by scientific optical cartridges jacks up the and engineering users. price of third-party software. It should be noted that the Nevertheless, the optical new system board still uses

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF NEXT, INC. © 1990 NOVEMBER 1990 • B Y T E 165 FIRST IMPRESSIONS FAST NEW SYSTEMS FROM NEXT

the Motorola 56001 digital signal proces tions, presentation graphics, and two-di sor, despite speculation that the new he mensional CAD, and a high-end system machine would have the 96002 DSP, a for scientific imaging, professional successor to the 56001 that includes Nextstation is a graphics production, 3-D modeling, and floating-point capability. NeXT says that so forth. the 96002 isn’t currently fully backward welcome addition to the At the low end will be a color version compatible with software for the 56001. of the Nextstation with 16-bit-per-pixel However, NeXT has added a single in NeXTproduct line. color, allowing 4096 colors on-screen line memory module socket for up to simultaneously (12 bits for color and a 192K bytes of memory addressable by 4-bit “alpha channel” for specifying the DSP. transparency). At the high end will be an add-in board with 32-bit color, its own The Nextstation Pizza Box The Nextstation comes standard with graphics processor, and a processor for The new Nextstation is clearly NeXT’s 8 MB of memory (expandable to 32 MB), compressing and decompressing graph answer to the SPARCstation. Made from a 105-MB , and the 2.88- ics images, allowing 16 million colors magnesium with a cosmetic plastic MB floppy disk drive. With the 17-inch on-screen simultaneously (24 bits for shroud, the slim-case, or “pizza-box,” black-and-white MegaPixel display, this color and an 8-bit alpha channel for spec system unit is about 15 inches square and system costs $4995. A reduced version of ifying transparency). 2xh inches thick, and it sits under the sys the is shipped installed tem’s display. The system board is slight on the 105-MB hard disk drive and takes The Nextstation Color ly larger than the original NeXT system up about 75 MB on the disk, including 16 The Nextstation Color (see photo 1) is the board; the two are not interchangeable. MB of swap space required for virtual same slim-case machine as the Nextsta The board includes two serial ports, a memory mapping by the operating sys tion, except that it supports 16-bit color. display port, the SCSI-2 port, and both tem. Unless connected to a network file It comes standard with 12 MB of RAM thin and lOBase-T Ethernet ports. The server, a system with the 105-MB drive and 2 MB of video memory. NeXT in Nextstation is cooled by a virtually silent will require an additional hard disk drive creased the memory bandwidth some “whisper fan” that passes air over heat- for storing much third-party software what on this model to improve video per dissipating fins built into the bottom of and data. An internal 340-MB hard disk formance. The Nextstation Color is the case. These lie directly under the drive is available as an option instead of designed for use with NeXT’s new color power supply—a major heat source. The the 105-MB drive, in which case the sys MegaPixel display, which is a 16-inch power supply is a 120-watt unit that uses tem costs $6995, a rather hefty price in Sony Trinitron display with 1120- by a new technology called “parallel reso crease for an added 235 MB of storage. 832-pixel resolution (the same resolution nance switching,” which allows a much The Nextstation is a welcome addition as the black-and-white display). The 12- smaller form factor than conventional to the NeXT product line. It is ideal for MB system with the color display, a 105- power supplies. end users who don’t need the storage or MB hard disk drive, and the 2.88-MB expansion capabilities of the NeXT Com floppy disk drive will cost $7995. As THE FACTS puter. The Nextstation was supposed to with the Nextstation, an additional hard begin shipping in October. disk drive will be necessary unless the Nextstation system has access to a network file with 8 MB of RAM, 105-MB hard A New Cube server. disk drive, 2.88-MB floppy disk The other new NeXT system is the Next The Nextstation Color does not re drive, and 17-inch monochrome cube, the familiar cube but with a floppy quire NeXT’s color MegaPixel display. display, $4995 disk drive instead of an optical drive, and By purchasing NeXT’s ColorConnect space for one half-height and one full- adapter, you can connect any size color Nextcube height storage device (either two hard display that is capable of showing images with 8 MB of RAM, 105-MB hard disk drives or a hard disk drive and a CD- in the correct resolution. The ColorCon disk drive, 2.88-MB floppy disk ROM or optical drive). The 105-MB and nect adapter provides the sound and drive, and 17-inch monochrome 340-MB drives are half-height devices, speaker functions that are normally built display, $7995 while the 660-MB and 1.4-gigabyte units into the MegaPixel display. Pricing for are full-height devices. the ColorConnect adapter was not avail Nextstation Color The Nextcube system board has the able at the time of this writing, but a with 12 MB of RAM, 105-MB hard same features as the Nextstation system Nextstation Color without a monitor will disk drive, 2.88-MB floppy disk board, including parity memory and the cost $4995. There is no upgrade path be drive, and 16-inch color display, SCSI-2 and lOBase-T ports, but memory tween the black-and-white Nextstation $7995 can be expanded on-board to 64 MB. An machine and the Nextstation Color. Un 8-MB system with the 2.88-MB floppy fortunately, the Nextstation Color will Nextdimension disk drive, the 105-MB hard disk drive, not ship until early 1991. with 8 MB of RAM, $3995 and the 17-inch monochrome display costs $7995. The 340-MB drive option Upgrading Existing Cubes NeXT, Inc. boosts the price to $9995. The Nextcube As NeXT announced several months 900 Chesapeake Dr. was scheduled to ship in September. ago, current NeXT users will be able to Redwood City, CA 94063 obtain a 68040 upgrade for their NeXT (415) 366-0900 Color Options Computers for $1495. This will involve Inquiry 1066. NeXT will offer two “color solutions”: a swapping the 68030 system board for the low-end system for business applica new 68040 system board. NeXT has also

166 BYTE- NOVEMBER 1990 FIRST IMPRESSIONS FAST NEW SYSTEMS FROM NEXT

A New Version of NeXTStep I n conjunction with the new or the Sybase database man background, allowing the cludes spelling checking and hardware in its product ager. Release 2.0, a reduced user to continue working on rulers built into the Text Ob line, NeXT is providing a version of NextStep, does not other tasks. ject, so that these features are major upgrade to its operat- include the The printing interface has now supported in Mail. ing-system software. Next or the Application Kit, and it also been redesigned to oper The development environ Step 2.0 includes support for has a reduced version of Web ate at a lower priority so that ment has been improved in re the new hardware compo ster’s Ninth New Collegiate the screen doesn’t lock during lease 2.0 and includes support nents, such as the 2.88-mega Dictionary without the illus print operations. The trade for color. A new object called byte floppy disk drive, CD- trations or the full text index. off is slower printing perfor the Color Picker works simi ROM drive, color display, The reduced version also has mance in exchange for a live larly to the font panel and and lOBase-T Ethernet, as fewer demonstration pro screen. In addition, the print allows you to select and mix well as a host of improve grams and does not include er interface now includes an colors. The window server ments to the interface and de the Shakespeare plays or The option for sending fax docu supports frame buffers of dif velopment environment. Oxford Dictionary of Quota ments. If you have a fax mo ferent size and depth to ac To accommodate the com tions. dem, you can fax anything commodate the use of third- paratively small 105-MB NeXT may find that most that can be printed by simply party color monitors. NeXT hard disk drive that is stan customers want the extended clicking on the new Fax op plans to support the Render- dard on all the Nextstation version and opt for a larger tion in the Print menu. Man scene-description lan models, NeXT has split Next hard disk than the 105-MB The Workspace has re guage for three-dimensional Step into two versions: release unit. However, for networked ceived some cosmetic changes rendering in a future release 2.0 and release 2.0 Extended. users who have access to a file in release 2.0. The Directory of NextStep, due early next The extended version in server, the reduced version Browser has been redesigned year. cludes all the current develop simply reduces the local stor and now includes a “shelf’ at Release 2.0 supports loada er’s tools, such as the Appli age requirements. In any the top of the browser window ble device drivers, allowing cation Kit and the Interface case, release 2.0 and release where users can place fre developers to create custom Builder, as well as some new 2.0 Extended are functionally quently used files and folders. applications for peripherals enhancements aimed at appli equivalent so that users will The Browser also includes a like video and sound equip cation developers. Flowever, be able to move to the ex new window that shows the ment and special-purpose dis neither version will include tended version simply by in “icon history,” or status, of play and output devices. All Mathematica, Common Lisp, stalling a larger disk capacity applications and folders that text objects now automati and copying the missing files. are in use. Clicking on an icon cally include a spelling in the window displays the checker and rulers. An Improved Interface path of the file or the folder Other new features includt NextStep 2.0 addresses sev graphically in the Directory an improved MIDI driver thai eral major weaknesses of re Browser. The icon history supports arbitrary sampling lease 1.0. Of particular im window replaces the icon well rates and PostScript compos portance, the Workspace is in the current Directory ite fonts, a feature of Adobe’s now multithreaded so that file Browser. PostScript level 2. Composite operations such as copying The Mail application has fonts allow support for kanj: 1 moving can be done in the been improved in release 2.0. and other alphabets. Mail now includes an archive facility for storing mail mes Availability and Upgrades sages. A return receipt func NeXT was optimistically hop tion has been added, as well ing to have release 2.0 ready as support for sending mail to in September. At press time ii recipients with non-NeXT was still not finished, bui systems that require a stan NeXT was confident it would dard font, wrapped lines, and be ready in time. In any event, carriage returns for 80-col- the new machines won’t run umn text. Release 2.0 in without it, so completion is a top priority. The system software will be shipped preinstalled on hard disks, relieving the user of the time-consuming Build Disk operation. Current users of release 1.0 will be able to upgrade to 2.0 on an optical drive for $195, which in cludes new manuals.

NOVEMBER 1990 • B Y T E 167 FIRST IMPRESSIONS FAST NEW SYSTEMS FROM NEXT

consisting of the two screens. Images or text can be dragged from one screen to the other as if the two screens made up a single display. For intense graphics users, up to three Nextdimension boards can be installed in one NeXT Computer, each with a separate monitor. The Nextdimension will be priced very competitively at $3995, which in cludes 8 MB of RAM. A complete color system (a Nextcube with the color Mega- Pixel display and the Nextdimension board) will cost about $15,000, making the system very competitive with similar systems from Sun and Apple. The Next dimension should ship early in 1991.

Photo 2: High-Speed Color at a Low Cost The Nextdimension board provides These new systems and the updated the Nextcube with high-performance color graphics. On the board is NextStep software give NeXT a very an RISC processor, powerful, well-rounded, and extremely 4 MB of video RAM, and room for competitive product line. The Nextsta up to 32 MB of memory. tion system may now be the price/performance leader. A Nextstation with a laser printer makes a powerful contracted with a third-party supplier to for conversion routines to display Post desktop publishing setup. provide an external 2.88-MB floppy disk Script images on PostScript devices. But where NeXT has really taken a drive for current NeXT Computer own lead is in the color arena. NeXT’s deci ers. Pricing and availability of the floppy High-End Color: sion to go with Display PostScript is pay disk drive have not been announced as of The Nextdimension ing off in a big way. The system has one this writing, but, according to sources at NeXT’s high-end color solution is an consistent model for both displaying and NeXT, it will be available within the next add-in board called the Nextdimension printing. And, despite rumors to the con couple of months. (see photo 2). The board plugs into one of trary, its performance is outstanding. To go along with all this new hard the three NextBus slots in the NeXT The new NeXT systems are going to be ware, NeXT is cutting the price of its Computer, and it features Intel’s i860 extremely competitive with high-end high-resolution 400-dot-per-inch laser microprocessor, which is rated at 80 desktop personal computers, especially printer almost in half. Originally selling MFLOPS and offers high-speed graph high-end . The products for a retail price of $3495, the printer is ics processing. The board has 4 MB of will also compete well in the low-end now priced at $1795, representing a sub video memory, plus up to 32 MB of workstation market. And since educa stantial reduction in the cost of a com RAM for increasing the display’s win tional establishments and developers plete NeXT system. dowing capacity (i.e., the number of continue to get a 30 percent discount, windows that can be displayed on the these systems will be even more competi Doing Color Right screen simultaneously). tive in universities. NeXT president Steve Jobs promised In addition, the board includes the C- Perhaps the biggest task left to NeXT from the beginning that NeXT would Cube Microsystems CL550 image-com- is to persuade software vendors to write eventually support color, but not until pression processor, which can compress programs for NeXT systems. But that is it’s “done right.” And indeed, NeXT has video and bit-mapped images in ratios of changing, as Lotus and Ashton-Tate have done color right. Using the PostScript up to 30 to 1 using the Joint Photographic announced new spreadsheet programs in imaging model, color on the NeXT is de Experts Group image-compression algo conjunction with the new systems’ intro vice independent; in other words, appli rithm. The board supports NTSC and duction in September. Lotus’s spread cations written using color PostScript SVideo (SuperVHS and High 8mm) im sheet in particular shows why the NeXT specifications can be displayed on any ages for both input and output, as well as systems are so important. The program output device that supports PostScript, RGB color. One 640- by 480-pixel win is completely innovative in every way whether it’s a screen or a printer support dow can display live NTSC or SVideo and is pointing the way ahead for the fu ing black and white, gray scale, or vari images. In conjunction with the C-Cube ture of software and hardware—just like ous resolutions of color. image-compression processor, the live the NeXT machines themselves are. ■ In addition, PostScript offers excellent window can display 30 frames per sec performance in color. When you com ond for true real-time motion video. Nick Baran is a consulting editor for pare Color QuickDraw on the Mac Ilfx Like the Nextstation Color, the Next BYTE and editor o/Baran’s Tech Letter, and color PostScript on a 68030-based dimension supports the new color Mega- a newsletter covering the NeXT Com NeXT Computer, you find that screen re Pixel display and, using the ColorCon- puter. He can be contacted on BIX as fresh and movement of color images are nect adapter, third-party color displays. “nickbaran. ” Owen Linderholm is a much faster on the NeXT. And, unlike The color display can run simultaneously BYTE news editor based in San Francis with Apple’s QuickDraw and TrueType with the black-and-white MegaPixel dis co. He can be contacted on BIX as image and font models, there is no need play, allowing a contiguous work space “owenl. ”

168 BYTE* NOVEMBER 1990