Austin, TX Ð One of NeXT's earliest supporters among Intel-systems manufacturers is geared up to ship NEXTSTEP preinstalled on a line of four hardware platforms.
While Dell computer has previously filled orders for NEXTSTEP on its JAWS-based DGX computer, it was a nonstandard system using a slower 50MHz '486 processor.
Now, with NEXTSTEP available on the complete line of Dell systems, from the inexpensive Dimension line to the mid-range Optiplex and the high-end Omniplex, the object-oriented operating system is fully integrated into Dell's overall strategy.
"Until now, we didn't have the right hardware architecture in place to fully support NEXTSTEP. Now we are ready to go for it," said Tom Hartsell, manager of business solutions software for Dell's advanced systems group.
The company preloads NEXTSTEP to order. It is also in the process of negotiating deals with NEXTSTEP third-party developers, that will allow the company to offer a variety of preinstalled software bundles.
At the low end, Dell offers its Dimension XPS, a commodity ISA system with Number Nine graphics and prices beginning as low as $2000. Buyers can step up to the Optiplex line of ISA-bus, low-profile desktops and servers or the multibus Omniplex EISA systems. Both of the latter lines are available in Pentium versions.
Dell will also continue to sell its older DGX system.
"This represents a product line that we think is competitive in the NeXT arena. With Dell's aggressive pricing and the performance on the new systems, we think these products will be leaders in price/performance," Hartsell said.