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Updated
Hardware
In conjunction with the three new systems, Next is also releasing a
slightly redesigned version of the MegaPixel Display. This display
still offers an 1120 by 832 gray-scale screen (68Hz refresh rate,
92-dots-per-inch resolution); 84-key keyboard; microphone minijack; and
dual gold-plated line-outs. The display also has a CODEC chip that
supports digitized sound input at an 8-bit, 8kHz sampling rate; it also
has an internal speaker for sound output. New features include
improved sound quality and a microphone built into the display's front
bezel. The unit itself is 10 pounds lighter than the original
MegaPixel due to a redesign. The MegaPixel Display is now built in
the United States, at a factory located in San Diego, although the picture
tube is still imported from Asia.
The Next 400 dpi Laser Printer has not undergone any significant changes,
except for its price. Formerly listed at $3495, the
8-pages-per-minute printer now retails for $1795.
Release 2.0
System software Release 2.0
for the Next machines reflects much feedback from users as well as
substantial discussion within Next. The most important goal for both
users and developers is binary compatibility with Release 1.0; existing
applications should run without modification. Next says Release 2.0
is compatible with applications created for 1.0 as long as those
applications don't bypass the system functions. However, based on my
experience with a beta version of Release 2.0, I suspect there may be a
rash of application updates when Release 2.0 becomes the norm.
The major change to the Mach kernel is that Next has implemented support
for multithreading. An application can now divide itself up into
several threads, each executing at the same time as the others. This
paves the way for multiprocessor support, with each thread executing on a
separate processor. As it turns out, certain features of the 68040
processor -- such as its large internal cache and its ability to let go of
its own processor bus -- make it well-suited for multiprocessing.
Don't be surprised if a Next performance-accelerator board comes out,
containing a lot of memory and several 68040 CPUs.
Display PostScript (DPS) is being improved an enhanced as it moves toward
a merger with PostScript Level II; in fact, PostScript Level II is mostly
just Display PostScript as implemented on the Next. Adobe Type
Manager for DPS is bundled with Release 2.0, and support for PostScript
composite fonts (such as kanji) is in place.
One interesting system-wide extension is built-in fax support. If
you hook up a fax modem to one of the Next's serial ports, you can fax any
document that you can print. That's because the standard Print panel
has a fax button on it that when pressed brings up a phone list and allows
you to select or enter the outgoing phone number. The Next machine
then spools off the fax request, just as it would a print request, uses
PostScript to create a 200-dpi bitmap, applies Group 3 encoding, and sends
the document. A bundled utility handles incoming faxes, allowing you
to preview and print them.
Foreign Exchange
Operating system changes include support for loadable device drivers and
foreign file systems. The former means that the manufacturers of
exotic peripherals will be able to supply the appropriate device drivers,
which you can install without having to rebuild the Mach kernel. The
latter means that non-Unix file systems can be mounted and accessed.
MS-DOS support is already built in; if you insert and MS-DOS condensed
into the Next floppy drive, it mounts just as a regular Next floppy disk
would, and you can freely transfer and modify files. Next is
considering Macintosh compatibility, but has not yet implemented it.
Until now, Next has not actively pursued European customers (and vice
versa), because oval lack of support for non-English character sets.
However, multilingual support is now built into the Workspace Manager,
with each user able to select default and preferred character sets for his
are her environments. Next has also released European language
keyboards and has signaled an interest in the European market by rolling
out its product in England, a week after the U.S. introduction.
Numerous changes have been made to Workspace Manager, the user interface
analogous to the Finder on the Macintosh. The most visible changes
in prerelease versions have been to the file browsers, which have
increased in functionality, though at the expense of appearance and
simplicity of use. It may well be that things change more before the
final version is released. Workspace Manager now uses
multithreading, so that, for example, you can still browse some files
while copying others from one location to another. And the printing
architecture has been rewritten to avoid the performance hits you take
when printing a document.
Two new applications bundled with the Next are ShowAndTell and Installer.
ShowAndTell records and plays back user events such as mouse movements,
but in collects, and keystrokes. These events can be synchronized to
a soundtrack, enabling you to create computer-driven presentations.
Installer handles installation, compression, and deletion of files.
Software distributors can use Installer's tools to compress their
application files to fit on one or more floppy disks. End users can
then copy, decompress, and install those files with the Installer.
Further Developments
The development environment on the Next, arguably the best on any
microcomputer, has gotten better. Next has improved and extended
Interface Builder to allow creation of custom palettes; indeed, any
NextStep application can now dynamically load objects. Several new
tools, including AppInspector, MallocDebugger, and ProcessMonitor allow
you to inspect data structures, memory usage, and operating-system status
of currently executing NextStep applications. And Next is selling
(for the cost of media and handling) the full source code for its
GNU-derived utilities (including its Objective C compiler), the Mach
kernel, and the NetInfo utilities.
Some things have been dropped in Release 2.0. Mathematica is no
longer bundled, except with systems shipped to educational institutions
(Release 1.0 owners will get a free upgrade to Mathematica 2.0). Franz
Common Lisp is no longer bundled, but is offered by Franz as a separate
product. And the bundled Sybase server has also been dropped,
although a special "database object" is included in Release 2.0
to facilitate development of database applications.
Next is actually distributing two versions of Release 2.0. The
standard release, delivered on all systems that come with a 105MB hard
drive, lacks the developer tools, demo programs, and much of the online
documentation; it does include the online Webster's Ninth New
Collegiate Dictionary, but without keywords and indexed only for words
that are defined. The extended release, delivered on all systems
that come with a 340MB hard drive, includes all development tools, all
demo programs, all online documentation (including technical manuals, the
Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, the complete works of Shakespeare, and
the full version of Webster's). This release is also available as an
upgrade to the standard release.
What's Next?
An acquaintance of mind recently advanced a theory that Next's whole
approach over the last two years has been a very deliberate and
successfully executed plan. Introduce the product. Drum up
enthusiasm to attract developers and investors. Spend little on
advertising. Let pioneering users and developers test out the system
and make suggestions. Fine tune the hardware and manufacturing
process. Hold company size and expenses down where possible.
Support the development of key third party products. Then, when all
the pieces are in place, release a complete product line and market the
hell out of it.
That may be giving more credit to Next than it deserves. But it does
deserve credit for once again setting the standard for personal computers
and workstations, a standard which will undoubtedly be as widely pursued
as its first effort was. The important question is, Will Next sell
enough systems to continue its innovation and maintain the technological
lead, or will it merely clear the path for others to follow? Only
time will tell.
Bruce F. Webster is a Macworld contributing editor and vice president
of R&D at San Diego-based Pages, Inc.. |
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