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Xref: sserve comp.os.linux.misc:12873 comp.os.os2.misc:91100 comp.os.ms-windows.misc:23872 comp.os.386bsd.misc:2310 Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!msuinfo!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!MathWorks.Com!news.kei.com!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!dmuir From: dmuir@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Douglas Muir) Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.os2.misc,comp.os.ms-windows.misc,comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.unix.misc,comp.windows.x.misc Subject: OpenStep for $100 Date: 16 Apr 1994 16:58:48 GMT Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lines: 44 Message-ID: <2op5g8$1u0@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU> NNTP-Posting-Host: vongole.mit.edu Hi, I'm part of a group that's thinking about implementing a $100 OpenStep implementation. We think Next's NextStep OS is great, but its high price is a major reason why not many people have it. Now that Next is releasing the system independent features of NextStep (the spec. is called OpenStep), some friends and I have started to think about starting a software company to write an inexpensive implementation. However, it would be stupid to go through all the work to write such a thing if nobody would want it, so I'd like to get some feedback from the net community. Lets suppose that our final product is as much of a NextStep clone as possible (to be determined by the OpenStep spec, but most NextStep features should be included). It probably will *not* be binary compatible with NextStep, but in most cases a simple recompile should do the trick. It should also have the same feel and features as NextStep (such as display postscript & same GUI) but will *not* have things like Renderman, Pantone color, and possibly a mach based unix, which would be too expensive to license (instead we would use something like linux). We would also use DPS on top of X windows so your standard X programs would run. * If this product was priced at or around $100, would you buy it? * * (assume we can write it :-) Please send email to the address below! * Also, what are the most important factors involved in your decision? GUI, number of available applications, power, user friendliness, price, hardware requirements, compatibility with other OS's (windows emulator), etc.? I will *NOT*, repeat *NOT*, use your response to form a list of potential customers unless you explicitly ask me to. We think that there are three types of people who might want this, 1) people who want nextstep but can't afford it, 2) people who use unix at work and want it at home but want a nicer interface so their family can use it too, 3) hacker/techie/student types like ourselves. Thanks for your input! -Doug Muir dmuir@mit.edu PS. We know about gnustep but think that the OS would do better with a company behind it. PPS. Yes, this is the same group that posted on n.programmers.