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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.