Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Domains

Domain: blackholeinc.com

Stories and comments across the archive that link to blackholeinc.com.

Comments · 14

  1. Re:Obsolyte! by mgabrys_sf · · Score: 1 · on Fun and Profit With Obsolete Computers

    re: the NeXTstation - depending on what model, about 300 dollars

    http://blackholeinc.com/

    The cube is worth more certainly, but it's getting harder to find one not scuffed up (that paint was terrible). I've only come across them in Colorado (where BlackHole Inc is located) and here in the SF Bay Area where plenty of techies have gotten their hands on one since they were built here. Last cube I saw was from someone who used to work in the factory. The monitors are a pain since early ones got dimmer over time because of the oxide used.

  2. Magnesium Cubes by AKAImBatman · · Score: 1 · on High-End Aluminum PC Cases Make A Comeback

    Aluminum? How Space Age. Ultra-modern, Information Age technology demands the return of the Magnesium Alloy cases. And if you douse them in lighter fluid and place them on top of a natural gas burner, they burh quite nicely. ;-)

  3. Re:Color, multitasking? by qa'lth · · Score: 1 · on A Review of the 128KB Macintosh

    http://blackholeinc.com/

    All your refurb NeXT needs! They even have the ultimate Cubes.

  4. Re:Color, multitasking? by splatterboy · · Score: 1 · on A Review of the 128KB Macintosh

    http://www.blackholeinc.com/specials/blackhardware .shtml

    I've been lusting after one of these for ages, but the WAF (wife acceptance factor - or girlfriend, significant other - whatever) keeps it in fantasy land. "what? another computer, and the company is out of business?..."

    ah, life is made out of little trade-offs...

  5. Re:Color, multitasking? by grahamlee · · Score: 1 · on A Review of the 128KB Macintosh

    The SPARCStation 2 (obviously) isn't a sun3 box though - I'd happily give a limb to be able to get one of those (or a sun2). BTW was the NeXT site you're thinking of http://www.blackholeinc.com/?

    A Top Tip for getting classic computer gear is to know people in academia - I haven't paid for either of my NeXTs (cube and turbo color slab), my Ultra 1s, Ultra 5s, sparcstation 5, or my Mac Plus :-)

  6. History and mice by Thu25245 · · Score: 1 · on Why Apple Makes a One-Button Mouse

    Historically, Macs had only one mouse button because desktop computers only used one mouse button at the time, and Apple had a thing for simplifying anything they could reasonably.
    The Xerox Star used a three-button mouse. The Star is the same computer Apple is often accused of "copying" to create the Mac. One of the major distinctions between the two is the single-button mouse. The Mac used the double-click and click-and-drag behaviors to eliminate the other two buttons.

    And don't blame Steve, either. When Steve was forced out of Apple in the '80s, he started NeXT and built the NeXT, a machine that was supposed to beat the Mac in every way.

    It used a two-button mouse.

  7. Re:Yeah, right... by javaxman · · Score: 2, Interesting · on NeXTSTEP To Mac OS X
    The machines weren't ready for "real" sales until 1990, when they went on the market for $9999.

    What's that mean, 'real' sales?

    I know I went to a nice university, but we had NeXT machines in pretty good numbers by 1991... I can't believe they were actually that much... then again, a hard drive was pretty pricy back then, I bet you could easily configure a machine at that price! But, uh, I'd take that number with a grain of salt, it's not like they sold only one model, and that's a wiki entry with no source to back it up...

    Oh, BTW, I remembered the site that specializes in NeXT hardware is BlackHoleInc, get yer NeXTStation Turbo Color for a low, low $499 !!

    Yea, all things considered, that's some hardware that's held it's value pretty well... try getting that for *any* PC from 1992!!

  8. NeXT clustering happens with PDO's by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2 · on Jordan Hubbard Gives Last Intervew For Apple

    Check out PDO's.

  9. Re:Pixar software ran on NeXT by grouchomarxist · · Score: 2, Informative · on Pixar Switching to Mac OS X

    In particular the software was PhotoRealistic RenderMan (PRMan). See the renderman FAQ. Also the NeXTSTEP 3D Graphics Kit, an API, was based on RenderMan.

  10. Time for a history lesson by lostguy · · Score: 1 · on Tiny Apps

    The sort of thing you're asking about has been available for a decade -- with NEXTSTEP. I believe OS/X inherited this, but I could be incorrect.

    Read this and this for a start.

  11. Re:NeXT - Almost a Miracle, Destroyed By Java by RapaNui · · Score: 1 · on NeXT Lives -- In Apple

    Well, I'm sitting here looking at a brand-new CD of 3.3 I got from Apple last(?) year as a Y2K upgrade.
    IIRC it ran OK (bit sluggish) on a 486/66 w/ 32M RAM. According to the docs it would also run (at reduced color depth, maybe mono) in 8M.
    Just for kicks I tried it on an AMD 500, and it smokes! Starting to look a bit dated, though.
    For NeXTstep software, OS disks, and hardware, check out: BlackHole Incorporated

  12. Re:NeXT was my first UNIX... by fordp · · Score: 1 · on Looking Back At NeXT

    I still have a cube sitting here, It gets infrequent use, but I wouldn't part with it.

    As to your post, there was a product called NEXTSTEP/FIP back around 1993 which ran intel, I know that a release existed for atleast version.

    This likley means there is also an OPENSTEP/FIP as for obtaining a copy you might want to try: www.blackholeinc.com they still have next hardware and may be able to give you a lead on the software.

    Of course I think that an educational copy is still in the order of $400, a real pitty if you ask me.

    On another note, I know that NEXTSTEP/FIP 3.2 is approaching the end of reasonable use for things like its video driver. (i.e.: Finding a video card it supports can be a challenge.

  13. Re:Tools will pop up VERY SOON by CyberELF · · Score: 1 · on GNUstep 0.6.5 freeze

    They are still for sale at Black Hole Inc.

  14. NeXT UI by ccg · · Score: 1 · on In Search of the NeXTSTEP Look
    One question I have to ask is, how did you fall in love with the NeXT interface? Have you ever used it? I'm just asking because I used to follow WindowMaker development, but I got the impression the developers weren't interested in accurately reimplementing the NeXT UI so much as just using NeXT for inspiration but, ultimately, doing pretty much whatever they wanted. Of course, that was a couple years ago, so things may have changed. Anyway, my point is that the NeXTish stuff you can see on Linux does not, IMHO, really give a good idea of the NeXT UI. I think the problem is that many of the linux/afterstep/windowmaker people have never actually used NextStep. (I have OpenStep 4.2/Mach on my Intel box, in case you're wondering.) In my opinion, that's not necessarily a bad thing. NextStep is great for making screenshots that LOOK really good, but I think the actual interface kinda sucks. It's a lot like using a Macintosh actually (that shouldn't be surprising, considering Apple engineers made the NeXT.) The window system doesn't do multiple instances of programs. There is one main menu that is shared between all GUI programs. When a program doesn't have the focus, all its little pop-up windows (or helper windows, or modal windows, or whatever they're called) are hidden. For example, if you're looking at a File Viewer window, and you open the Workspace Help window and the File Inspector panel, when you switch to another application, the Help window and the Inspector panel window are hidden, but the File Viewer window remains visible. When you switch back, those windows reappear. Personally, I find it irritating the way windows are constantly appearing and disappearing.

    And the mouse sensitivity under NextStep really sucks.

    Okay, enough of my opinions, let me offer some real info. "I would love to have a NeXT machine but they are rather hard to come by these days...." Actually, that's wrong. NeXT machines are easy to get these days, because nobody wants them. Check out these sites:
    Spherical Solutions (www.orb.com)
    Black Hole Inc. (www.blackholeinc.com)
    Deep Space Tech (www.deepspacetech.com)

    Any of them would be happy to sell you a NeXT box for a few hundred bucks. Also, look at the software at Black Hole, Inc. If you're a student, you can get NextStep for under a hundred bucks, if I remember right.

    Here are a couple more links that you might find useful:
    http://www3.pair.com/mccarthy/nextstep/
    http://people.ne.mediaone.net/jkheit

    I hope something in here was helpful
    ccg

    chad at glendenin dot org