What's NeXT. Libraries enter the '90s

The NeXT workstation has been heralded as the machine that defines what personal computers must be in the 1990s. The NeXT, inc., staff worked with leaders in higher education to determine what was lacking in today's microcomputers that should be included in the workstation of the next decade. The result of their collaborative efforts is the NeXT. This paper begins with a description of the NeXT's hardware and software components. Following is a description of how the NeXT was conceived, and the 'breakthroughs' that NeXT, Inc., claims make it fundamentally different from other computers. Finally, local library applications are presented. These include porting a bibliographic database management system called MicroLIAS to the NeXT, the development of an interactive multimedia application, and a consideration of how existing library services could be enhanced using technology provided by workstations such as the NeXT.