Ng.PA@XEROX.COM (07/24/86)
On the July issue of Computer Current, I leaned there is a $300 module that plugs into the cartidge port of the ST allows it to run almost all the Macintosh software. Could someone out there in the netland give me more infor on this? Could someone also give me a brief review on the 1040 ST developer package? Thanks, Nelson
dave@helm.UUCP (David Goldblatt) (07/29/86)
In article <860724-104707-2688@Xerox> Ng.PA@Xerox.COM writes: > > On the July issue of Computer Current, I leaned there is a $300 >module that plugs into the cartidge port of the ST allows it to run >almost all the Macintosh software. Could someone out there in the >netland give me more infor on this? > Could someone also give me a brief review on the 1040 ST developer >package? > > >Thanks, > >Nelson There was a blurb in either ANTIC, ANALOG, or Byte a couple of months ago describing that David Small [of magazine fame, including Outpost:Atari in the now-defunct Creative Computing] had developed a box which let a ST run Mac software, including graphics. There was only one little problem in this: to make one's ST think it's a Macintosh, it must BE a Macintosh - simple brainwashing doesn't work; you need a new brain. Basically, what he did was develop a DMA port device which amongst other things, contained the Macintosh ROMs. That's all well and good, until you recall the 'unimportant' fact that the Macintosh ROMs are copyrighted.. Last I heard, Small was waiting for some sort of response from Apple as to whether he could market the device, either by including ROMs purchased from Apple, or having the buyer purchase them from an Apple dealer. It SOUNDED good, but it wouldn't be the first time someon failed to market something along those lines.. -dg- ...philabs!sbcs!helm!dave ...!trixie!polyof!helm!dave "Just another BITNETter..."
cms@vlsvax1.UUCP (Chuck M. Sweeney) (08/08/86)
In article <551@helm.UUCP> dave@helm.UUCP (David Goldblatt) writes: >In article <860724-104707-2688@Xerox> Ng.PA@Xerox.COM writes: >> >> On the July issue of Computer Current, I leaned there is a $300 >>module that plugs into the cartidge port of the ST allows it to run >>almost all the Macintosh software. Could someone out there in the >>netland give me more infor on this? >> Could someone also give me a brief review on the 1040 ST developer >>package? >> >> > There was a blurb in either ANTIC, ANALOG, or Byte a couple of >months ago describing that David Small had developed a box >which let a ST run Mac software, including graphics. <Stuff deleted> >Basically, what he did was develop a DMA port device which >amongst other things, contained the Macintosh ROMs. >-dg- > >...philabs!sbcs!helm!dave >...!trixie!polyof!helm!dave > Fact is, the MacCartridge from David Small and Joel Rosenblum uses the ROM cartridge port, not the DMA port. The last I heard, they were close to an understanding with Apple that would give them a way to market the device. I don't have any details or a time frame, but it sounds like the thing may actually become a real product.
dyer@spdcc.UUCP (Steve Dyer) (08/12/86)
Inasmuchas the Mac ROMs are rather like the IBM PC BIOS (or, better,
what the BIOS should have been), isn't expecting Apple to license their
sale rather like asking IBM to sell its BIOS separately to clone makers?
This "product" leaves a bad taste in my mouth, if only because the producers
took the easy way out. Far better it would have been to reverse-engineer
the ROMs from the programming interface specification. This is a lot harder,
granted, but it also avoids many of the hassles that have been described in
the media.
--
Steve Dyer
dyer@harvard.HARVARD.EDU
{linus,wanginst,bbnccv,harvard,ima,ihnp4}!spdcc!dyerFelton.pa@XEROX.COM (08/12/86)
Steve, It is illegal to "reverse-engineer" the roms. In order to write your own version of the O.S. which is functionally equivalent to the original you must have never have seen actual code from the original roms. If you have seen this code you may be accussed of having stollen some of it. Phoenix Software had to find programmers who had never seen the IBM PC bios before when they wrote their bios. John