dlm@druwy.ATT.COM (Dan Moore) (04/20/89)
in article <10421@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>, bdiscoe@tybalt.caltech.edu (Ben W. Discoe) says: > The AMAX looks like a very attractive option for me. However, the prices > aren't exactly all that low: > AMAX, when available ........ ~$200 > 128K ROMS, IF available ..... $150 > Mac drive, w/edu discount ... $283 > --------------- > $633 I think your price for a Mac(tm) drive is high, remember you don't have to buy the drive that Apple sells. Third party drives are much cheaper. You also don't may not need to have a Mac drive. Standard Amiga drives can read and write part (about 200K) of a Mac disk. That may be enough as long as you only transfer small amounts of data to and from real Macs. I wouldn't worry about the availability of the 128K ROMs much. Prices have floated up and down for the last year or so but they have always been available. When the Spectre 128 (the 128K ROM Mac emulator for the ST) came out many of the dealers selling ROMs ran out. It was almost impossible to get the ROMs for about 2 or 3 weeks, the time it took the dealers to get them back into stock. If the AMAX is as successful as the Mac emulators on the Atari the same thing may happen again. Or maybe the dealers have learned to keep a larger stock of ROMs on hand. > One option, which my EE friends say is possible, is to copy the ROMs out > of an existing Mac onto fresh eproms. However, this sounds like an illegal > thing, and the ROMs might not be socketed, although they probably are, seeing > as how the ROMs get upgraded every so often. > Anyone know about the feasibility/legality of the above? It's important > to bring the price of this thing DOWN. The Mac OS ROMs are socketed. I would recommend that you don't even think about copying them into EPROMs, Apple is very touchy about people violating their copyrights on software. Copying ROMs into EPROMs is a very definate violation of their copyright and Apple does every thing they can to protect their copyrights. (They have to, if they didn't take actions to protect them the copyright might be ruled to be invalid. That is one of the reasons they decided to sue Microsoft and HP, they may not "own" the "idea" of the desktop but if they do and didn't sue they would lose the ownership since they didn't protect it.) Dan Moore AT&T Bell Labs Denver dlm@druwy.ATT.COM
scobb@bti.UUCP (Steve Cobb) (04/21/89)
In article <16630@oberon.USC.EDU>, papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) writes: > You've been warned :-) > Since the release of the AMAX emulator, Mac ROMS are going fast. One place > that still has a few is Pre-Owned Electronics, Inc. They have full page ads Wrong Marco! :-) I called them this morning (4-20-89) and they said they just ran out about half an hour before I called (grrrr.) They said they did not know when they would be getting more. This was shortly before I read your posting. In fact it's probably YOUR fault that they ran out before I could get mine. Read your mail carefully, an Email bomb is on it's way :-) Does anybody know off hand if 128k PROMS are pin compatible with the 128k ROMS. (I'm just curious. Honest. Cross my heart and hope to die. (before I'm 100) ) > -- Marco Papa 'Doc' > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > uucp:...!pollux!papa BIX:papa ARPAnet:pollux!papa@oberon.usc.edu > "There's Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Diga!" -- Leo Schwab [quoting Rick Unland] > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Steven Cobb Biomagnetic Technologies, inc. MAIL: 4174 Sorrento Valley Blvd. San Diego, CA 92121 ---------------------- PHONE: (619) 453-6300 x349 | Disclaim all words | UUCP: {ucsd, hplabs!hp-sdd}!ncr-sd!bti!scobb | Ye who read here | ----------------------
papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) (04/22/89)
In article <392@bti.UUCP> scobb@bti.UUCP (Steve Cobb) writes: >In article <16630@oberon.USC.EDU>, papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) writes: >> You've been warned :-) >> Since the release of the AMAX emulator, Mac ROMS are going fast. One place >> that still has a few is Pre-Owned Electronics, Inc. They have full page ads > > Wrong Marco! :-) I called them this morning (4-20-89) and they said they > just ran out about half an hour before I called (grrrr.) They said they > did not know when they would be getting more. This was shortly before I > read your posting. In fact it's probably YOUR fault that they ran out > before I could get mine. Given the large readership of comp.sys.amiga, I was expecting something like that, but having them run out just one day after my posting is pretty amazing. BTW, I did order 1 128K ROM BEFORE I posted :-) As far as I know, Pre-Owned Electronics is the largest distributor of MAC parts. They also sell entire Apple motherboards. Also note that the price of non-Apple made disk drives is much less than what previously advertised: you can find them for $199 or less (see any of the MAC magazines). > Read your mail carefully, an Email bomb is on it's way :-) OK. I'll start looking more carefully. -- Marco Papa 'Doc' -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= uucp:...!pollux!papa BIX:papa ARPAnet:pollux!papa@oberon.usc.edu "There's Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Diga!" -- Leo Schwab [quoting Rick Unland] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
cdouty@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Christopher Douty) (04/22/89)
In article <10421@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> bdiscoe@tybalt.caltech.edu.UUCP (Ben W. Discoe) writes: > The AMAX looks like a very attractive option for me. However, the prices >aren't exactly all that low: > AMAX, when available ........ ~$200 > 128K ROMS, IF available ..... $150 > Mac drive, w/edu discount ... $283 > --------------- > $633 > One option, which my EE friends say is possible, is to copy the ROMs out >of an existing Mac onto fresh eproms. > Anyone know about the feasibility/legality of the above? It's important >to bring the price of this thing DOWN. >- Ben "to new to have a .sig" Discoe True, the actual package cost is a lot higher than $200, but I think that it is still a damn good deal. Think about it, for an extra $600 or so you get the equivelent of a Mac Plus with a reasonable screen size. #8^) Looking at my handy college computer price list, I find that a baseline Mac Plus is $1222. That is with one 3-1/2" floppy and a standard keyboard, and of course NO COLOR. For slightly more you can have an Amiga 500 and 1084SD monitor, 1 Meg, and the AMAX package. If you are really creative you could probably work a 2nd floppy drive in there. I think that is a pretty good deal. The situation only gets better as you go up both the Amiga and Mac lines. An Amiga 2500 with the AMAX package will cost around $5000, while a similarly equipped Mac IIx will cost about $5400 with less RAM and of course no multi-tasking. Enough haranguing on that subject. I don't know about copying the ROMs. I know that it is technically possible. I once had a device specifically for the purpose of copying Atari 2600 cartriges, so the copying of Mac ROMs should be the same. I do know that it is blatently illegal though, or at least Apple's lawyers will claim so while they haul you into court. It probably IS a violation of the licences and copyrights on the ROM software, but the deciding factor is that Apple can spend much more on prosecution than any individual and few companies can spend on defense. Just something to mull over. -- Christopher Douty cdouty@jarthur.claremont.edu with STANDARD_DISCLAIMER; use STANDARD_DISCLAIMER; "Gun control is being with SILLY_QUOTE; use SILLY_QUOTE; able to hit your target"
mp1u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Portuesi) (04/24/89)
cdouty@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Christopher Douty) writes: > The situation only gets better as you go up both the Amiga and Mac > lines. An Amiga 2500 with the AMAX package will cost around $5000, while a > similarly equipped Mac IIx will cost about $5400 with less RAM and of course > no multi-tasking. Enough haranguing on that subject. > I should point out the following inequality: A2500 + AMAX != Mac IIx For one thing, you don't have access to the 512K ROM in the IIx, the Color Quickdraw, use of a hard drive, or ability to use NuBus cards when emulating a Macintosh. If you really, really want a Macintosh, you're better off buying one. The AMAX is a really neat product for Amigaphiles who have the occasional want to run Mac software, but I wouldn't recommend it in place of one. Personally, I'd rather see more/better applications software in the Amiga's native mode than rely on an emulation of another operating environment. -- Michael Portuesi * Information Technology Center * Carnegie Mellon University INET: mp1u+@andrew.cmu.edu * BITNET: mp1u+@andrew UUCP: ...harvard!andrew.cmu.edu!mp1u+ MAIL: Carnegie Mellon University, P.O. Box 259, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 "Why do I live the way I do ain't it obvious I'm just a man like you" --Boy George