[comp.sys.atari.st] PC Emulators

amc@wlv.imsd.contel.com (Allen M. Cohen) (01/09/90)

What's the best PC Emulator for ATARI ST in the 3-4 hundred dollar
price range?

How do the following compare?
1) PC DITTO II
2) PC SPEED
3) SUPERCHARGER

cs161fca@sdcc10.ucsd.edu ( ) (01/09/90)

In article <43676@wlbr.IMSD.CONTEL.COM> amc@wlv.imsd.contel.com (Allen M. Cohen) writes:
>What's the best PC Emulator for ATARI ST in the 3-4 hundred dollar
>price range?
>
>How do the following compare?
>1) PC DITTO II
>2) PC SPEED
>3) SUPERCHARGER




For little more than $400, you can get a complete XT with a monitor.
So why spend money on these emulators, anyway?


--
What is the Final Outcome for China's current Mainland-Taiwan
Separation Situation?  It is:
In China, 1992, Taiwan's Lee Hwan will liberate Mainland!
********** a prediction appearing in Usenet since Sept 1989 *******

silvert@cs.dal.ca (Bill Silvert) (01/09/90)

In article <5970@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> cs161fca@sdcc10.ucsd.edu ( ) writes:
>
>For little more than $400, you can get a complete XT with a monitor.
>So why spend money on [PC] emulators, anyway?

Good point.  I bought a 9.7 Mhz NEC Multispeed for just $640 US
recently, which not only is a perfect emulator, it permits true
multitasking (I run it at the same time as the ST).  However, when my
PCditto upgrade board arrives I plan to install it in an ST with a
colour monitor, since colour is expensive even on the PC.

For what PCditto costs ($200 for the upgrade) it is probably worth it,
but I agree that there is probably not much value at today's prices in
buying a PC emulator from scratch.
-- 
Bill Silvert, Habitat Ecology Division.
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada B2Y 4A2
UUCP: ...!{uunet,watmath}!dalcs!biomel!bill
Internet: bill%biomel@cs.dal.CA		BITNET: bill%biomel%dalcs@dalac

ROEDERT@ARIZVM1.BITNET (Timothy Roeder) (01/11/90)

In article <5970@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> cs161fca@sdcc10.ucsd.edu ( ) writes:
>
>For little more than $400, you can get a complete XT with a monitor.
>So why spend money of [PC] emulators, anyway?


In reply Phil Woodall writes:
>
>There was recently a query concerning hardware PC emulators on the net, I
>would like to help out a little by offering a reply.
>
>First it was pointed out (and rightly so) that you could pick up a cheap PC
>for $400, however this in itself is a very inefficient solution as:
>
>         i) Who wants more computers than they need, taking up room.
>[stuff deleted]

I would like to add my two-cents' worth to this discussion.  I have used PC-
Ditto extensively since it was first introduced, and am anxiously awaiting
the arrival of PC-Ditto II to my door. (Anyone know the current status of
the product?)

In places where I work (and have worked), PC's are of course dominant.  The
convenience of being able to bring any extra work home is unbeatable.  This
necessitates that I have PC compatibility at home.  However, though clones
are cheap, in the little trailer that I live in their is barely room for ONE
computer system, much less two or three (if I also wanted a Mac).  Therefore,
an emulator that turns my present computer into one (or two!) other computers
is indispensible.

So IMHO emulators are most useful for people who do not have a great deal of
room to spare for multiple computer systems.


Timothy Roeder

Internet: troeder@mis.arizona.edu -- Bitnet: roedert@arizvm1.bitnet
"Over the years I have begun to think that it is very unhealthy to think.  What
do you think?"

scott@jpusa1.UUCP (Scott Van Court) (01/15/90)

Has anyone heard what is going on with the PC Ditto II?
I'm sure there must be someone that has heard something.  I can't beleive
I've waited this long.
-- 
scott

econadm5@watserv1.waterloo.edu (BENTLEY BH - ECONOMICS) (01/15/90)

In article <1217@jpusa1.UUCP> scott@jpusa1.chi.il.us (Scott Van Court) writes:
>
>Has anyone heard what is going on with the PC Ditto II?
>I'm sure there must be someone that has heard something.  I can't beleive
>I've waited this long.

 I have heard someone a Toronto dealer went down to Florida to check
 out the PC-Ditto II. It does exist its been worked on. From what the
 dealer said he litterly demanded to see one working. He saw a protype
 with all the fancy features and more. So if you need more Info the MTST
 Usergroup gave info that the store owner at CompuWorld??? was the one
 that saw it. Phone CompuWorld and ask him in Toronto. Let me know

 Dave Tomesch " This is from the grapevine check it out to be sure"

matthews@umd5.umd.edu (Mike Matthews) (01/15/90)

In article <1217@jpusa1.UUCP> scott@jpusa1.chi.il.us (Scott Van Court) writes:
>
>Has anyone heard what is going on with the PC Ditto II?
>I'm sure there must be someone that has heard something.  I can't beleive
>I've waited this long.
>-- 
>scott

A user on a local board (local as in Washington DC metropolitan area) has just
received PC Ditto II.  Others on CI$ and GEnie have also, or so I hear.

[gee, my system just crashed and burned... wonder if it was my, er, attempts at
GEM programming in Personal Pascal, or those (^&*$% ROM chips again]

Mike (wonder if my .signature file still errors out, too)

cr1@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Christopher Roth) (01/17/90)

In article <1217@jpusa1.UUCP> scott@jpusa1.chi.il.us (Scott Van Court) writes:
>
>Has anyone heard what is going on with the PC Ditto II?
>I'm sure there must be someone that has heard something.  I can't beleive
>I've waited this long.
>-- 
>scott

I was just talking to my local atari dealer today and he informs me
that pc ditto II DOES NOT WORK.  He said NOBODY he has spoken to has
been able to get it to work, and efforts to get anyone on the phone
about it have FAILED due to a busy signal.  Can anyone verify these
rumours?  I was thinking about getting PC Ditto II, but now I am
wondering if it is such a good idea!
 


--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
*     Christoper Roth                         *  "Machines have no 
*     InterNet  :  cr1@beach.cis.ufl.edu      *   Conscience..."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Post No Bills-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

la062594@zach.fit.edu ( John Karp) (01/17/90)

For all who are curious about PC-DITTO II, yes it is finally shipping, however
if you haven't received yours yet, don't holold your breath...  Mine came in the mail a few days ago, and as was mentioned in a previous bulletin, neither
mine, nor anyone else's final release version actually works.  Apparently
there is a defective chip on the board, which the manufacturer didn't catch.
AVANT GARDE SYSTEMS is currently working on this problem, and has decided to
postpone any mention of shipping until this problem has been rectified, which
seems to make sense.  My computer works fine in ST mode with the board installedso I just pretend it never came.  AVANT GARDE has promised to keep GENIE users
informed of the staus of the fix, and as soon as I know something else I will
post the info to the net.  While I admit that I was annoyed about being sent a
board that didn't work, I was able to reach Avant Garde by phone, and they were
very courteous and helpful.  They promised to find the problem withtin the next few days, and said that I had the option of returning the board for a full
refund if I prefer.  Not suffering from IBMitis, I don't mind waiting a few
more days for a working emulator.

John P. Karp

krs@stag.UUCP (Kent Schumacher) (01/18/90)

[econadm5@watserv1.waterloo.edu (BENTLEY BH - ECONOMICS) writes...]
> In article <1217@jpusa1.UUCP> scott@jpusa1.chi.il.us (Scott Van Court) writes:
>>
>>Has anyone heard what is going on with the PC Ditto II?
>>I'm sure there must be someone that has heard something.  I can't beleive
>>I've waited this long.
> 
>  I have heard someone a Toronto dealer went down to Florida to check
>  out the PC-Ditto II. It does exist its been worked on. From what the
>  dealer said he litterly demanded to see one working. He saw a protype
>  with all the fancy features and more. So if you need more Info the MTST
>  Usergroup gave info that the store owner at CompuWorld??? was the one
>  that saw it. Phone CompuWorld and ask him in Toronto. Let me know
> 
>  Dave Tomesch " This is from the grapevine check it out to be sure"

As of Friday (1/11/90) there were 16 GEnie users that had reported they
had received their PC-Ditto II's.

Nobody had successfully installed theirs yet.

(I don't mean to be cryptic, but I also don't want to start any rumours
or reactionary flames.  The two sentences above are all I know.)


  - Kent Schumacher               It's...   
    ardvar!krs@stag.UUCP             
    GEnie: K.SCHUMACHE1

nelson@kodak.UUCP (Bruce Nelson) (01/19/90)

AvantGarde posted a message on CompuServe on 1/17 saying that many of the
boards they shipped were DOA due to a bad chip. They are working with their
manufacturer to come up with a (hopefully painless) solution.

They've sure had a run of bad luck!

Bruce Nelson