Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET (Z4648252) (03/30/89)
The following is a capture of a returned reply to "MARIA".
My mail keeps bouncing to that address, but maybe others can benefit
from the recommendation and feedback of Spectre 128 version 1.9 from
this address:
Fire a reply back to this message reminding me to mail you a review
that I wrote on the Spectre 128.
Briefly, I have nothing but rave for the Spectre. But, I am running
a Mega2 ST and a hard drive and the Atari monochrome monitor. I definitely
would not recommend on using the Spectre or a Mac without a hard drive. The
Mac does not pre-load their OS into memory, a major flaw in my opinion. That
means that there is a lot of disk access.
At the least, you need a two drive system and that is barely toleralel
as there will still be a lot of disk swapping as the Mac (and Spectre) will
want the system disk in one drive and host program in the other.
If the host program loads only portions of itself into memory, and you
try to save or load a file, then you will be playing 'swap the disk' A LOT.
Using a ramdisk would help solve that but you will need a two meg
system if you do any serious work at all.
With that out of the way, and assuming that you have a two megged, hard
driven ST with monochrome monitor, you will be in for a treat. With the
exception of about 50% of games, all commerical grade Macintosh software
works flawlessly. Hypercard works perfectly with the exception of any
terminal mode. Hypercard generates its own touch tone code which the
Spectre cannot do. In other words, Hypercard doesn't toggle the the internal
tone generator of your modem.
So, you just don't use that part of HyperCard. Use any other terminal
program instead; my favorite is Red Ryder--not the PD version.
Terminal programs have problems dumping to the printer. The Mac wants
two serial ports which the ST doesn't have. However, saving archives of your
captured screen is absolutely no problem at all.
Printer drivers require a little detective work since the Mac requires
use of either a laser or ImageWriter. I am using Orange-Micro's Grappler
Interface. It is a hardware/software interface but Dave Small has the
emulator set up so that you don't need the hardware part.
Final question then, do it all work? Sure does. I use FullWrite
nearly daily and have run Excel with absolutely no problem at all. With
the exception of the caveats above, one can virtually say that the ST is
a MAC when used with Spectre.
Note that Spectre 128 has been upgraded to version 1.9. If you get
Spectre, make sure it is 1.9 rather than 1.75. A serious bug fix has
been installed for HyperCard. Hope this helps.
By the way, I use Spectre because I NEED it. I didn't get it only for
the novelty or enthusiasm. I require the sophisticated software that the
MAC has but don't want to give up my ST to get to it. The main gripe that
I have is MAC's inability to preload its system into memory (other than ram
disk) and the klutzy disk access that the MAC uses. Spectre emulates the
MAC too close in this reqard. SIGH
-------------
Larry Rymal <Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET>