kat@bridge2.3Com.Com (Keith Tomkins) (03/18/89)
There are several MSDOS applications I would like to run on the MAC. I have heard that there is a package called SoftPC that will allow me to do this. I need the answers to the following questions: 1. Will this run on a MAC SE? 2. If so, do I need an accelerator or does it run relatively quick on a stock SE? 3. If it only runs on a MAC II, should I get an accelerator for it? 4. Approximately what does the package cost? 5. What are the known bugs? 6. Will it run graphics oriented (i.e. CAD) packages on it? Thanks for any information you can provide. Keith
jcocon%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu (James C O'Connor III, 2846) (03/19/89)
From article <524@bridge2.3Com.Com>, by kat@bridge2.3Com.Com (Keith Tomkins): > heard that there is a package called SoftPC that will allow me to do this. > I need the answers to the following questions: > 1. Will this run on a MAC SE? > 2. If so, do I need an accelerator or does it run relatively quick > on a stock SE? > 3. If it only runs on a MAC II, should I get an accelerator for it? > 4. Approximately what does the package cost? > 5. What are the known bugs? > 6. Will it run graphics oriented (i.e. CAD) packages on it? > 1. No, it won't run on the Mac SE. You must have an accelerator card and at least 2 megs of memory. It is slow with the 2 meg version, and about XT speed with the 4 meg version. 2. See one. 3. Mac II is about the same as a good accelerator in the SE. 4. $500 mail order? 5. I don't know of any. 6. Don't know. Hope that helps. A good friend of mine has it and uses it a lot. He has a 68030 @ 20MHz with 5 meg of memory. You NEED a hard disk. Jim
gould@pilot.njin.net (Brian Jay Gould) (03/21/89)
The latest version of SoftPC due to be released in a few weeks runs in less memory, is supposed to be faster (a little), and costs less than the earlier version. I have the old version and an order for the new version. For a few casual applications, its fine. If you are going to do some serious MSDOS, I recommend a coprocessor. You get CGA emulation which is probably not suitable for CAD. It really is 100% PC compatible (everything runs). You get a little less than XT performance on a MAC II. -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Brian Jay Gould :: INTERNET gould@pilot.njin.net BITNET gould@jvncc - - UUCP rutgers!njin!gould Telephone (201) 329-9616 - --------------------------------------------------------------------------s
cole@sas.UUCP (Tom Cole) (03/23/89)
Someone asks some questions about SoftPC, to which I reply: 1. SoftPC will only run on an SE if you have an accellerator installed. I don't know what accellerators it will work with, but it runs fine on my SE with a Radius 16 accellerator. It will *not* run on a stock SE or Plus as it makes use of 68020 instructions. 2. It also runs fine on a Mac II with no additional hardware. 3. It runs about as fast as your basic IBM PC/XT. Which is to say it is tolerable for many things, but pretty slow for big crunching programs. 4. Asks about CAD-type graphics. SoftPC (currently) only supports CGA graphics, which don't measure up for much beyond games, IMHO. So don't get too hepped up on graphics just yet. 5. If you are planning to run PC programs, you gotta solve one basic problem: how do you get the programs into your Mac? The choices are a) by a Dayna or Apple IBM drive, which SoftPC will recognize and use as the A: drive, b) hook a serial line to your neighborhood PC and use a trick called SlavePC that comes with the SoftPC package that lets you use the PC's A drive as if it where on your Mac, but not too swiftly, or c) download using Kermit-like things in a text- format file, and move them into the SoftPC domain using its ability to make a Mac folder be the E: drive. 6. It is a *very* compatible implementation of a PC. I can run SAS for the PC (about 14mb of stuff) and it runs flawlessly, though slowly. I run it on a 5mb Mac II and make a 1mb ram cache to my disk, which helps a lot. 7. You gotta have memory. An accellerated SE with 2.5mb is a minimum, and a 5mb system will make it run at about optimal speed. This appears to be because enourmous tables (state machine?) are loaded into memory to drive the 8086 emulator, and they eat space. Conclusion: I already had the hardware, and needed access to a PC to be able to run SAS, so the ~600 dollar investment was cheaper than going out and bying a PC/XT clone with a hard disk. If you don't have the hardware yet (not enough memory or accellerator) then it can be a pretty expensive way to get access to PC technology. For what I needed, it was a perfect solution. I like it. Tom Cole SAS Institute I have no connection with SoftPC except as a satisfied customer. I have no connection that I would ever admit to the PC version of SAS. My employer doesn't even suspect I have opinions, and would probably be unimpressed even if they heard them...