tubman@sask.UUCP (Jim Tubman) (02/26/88)
This talk of Tandy producing a Macintosh clone doesn't sound completely absurd. The programmer's interface to the Macintosh is very well specified in terms of operating system calls, and it would surely be no great trick to read and write Mac disks. Tandy is a big enough company that it could put the appropriate resources into reverse-engineering the Mac OS, and into any resulting legal battle. It would be interesting to hear what the folks at Apple have to say about this, but there is no way in the world that their lawyers would let them say anything. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |"I think that Customs men should | Jim Tubman | | be armed, so they can kill | The Computer-Guided Diagnosis Project | | people who bring back more than | University of Saskatchewan | | 200 cigarettes." | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | | -- Monty Python | S7N 0W0 Canada | | | {ihnp4,alberta,utcsri}!sask!skvlsi!tubman| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hoofb@psu-cs.UUCP (Bruce Hoof) (03/03/88)
In article <1044@sask.UUCP> tubman@sask.UUCP (Jim Tubman) writes: > >This talk of Tandy producing a Macintosh clone doesn't sound completely >absurd. The programmer's interface to the Macintosh is very well specified >in terms of operating system calls, and it would surely be no great trick to >read and write Mac disks. Tandy is a big enough company that it could put >the appropriate resources into reverse-engineering the Mac OS, and into any >resulting legal battle. I love the rumors that fly around!!! But this one is hard to believe. A couple of weeks ago someone noted that Tandy was looking for Macintosh programmers. I poked around and discovered that Tandy is going to do something with The Appletalk network. This sounds like a smooth thing to do. After all PC's connect to the appletalk network. Bare in mind that I got this from a friend so the info might be wrong, such is the life of a rumor. But it sounds better than cloning the mac. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Disclaimer: I'm just a poor student getting through school. Bruce Hoof. UUCP: hoofb@psu-cs.UUCP bruce@escargot
paulm@nikhefk.UUCP (Paul Molenaar) (03/03/88)
In article <525@psu-cs.UUCP>, hoofb@psu-cs.UUCP (Bruce Hoof) writes: > In article <1044@sask.UUCP> tubman@sask.UUCP (Jim Tubman) writes: > > > >This talk of Tandy producing a Macintosh clone doesn't sound completely > >absurd. The programmer's interface to the Macintosh is very well specified > >in terms of operating system calls, and it would surely be no great trick to > >read and write Mac disks. Tandy is a big enough company that it could put > >the appropriate resources into reverse-engineering the Mac OS, and into any > >resulting legal battle. > > I love the rumors that fly around!!! But this one is hard to believe. > A couple of weeks ago someone noted that Tandy was looking for > Macintosh programmers. I poked around and discovered that Tandy is > going to do something with The Appletalk network. This sounds like a > smooth thing to do. After all PC's connect to the appletalk network. I've heard rumours of Tandy cloning the Mac II before. The product code name was something like 'Black Sword' ('Black something anyway). So it might not just be the AppleTalk project (do they need 680x0 programmers for just that?)... what an interesting world we live in ;) .. . . . such a waste of valuable space . . .. -- Paul Molenaar "Just checking the walls" - Basil Fawlty -
merchant@eleazar.Dartmouth.EDU (Peter Merchant) (03/05/88)
In article <525@psu-cs.UUCP>, Bruce Hoof writes: > I love the rumors that fly around!!! But this one is hard to believe. > A couple of weeks ago someone noted that Tandy was looking for > Macintosh programmers. I poked around and discovered that Tandy is > going to do something with The Appletalk network. Tandy's scheme, from what I understand, is to build their own AppleTalk card for networking their PCs. So that it won't be AppleTalk, it'll be TandyNet. And if you plug a Macintosh into the network, well, yeah, it'll work. This way, Macintoshes work on TandyNet, not the other way around... :^) Personally, my favourite rumour (and I can't remember where I read this) is that Tandy is planning to come out with a Macintosh clone this fall, but Texas Instruments is going to beat them to it. I can see it now: The TI/99 Model II. The rumour said look for a summer release. Also, I have midshipmen here who are going to Brazil this fall. I hope to have them pick me up a Macintosh clone from that place in Brazil that makes clones all over the place. Hell, even if I can't get it repaired or upgraded, it should still be a hell of a conversation piece. --- "I get weak..." Peter Merchant (merchant@eleazar.UUCP) P.S. to all MultiFinder users -- Wasting time about a week ago, while on the phone, I discovered something amusing. Hold down the option and cloverleaf keys and choose "About MultiFinder..." Enjoy.
zrm@eddie.MIT.EDU (Zigurd R. Mednieks) (03/07/88)
Overheard among Cambridge Unix hacker types: "Phoenix WANTS to have Mac compatible ROMs." Also, I was at the satellite video roll out for the MicroExplorer. TI and Apple are so lovey-dovey it hardly seems possible that TI would compete against Apple. TI might concievably make a super-high-end Macintosh to complement their high-end Explorer processor. They have all the hardware (their NuBus 680x0-based Unix systems which are already mated to Lisp processors). They would need the ROMs and to write the i/o drivers. This would fill a market need for TI, in that the Mac user interface is probably the best thing that ever happened to Lisp machines and why not use it throughout the model line. But this is a need that could be filled by mating Explorer IIs to Macintoshes -- no need to sell (or licence) the crown jewels. (In fact, it would seem that the software that makes it possible for the MicroExplorer to live on the Mac II NuBus would also work over an Ethernet link between a Mac II and a full size Explorer II.) -Zigurd -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zigurd Mednieks MURSU Corporation (617)424-0146 25 Exeter Street Boston, MA 02116
hoofb@psu-cs.UUCP (Bruce Hoof) (03/08/88)
In article <327@nikhefk.UUCP> paulm@nikhefk.UUCP (Paul Molenaar) writes: >In article <525@psu-cs.UUCP>, hoofb@psu-cs.UUCP (Bruce Hoof) writes: >> In article <1044@sask.UUCP> tubman@sask.UUCP (Jim Tubman) writes: >> > >> >This talk of Tandy producing a Macintosh clone doesn't sound completely >> >absurd. The programmer's interface to the Macintosh is very well specified >> >in terms of operating system calls, and it would surely be no great trick to >> >read and write Mac disks. Tandy is a big enough company that it could put >> >the appropriate resources into reverse-engineering the Mac OS, and into any >> >resulting legal battle. >> >> I love the rumors that fly around!!! But this one is hard to believe. >> A couple of weeks ago someone noted that Tandy was looking for >> Macintosh programmers. I poked around and discovered that Tandy is >> going to do something with The Appletalk network. This sounds like a >> smooth thing to do. After all PC's connect to the appletalk network. > >I've heard rumours of Tandy cloning the Mac II before. The product code >name was something like 'Black Sword' ('Black something anyway). > >So it might not just be the AppleTalk project (do they need >680x0 programmers for just that?)... what an interesting world >we live in ;) To speculate some more Tandy could be writing Mac software to interface with there DeskMate software, that come with all their computers, through the AppleTalk network?. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: I am not attached to any organization. I am just a poor student getting through school. Hopefully soon. Bruce Hoof Computer Science Student UUCP: hoofb@psu-cs bruce@escargot -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: I am not attached to any organization. I am just a poor student getting through school. Hopefully soon. Bruce Hoof Computer Science Student UUCP: hoofb@psu-cs bruce@escargot
dennisg@pwcs.StPaul.GOV (Dennis Grittner) (03/09/88)
I had a brief conversation with an individual from Tandy during Uniforum. They said that the Mac clone rumor appears to have come from two sources: 1. Wishful thinking ( I'm certainly in this category - I'd love to see Mac prices come down ) 2. They advertised for some folk with Mac experience or some such as they wanted folks with WINDOWING experience - supposedly. I'd love to see a Mac clone ( that was useful - not the 512K Brazilian thing ) but I guess I put it right near the Cray-on-a-chip rumor that I overhead at the Malt shop last week :-) -- Dennis Grittner City of Saint Paul, Minnesota (612) 298-4402 Room 700, 25 W. 4th St. 55102 "Let's just put Ollie, Ronnie, and the rest in jail!"
gillies@uiucdcsp.cs.uiuc.edu (03/11/88)
I recent article in a Bay Area freebie computer tabloid (Computer
Currents?) hints at why Tandy was looking for macintosh programmers:
Deskmate software. Tandy business strategy is to differentiate itself
from the rest of the PC clone makers. Tandy is trying to do its own
windowing software, possibly as an alternative to OS/2.
Therefore, I can understand why they want macintosh programmers --
people who know something about window-system programming. They want
to make deskmate as sophisticated as the Macintosh OS.
Don Gillies {ihnp4!uiucdcs!gillies} U of Illinois
{gillies@p.cs.uiuc.edu}