francois@LOIRE.EDRC.CMU.EDU (Francois Bonnafy) (04/19/91)
I offen heard from these emulators for the Atari, allowing it to run Mac software . Advertising says that it is wunderful, efficient, fast, sure... But say, who believe advertising? So my questions: - Do ALL the software for Mackies function on the emulator? - how fast is it in comparison to a Mac LC or IIsi? - How offen do the programs cras down? _ What kind of hardware can you use with it (Portrait Screens CD, ...) I will compile the answer and make a posting of it Thank you in advance Francois
carter@cat23.cs.wisc.edu (Gregory Carter) (05/16/91)
In article writes: >OIRE.EDRC.CMU.EDU!francois >From: francois@LOIRE.EDRC.CMU.EDU (Francois Bonnafy) >Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware >Subject: Atari & MAC emulations >Message-ID: <1991Apr18.214613.6915@cs.cmu.edu> >Date: 18 Apr 91 21:46:13 GMT >Sender: netnews@cs.cmu.edu (USENET News Group Software) >Reply-To: francois@LOIRE.EDRC.CMU.EDU (Francois Bonnafy) >Organization: Carnegie Mellon University >Lines: 21 > > >I offen heard from these emulators for the Atari, allowing it to run Mac >software . Advertising says that it is wunderful, efficient, fast, sure... > >But say, who believe advertising? > >So my questions: > >- Do ALL the software for Mackies function on the emulator? > >- how fast is it in comparison to a Mac LC or IIsi? > >- How offen do the programs cras down? > >_ What kind of hardware can you use with it (Portrait Screens CD, ...) > >I will compile the answer and make a posting of it > >Thank you in advance > >Francois Well my MEGA STE, whichis the latest Atari Model Has the following performance: 16Mhz CPU with 16K cache (68000) ST157N Hard disk (750K per second transfer rate) 720K Drive (Read and Write Mac Disks and DOS Disks with DOS Mounter) Detachable keyboard Currently, the emulator only works with 128K ROMS Price? $990 with 4 megs of memory (expandable to 10) How much can stuff can I RUN? Whats the emulator like? Well, the Offical name of the emulator is called the Spectre 128. Now it comes with two different options: 1) Spectre 128; Here you get a Cartridge that plugs into the Atari and it doesn't have the ROMS in it, you have to buy those, plus you must pay for the system software from Apple. 2) Spectre GCR; This version allows you to read and write Mac Disks of the 800K variety. It also requires the ROMS. It also is a cartridge which plugs into your ST. You then run a cable to the Secondary Floppy Disk drive interface. You must buy the system software two. Well, what can run: 1) Pagemaker 4.0 2) Mathematica 3) Word 4.0 4) Suitcase 5) System 6.0.4 6) Multifinder 7) Microphone II 3.0 (really nice with Multifinder running) ....(Into the hundreds of apps) All on a 12 inch diagnol 640x400 might I add. Atari's SM 124 monitor is RAZOR sharp. Very nice paper white display. Can I run System 7.0? Well the beta version has problems...although it is nothing major from what I hear. How often does the emulator crash? Well, not very often! Especially under Finder, it works forever! Under MultiFinder, you rarely get a crash page, usually its a system bomb box. Version 3.0 of the emulator has been refined for over 4 years now...VERY ROBUST. Things that don't work are anything that violates Apple's standard app guidelines (Such as going directly to the hardware). Games have problems, anything that is disk protected won't run. Tetris works very well I have heard, all hard disk utilities work very well, including Norton Utilities. You use to be able to put together a system like the above for less than a basic Mac. However, apple has caught on, and has restricted ROMS, tripling their price, so now, you can put together a system above for about the same price of a Mac Classic with HD, but the performance kills a classic most easily in twice the cpu speed, far better hard disk (DMA based) throughput. So. Whats in the future for something like this? Well, I went this route for a couple of reasons: 1) Price. I am so poor you would not believe what I do to get any computer equipment (Legally and Illegally I am afraid) 2) Mr. Small (Gadgets by Small) who makes the emulator, has completed a 030 Accelrator board that makes a IIfx wallow in the mud for about $1000 dollars with 8 megs standard memory on board (0 WAIT STATES). 030 at 33Mhz with 68882 CPU. I would rather pay 1 grand than 7 grand any day. (Although 1 grand is STILL a ton of money for me :() 3) With the MMU it will be possible to make ALL mac software run, with NO crash pages, very easily. Also, with the great hard disk performance virtual memory will be a very viable option. Not only that, you will be able to switch between Mac Mode and ST mode while the emulator is running! Very nice, I may never turn my machine off again! Sans buggy software. (I here if you don't have at least a IIci, VM is a dog with System 7.0) (Make that a cache accelerated IIci!) 4) Yes you can use LARGE screen displays, like the viking moniterm for the Atari, in fact, there are many better monchrome displays now available through VME cards for the MEGA STE/TT series or little expansion cards for the older MEGA ST series, and yes IN MAC MODE. For something like $699, you can have an awesome two page mono display with a graphics accelerator that works just fine with Emulation software. 5) Also, Gadgets NOW makes a SCSI interface board that enables you to plug in any Apple hardware CD ROM, Hard Disk. And use it! With the 030 option and this board, for all intensive purposes, as Guy Kawasaki would say: "If it walks like a duck, sounds like a duck, it IS a duck." 6) As it is NOW, people with SyQuest Mechanism can share Mac carts with NO modifications at all! So, if your friend has an ST and a Mac Partition on one of his Sysquest drives, you can just flip it into any ole mac and it will run just fine. Same with hard drives! So I hope that answers your question. Up until recently, the emulation system was almost seamless, now with 3.0, it is seamless. For more information Contact: Gadgets By Small 40 W. Littleton Blvd #210-211 Littleton, Colorado 80120 Phone: (303) 791-6098 Fax: (303) 791-0253