[comp.sys.apple2] GS/MAC card

penguin@gnh-igloo.cts.com (Mark Steiger) (10/04/90)

I was at the Nobel Conference today and I met a guy from BMUG (Berkley Mac
users) and he said he had heard about a new board from England that will let GS
users run MAC software.  He said it would be a cheep way for Mac users to get a
COLOR Mac.   

Anyone got any details on it?

Thanks.

Mark Steiger

     [ Mark Steiger, Sysop, The Igloo  218/262-3142     300/1200/2400 baud]

ProLine.:penguin@gnh-igloo                          America Online: Goalie5
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*******************************************************************************

aa404@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Chris Roberts) (10/05/90)

>I was at the Nobel Conference today and I met a guy from BMUG (Berkley Mac
>users) and he said he had heard about a new board from England that will let GS
>users run MAC software.  He said it would be a cheep way for Mac users to get a
>COLOR Mac.
>Anyone got any details on it?


It's called Duet. It's due to release in December, but everyone's being very
hush-hush about it.

This is what I have on disk about it:

Date:         Wed, 1 Aug 90 02:56:10 GMT
From: crash!pro-sol.cts.com!lbotez%NOSC.MIL@VM1.NoDak.EDU (Lynda Botez)
Subject:      Duet Update
To: INFO-APP@NDSUVM1 (Multiple recipients of list INFO-APP)


Here's some info I gleaned off of Genie about the Duet card that will
allow GS users to run Macintosh programs on their Gee-es...

Category 24,  Topic 5
Message 86        Sat Jul 28, 1990
D.GRIMES2                    at 00:34 EDT

 My understanding is that Cirtech has developed the ability to use the GS
 tools, along with a custom ROM and not use MAC ROM at all.  It's supposed
 to be blazedly fast, too>>>>>>

 Donnie G.
 ------------
Category 24,  Topic 5
Message 87        Sat Jul 28, 1990
UNCLE-DOS [ Tom W ]          at 16:51 EDT

   Duet doesn't require you to have copies of the Mac ROMs and it doesn't
copy them itself. I'm not at liberty to say at the moment just how all
these things can be true at the same time, but Cirtech's plan looks very
feasible to me. There will be no reason for Apple to take legal action
against Cirtech; Cirtech will not be violating any of Apple's copyrights.
Even Apple's lawyers will agree. At the same time, Duet will run any Mac
software that follows the rules.
   It's an exciting product, to say the least.
 ------------
Category 24,  Topic 5
Message 88        Sat Jul 28, 1990
E.MERRILL [Graphic Guru]     at 17:31 EDT

> Duet doesn't require you to have copies of the Mac ROMs and it doesn't
> copy them itself.
> At the same time, Duet will run any Mac software that follows the rules.

Hmmm...  Sounds to me like this means the features of the ROM routines
have been duplicated.  Any idea just how many software packages follow
the rules _exactly_?  Even if they assumed where _one_ very minute
routine would be, the program would fail, right?

Eric
------------
Category 24,  Topic 5
Message 91        Sun Jul 29, 1990
J.L.COFFEY                   at 15:06 EDT

What sort of screen resolution will the duet have?
 ------------
Category 24,  Topic 5
Message 92        Mon Jul 30, 1990
UNCLE-DOS [ Tom W ]          at 16:59 EDT

  Duet's screen output will appear on the IIgs screen, so the horizontal
resolution will be more than a standard Mac--enough for 80 columns!--but
the vertical resolution will be about half that of the standard Mac.
This shouldn't be a problem since the Mac's screen size is definable as
part of the operating system and their are tools available to create
"virtual screens" that are bigger than the monitor and to scroll around
them.
 ------------
Category 24,  Topic 5
Message 94        Tue Jul 31, 1990
L.BRUCE [Lunatic]            at 01:48 PDT

      _
   /-\ny idea if the Duet has been tested with the PC Transporter, and
if so, how much?  Jay Jones (J.JONES101) mentioned using them together,
and I'm sure many others would anticipate doing the same.  If their
compatibility hasn't been tested, though, who knows what will happen?

  ][s there any information available on how the Duet card will work
with the host's disk drives?  I'm sure it will be able to read MFS and
HFS 400K and 800K disks directly, but how will it handle ProDOS formatted
diskettes and hard drives?  I'd hate to see it have to use
Apple File Exchange every time you wish to get data off a ProDOS volume.

                                                - Lunatic     (:
 ------------
Category 24,  Topic 5
Message 95        Tue Jul 31, 1990
STEVE.HIRSCH [[64180]]       at 20:42 EDT

A2!

Put me down for one of these beasties!  I think I know exactly what they
are doing for Toolbox support.  I suspect that with a little bit of
thought, any and all Mac toolbox calls could be translated to interface
with the //gs toolbox.  The finite amount of calls that do _not_ directly
map to the GS, well, that's what "clean-room" coding is all about, eh?

I hope that they will include a SCSI port on the Duet itself, as anyone
who owns a PCT can testify what happens to throughput when the host is
relied upon for I/O.  If it's under $750 it ought to sell well.  There
was a time when AE would have picked up the ball with a product like
this, but those days are long past.

With the addition of a Duet, I will have a native //gs, 9.2 mhz. CP/M
coprocessor, MS-DOS and Mac available - all from one machine. I love
it! -
steve

******


Genie's a good place to get the latest info on the latest hardware and
software.

Lynda

Message #10 (25 is last):
Date:         Thu, 2 Aug 90 23:41:50 IST
From: MAR21AA%TECHNION.BITNET%CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU@VM1.NoDak.EDU (Uri Srebro)
Subject:      Duet
To: INFO-APP@NDSUVM1 (Multiple recipients of list INFO-APP)


I just heard from a friend that heard from a friend thats beta-testing the Duet
 card (he kept it secret until now). Anyway: he says that it's running OK but n
ot at full MAC II speed and there are still many competability problems (he has
 a loaded GS system).
                       NATHAN SREBRO
                       HAIFA, ISRAEL
MAR21AA @ TECHNION.BITNET
* IF YOU USE AN APPLE II AND LIVE IN ISRAEL, E-MAIL ME ! IF YOU USE AN
APPLE IIGS AND PLAN ON VISITING ISRAEL, PLEASE E-MAIL ME ! *

-----------end-----------

That's pretty much all I have to offer you.

I'm excited about it.  Just hope the cost isn't too rediculous.

--
Apple II forever!				Chris Roberts
Channel 4 WCFT-TV				Apple II SIG Sysop
Cleveland Free-net ID's (aa404) / (xx003) (Apple II SIG)
Internet ID: aa404@cleveland.freenet.edu

gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) (10/05/90)

In article <9010050235.AA08340@cwns11.INS.CWRU.Edu> aa404@cleveland.Freenet.Edu writes:
>E.MERRILL [Graphic Guru]     at 17:31 EDT
>Hmmm...  Sounds to me like this means the features of the ROM routines
>have been duplicated.  Any idea just how many software packages follow
>the rules _exactly_?  Even if they assumed where _one_ very minute
>routine would be, the program would fail, right?

Note that all Macintosh software faces the problem of needing to follow
the rules in order to work with the forthcoming MacOS System 7.0.  This
isn't much different than IIGS desk accessories needing to follow the
rules..

billy@pro-sol.cts.com (Billy Long) (10/07/90)

In-Reply-To: message from penguin@gnh-igloo.cts.com

According to A+/InCider, Cirtech is working on a 16 MHz 68020 coprocessor card
for the GS. It is called "Duet". In the magazine, it says "Add some specail
'linking' software, and D-u-e-t spells 'Macintosh emulator'."

It says it's scheduled for release in December.