[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] Mac<-->PC X-fer: some answers

dewhirst@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (03/23/91)

There seem to be a lot of requests for transfers between Macs and PCs, but no
one seems to be responding. Am I the only one on here who uses both regularly?
I seem to recall several messages asking the following questions. I am no PC or
Mac expert, but as I said I do own both and seem to have run across the same
situations that were mentioned here at one time or another.
MAC AND PC TRANSFERS:
Floppies - 
I am not currently aware of any PC utilities that will read Mac HFS disks. 
There are, however several utilities for the Mac, some free some not.
If you have a mac with "SuperDrive" you are in luck.  This reads/writes ProDos,
MS-DOS(720k disks only), and Mac HFS 800/1.44MB floppies. The utility from
Apple called "Apple File Exchange" ( a highly overrated but nonetheless useful
utility) is all that is needed to transfer files between any of the above
listed formats.  This is, as I said, only for use with the superdrive.
As far as software goes, I can't think of the names of the programs of the top
of my head, but there are several PD/Shareware programs for the MAc that will
read MS-DOS floppies.
OTHER DATA TRANSFERS-
There are several low-cost commercial file-sharing software packages for small
networks between Macs and PCs. IF you are not doing anything extravagant, I
would recommend TOPS.  Hooking up the PC isn't all that easy though.  There is
even a PD version of TOPS I have seen floating around on an old PDCDROM
somwhere.
Since this was a "response" to several questions and I am quite sure I have
totally missed the point of many of them, let me just say this:
If you want to transfer files between the PC and the Mac, do it this way:
Hookthe serial ports of the two computers together and then use ordinary
Communications Programs at 9600 bps or so.  When I download stuff on my Mac, I
just port in over through the second serial port in the background. This wil
save you a lot of headaches, you can use cables and software you already have
available.

<whew> Any responses would be nice.

[Have to get my two cents in too - 
                      Mac = *WAY* overpriced
                      PC  = *WAY* too user-rude 
They both have their faults!]