Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!mtuxo!mtgzz!drutx!druwy!dlm
From: dlm@druwy.ATT.COM (Dan Moore)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: ATARI ST QUESTIONS
Message-ID: <4130@druwy.ATT.COM>
Date: 19 Jun 89 15:30:42 GMT
References: <8906180043.AA10340@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu>
Organization: AT&T, Denver, CO
Lines: 43

in article <8906180043.AA10340@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu>,
ia4@CUNIXD.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU (Imran Anwar) says:
> - The other thing I need is Mac compatibility. I am not really
> interested in games but am told that under MAC emulation I will
> DEFINITELY need a Hard Drive. True?

	The Spectre 128 (or GCR) work just fine without a hard disk but
you will probably want one if you are going to do any serious work.  The
Mac stores a lot of system data (fonts, desk accessories, printer
drivers, etc.) in the System file which can get rather large (well over
1 megabyte).  The minimum I'd recommend is two double sided floppies and
a meg of RAM.

> - I am also told that one has to experiment a great deal before getting
> the right combination of ST version, Hard Disk, Finder, System etc. Any
> guidance will be appreciated.

	There really is no need to experiment, just use the software
that Gadgets by Small recommends.  Most of the people who say they had
to experiment in order to get things to work are (or were) trying to
use either the very oldest System software or the newer System software
with the 64K ROMs.  The new System and Finder releases no longer
included support for the 64K ROMs.

	The current version of the Spectre doesn't work with the very
old Systems and Finders, it works just fine with the newer ones.  (NOTE:
System 6.0.3 (the latest) doesn't work, but then System 6.0.3 seems to
be somewhat buggy even on real Macs.)

	The Spectre works with all STs (520s, 1040s and Megas) and with
all but one ST hard disk (Haba's don't work, but they haven't been sold
in about 3 years).

> - Same question about Apple peripherals used with Spectre GCR? 

	The only Apple peripheral that work with the Spectre is the
Apple Imagewriter printer.


				Dan Moore
				AT&T Bell Labs
				Denver
				dlm@druwy.ATT.COM