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From: hcj@lzsc.ATT.COM (HC Johnson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Questions about hardware
Summary: Spectre works well on (most) any ST Hardware
Keywords: Segate, Spectre GCR
Message-ID: <1835@lzsc.ATT.COM>
Date: 6 Jun 90 15:24:55 GMT
References: <1039@unicorn.WWU.EDU>
Organization: AT&T BL Middletown/Lincroft NJ USA
Lines: 23

In article <1039@unicorn.WWU.EDU>, n8742883@unicorn.WWU.EDU (Perry Pederson) writes:
> I am thinking of purchasing spectre GCR to emulate a MacIntosh on
> my Atari 1040ST. I believe that the GCR cartridge is capable of
> allowing the Atari's internal drive to read Mac disks, and that

The MAC and ST are M 68000 based computers.  Spectre utilizes the MAC
OS ROMS, and patches in changes for machine dependent features (like the
screen).  The result is an 8 Mz MAC with a larger screen.

1. Spectre 128 is the software.
2. Spectre GCR includes a device to read MAC floppies on the ST drives.
    This requires roughly 1.44 MB performance from the ST 720 K drives.
	Most of them work ok.  Some don't.
3. Spectre, like a MAC works best if there is a hard disk.  All ST HD are
	almost the same, so there is little problem of compatibility.
	(Re: MINIX: not as much compatibility!).
4. The result is BINARY.  A MAC program either works (perfectly) or not
	at all.  Most of the useful ones run.

Howard C. Johnson
ATT Bell Labs
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