Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!ntvaxb!ac08
From: ac08@vaxb.acs.unt.edu (ac08@vaxb.acs.unt.edu (C. Irby))
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: running DOS pgm on Mac?
Message-ID: <26809.267299b2@vaxb.acs.unt.edu>
Date: 10 Jun 90 19:04:17 GMT
References: <2185@csm9a.UUCP> <978@ashton.UUCP> <417@newave.UUCP>
Followup-To: comp.sys.mac
Lines: 44

In article <417@newave.UUCP>, john@newave.UUCP (John A. Weeks III) writes:
> In article <978@ashton.UUCP> tomr@ashton.UUCP (Tom Rombouts) writes:
>> In article <2185@csm9a.UUCP> cschamau@csm9a.UUCP (T AD) writes:
>> > Does anyone know of a way to run DOS programs on the Macintosh?
>> > We'd prefer a software solution as opposed to adding a board.  
> 
> This might be a stupid question, but why bother?  You can go
> to Radio Shack and buy a DOS machine for $299 and not have to
> worry about all of the problems you might other wise run into
> trying to make one screwball machine pretend to be another
> screwball computer, not to mention the possible speed differences
> and the problem of keeping all of the pieces running on compatible
> versions of software.  I'm sure that any software or board solution
> is going to cost more than the corresponding PC hardware.  There
> are pleanty of low cost DOS compatible machines that are reliable.
> 
> I must have missed something here...   8-)
> 
> -john-

You missed several things...

1) They might have limited space.  Adding another CPU to many offices would
   cause problems.

2) Some businesses have weird policies about what can and can't be bought- an
   extra computer might be against the rules...

3) For $299, you're gonna get a pretty lousy computer- and for the same price
   plus about $130 more, you can add an extra meg of RAM to the Mac and buy
   a software emulator- if they're running a Mac II- series machine, they
   might even go for a 286 emulator.

4) When you have it all on one CPU, you don't have to sweat file exchanges.


And I *know* I missed a few reasons...  Like we have more luck formatting
3.5" diskettes for MS-DOS drives on my Mac SE FDHD... the MS-DOS drives around
here are pretty shabby...


C Irby
ac08@vaxb.acs.unt.edu
ac08@untvax