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From: wieser@cs-sun-fsa.cpsc.ucalgary.ca (Bernhard Wieser)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Snubbing Emulators (not Amiga)
Message-ID: <1990Oct28.204712.4261@cpsc.ucalgary.ca>
Date: 28 Oct 90 20:47:12 GMT
Sender: news@cpsc.ucalgary.ca
Organization: U. of Calgary Computer Science
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I guess I should provide some rebut to my rebuke. 
 
Ignoring most of the irrelevant stuff;
I would have no problems with emulators if they were created by the company 
which originated the machine being emulated.  In fact, if Mac ever moves to 88k 
based machines, they'll supposedly have their own emulators to be backward 
compatible.  But, Amax is not by Apple; currently you have to buy the Mac ROMs 
to be legal  (until such time as RS re-writes them).  Amax users I know have 
complained that these can be hard to find, so they have them in software (which is 
illegal).
Say Amax hardware and software is comparable to a 'clone'.  Clones are illegal (in 
Canada anyway).  So Amax re-writes the ROMs to call it a 'compatible'.  Now, as 
most know from the IBM world, this means that some software can't run.  Why 
should I (as developer) support that portion of users?  They're too small to count.  
Beside, I wrote the software to work on the family of machines it was designed for.
According to some software licenses, you can't copy/translate software.  I remember 
using Amax without a Mac drive, where you had to 'convert' the Mac software to 
Amax format.  Doesn't this count as a breach of some licenses?
My complaint about Joe user running software on both his Mac and his Amiga was 
misunderstood.  If I support both platforms, then I don't want him buying one copy 
for both.  I want him buying the software designed for the specific machine.  (More 
money for me.)
Regarding 'competition'; if the emulator is 'exact' in detail, it's not competition but 
theft.  Sure, who cares as long as I get the money?  Well, if I put resources into 
creating Macintosh software, specializing to some degree, its like cutting my own 
throat to let it run on emultors.  Its more of a philosophy; if I support Macintosh by 
writing software for it, I promote the concepts behind it.  If I supported emulators, I 
am supporting income to the detriment of the emulated platform.  So, does it create 
markets for Mac developers, or does it hurt them by letting Mac markets loose a 
small amount.  
Apple put money into developing a machine and supporting their developers, so 
why shouldn't I support Apple?  Computers are tools; you use the ones which best 
aid your task.  Emulation is generally useless because it  doesn't provide the full 
features of the underlying machine.  It does provide a host of other problems.  
People should buy the machine which they want to run software on, they'll have 
fewer headaches.
(I find great discomfort in seeing people get so sensational and emotional over such 
topics).
Bernie