Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac.misc:7246 comp.sys.mac.hardware:7723 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!mips!sgi!silvlis.com!jimb From: jimb@silvlis.com (Jim Budler) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.mac.hardware Subject: Re: Soft PC vs. PC boards? Keywords: soft pc, pc boards, question Message-ID: <1991Jan5.080208.16899@silvlis.com> Date: 5 Jan 91 08:02:08 GMT References: <1990Dec31.204024.3358@oracle.com> <1991Jan3.224414.22015@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> Sender: usenet@silvlis.com (USENET news maint) Organization: Silvar-Lisco, Inc. Lines: 55 In article <1991Jan3.224414.22015@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> kyt@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu (Kok Yong Tan) writes: >In article <1990Dec31.204024.3358@oracle.com> etileniu@oracle.COM (Eric Tilenius) writes: >>I have a Mac IIcx and am looking to emulate one of those inferior IBM type >>machines with all the extra power I have kicking around. >> >>Q: Which is better (I leave the word open for interpretation) - Soft PC with >> the EGA/AT option or one of those PC cards? > >I have the Mac286 card by Orange Micro. It is relatively speedy and works >NEARLY like an 80286 with a CGA card. However, you can't view CGA graphics >directly, only CGA text. There is some stupid glitch in Orange Micro's >emulation that prevents this. However, you can view color CGA graphics in the >monochrome mode. The advantage with Soft PC with the EGA/At option, I'm told, >is that it actually emulates everything, color graphics and all. The only >problem is that it's as slow as the hills. You need a IIfx to get any decent >speed out of it. Well, I may get booted out of the newsgroup, but when I went shopping because my wife uses Lotus 123 on a Windows DOS machine at work and wanted to be able to work at home, I found: Constraint: They only have 5.25" disks at her work. SoftPC: "Should be reasonably fast on your IIsi. 5.25 disks, well it only supports one floppy, you might be able to buy the Kennect and redirect it?" $1000 Emulator Cards: As above. Still $1000. I spent my $1000, I bought a 16MHz 286 clone vith color VGA, 1Meg RAM, 44 Meg Hard Disk and a printer. (Christmas special -- free printer and TurboTax). She's up and running. I don't like the machine, it's a bear to configure, and the graphics aren't as good as the Mac. Maybe you don't need the 5.25" disks, like I did. But on the other hand, the DOS stuff isn't wasting my hard disk space, and she wont be doing her work when I need to do my work. When or if we need to interchange data, I'll buy a $75 3.5" floppy for her machine. There's no doubt the DOS advocates are right, DOS hardware is cheaper, (a 3.5" floppy $75, a 5.25" floppy for the Mac $295), but so what, I'll take the Mac. My point is simply, if you need to do both DOS and Mac, it may be simpler and more economical to do exactly that: have both machines. jim -- __ __ / o / Jim Budler jimb@silvlis.com | Proud / / /\/\ /__ Silvar-Lisco, Inc. +1.408.991.6115 | MacIIsi /__/ / / / /__/ 703 E. Evelyn Ave. Sunnyvale, Ca. 94086 | owner