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From: wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew)
Newsgroups: net.micro,net.micro.68k,net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: MS/DOS, PC/DOS on Motorola 68K based PC
Message-ID: <214@neoucom.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Jun-86 17:50:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: neoucom.214
Posted: Fri Jun 20 17:50:56 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 24-Jun-86 02:37:04 EDT
References: <350@aluxp.UUCP> <1256@lsuc.UUCP>
Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Lines: 29
Xref: linus net.micro:13507 net.micro.68k:1618 net.micro.pc:8408
Summary: MS-DOS-- try the Amiga


/////
	I can personally atest to the fact that ms-dos will run on
a 68K box.  The "transformer" program accomplishes the feat.
Transformer costs $269 (US) or so and comes with a 5.25 inch drive.
I'm not sure exactly how the magic is done; it appears that the
bios functions are grabbed, and run in native 68K code, while
object programs' 808x instructions are interpreted as p-code on a
virtual cpu.

	Amazingly, the thing works qutie well.  Obvioulsy, speed is
a penalty.  It only runs about 1/2 to 1/6 the speed of a genuine
pee-cee XT.  Relative speed depends on what's being done.  Things
that make heavy use of ms-dos interrupts seem fast.  A recalcuate
in a 1-2-3 spreadsheet takes about 6x the normal pee-cee.

	For the people who say "why the h*ll run ms-dos on a 68K?"
You should keep politics and economics in mind.  Sometimes, it is
difficult to justify buying a second computer just to run a program
(that is only available in ms-dos).  Also, sometimes similar things
exists in other operating systems, but they often cost xxx more,
and there is also a cost attached to operator retraining for the
not-quite the same program.

Bill Mayhew, Electrical Engineer
Division of Basic Medical Sciences
Northeastern Ohio Universities' College of Medicine
Rootstown, OH  44272  USA   (216) 325-2511
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