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From: jimomura@lsuc.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro,net.micro.68k,net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: MS/DOS, PC/DOS on Motorola 68K based PC
Message-ID: <1264@lsuc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 25-Jun-86 09:17:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: lsuc.1264
Posted: Wed Jun 25 09:17:09 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Jun-86 17:35:42 EDT
References: <350@aluxp.UUCP> <1256@lsuc.UUCP> <214@neoucom.UUCP>
Reply-To: jimomura@lsuc.UUCP (Jim Omura)
Organization: Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto
Lines: 45
Xref: utcs net.micro:14555 net.micro.68k:1696 net.micro.pc:8702
Summary: A few random thoughts


     I've had a few discussions going on the topic of running MS-DOS
stuff on 68K machines and I thought there were a few things worth
posting which are not really relevant to the main discussion but may
be of general interest.

     First, the best idea for getting a "2nd computer" is to put in
a proposal for an "adapter".  This can be quite legitimate.  You have
"adapters" for all kinds of thing.  What your "adapter" will consist
of will be a small Singleboard computer and a Floppy disk (possibly
with powersupply) and RS-232 (and whatever software you require).
If you check around, you'll be surprised at how cheaply this can be
had.

     Some thoughts on Lotus:

     Under OS-9 we have a program called Dynacalc.  The 68K version
is quite powerful (better than the 6809 version which itself was equal
to the later Advanced Visicalc which had split screen and individual
column widths--I use the 6809 version myself).  Both Lotus and Dynacalc
being fairly much Visicalc, you can adapt the sheets you have fairly
easily.  I'm not sure yet, but I *think* the DIF files are directly
compatible (if crossloaded).

     The Radio Shack Color Computer running a 1 mHz. 6809 outperformed
an IBM-PC on the Byte Spreadsheet benchmark (I did the Color Computer
run on Dynacalc myself).  A 68020 ran the benchmark roughly 20 times
faster than the IBM-PC (Dynacalc and no math co-processor).

     You cannot legally use Lotus on more than 1 machine for each copy
purchased (yes, I know, first you have to get caught ...).  A single
copy of Dynacalc will serve more than one user under OS-9 (and quite
efficiently, due to it being re-entrant code).

     If you don't know enough about Lotus to port sheets to Dynacalc,
you have *no* business relying on the data that you get from Lotus.
It's easy to muck up a spreadsheet if you *really* don't know what
you are doing.

                                         Cheers! -- Jim O.
-- 
James Omura, Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto
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