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From: c60a-3eb@tart7.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Mac86 for the SE
Message-ID: <2777@jade.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Thu, 12-Mar-87 13:55:39 EST
Article-I.D.: jade.2777
Posted: Thu Mar 12 13:55:39 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 14-Mar-87 06:40:52 EST
References: <1005@nbires.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@jade.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: c60a-3eb@tart7.BERKELEY.EDU (Bob Heiney)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 28
Keywords: DOS to Mac format

> Is it currently possible to obtain [MS-]DOS software on 3 1/2 inch
> diskettes or is there a 5 1/4 inch floppy drive ... for the Mac
	Since IBM supports 3 1/2 inch disks on its machines, I would
certainly hope you could get PC software on 3 1/2 inch disks (I don't
actually know).  Apple announced a PC compatible 5 1/4 inch drive
last week with the new machines, but it won't be available 'til May.

	Also, you would probably need special software to read an MS-DOS
style 3 1/2 disk since the format is different (for one thing you only get
720K instead of 800K).  I don't think this is much of a problem.

> Once the format conversion... 
	As I understand the cards, no format conversion occurs.  Your Mac
becomes a PC clone.  I've heard from Apple that you shouldn't expect to be
running MS-DOS in one window and the Macintosh OS in another.

> Will there be any ... software limitations?
	Speed and compatibility are as good as the implementation
on the card, which means you can probably expect it to work as well as a 
good clone based on whichever processor you are using (the announced 80286
card for the Mac II will certainly be faster &c. than the 8086 card for the
SE, for example).

Disclaimer:  The above is based on what I've heard and read about the new
             machines and may or may not actually reflect reality.

						--- Bob Heiney
						    c60a-3eb@lemon.Berkeley.Edu