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From: dgold@apple.UUCP (David Goldsmith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Mac SE running IBM
Message-ID: <1225@apple.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 30-Jun-87 23:07:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: apple.1225
Posted: Tue Jun 30 23:07:53 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 2-Jul-87 01:51:26 EDT
References: <1548@megatest.UUCP> <1202@apple.UUCP> <2021@sphinx.uchicago.edu>
Reply-To: dgold@apple.UUCP (David Goldsmith)
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, USA
Lines: 35

In article <2021@sphinx.uchicago.edu> cjdb@sphinx.UUCP (Charles Blair) writes:
>Question: What version of DOS do these cards run? Does MS-DOS in the
>above really mean MS-DOS, or PC-DOS?  Is Apple or AST licensing DOS?
>What are the limitations? How well-behaved does the PC program have to
>be? I mean, I find it hard to believe that I could fire up Crosstalk
>XVI and have it run on an SE or Mac II. Is the main usefulness of
>these things to exchange files between PC's and Mac's?

Since PC-DOS is a proprietary IBM product, only IBM can ship it.  The
boards are made and sold by AST, so AST licenses MS-DOS from Microsoft.
The boards use a ROM BIOS from Phoenix, so I assume they could
successfully run PC-DOS as well.  The classic litmus tests for PC
compatibility, Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Flight Simulator, both run
fine on the boards (as you would expect with Phoenix doing the BIOS).
Most programs should work just fine, except those that rely on
extra hardware which isn't present on the card.  Printing is supported,
as is use of the Macintosh mouse emulating a Microsoft mouse.  I don't
know if use of a serial port for communications is supported; I sort of
doubt it.  For most PC applications, you have the basic hardware:
CPU, floppy, hard disk, mouse, display, and printer.  Unless you are
running something that needs a special card, you should be OK.
The cards were meant to run productivity software and similar applications,
not, say, laboratory instrument management.  This is where most companies
have a big investment in data.  For communications, you could run one of
the many Macintosh communications packages, which are available with many
features.  Once you had downloaded a file from a mainframe using a Mac
program, you could analyze the data with a PC program if you wanted.
-- 
David Goldsmith
Apple Computer, Inc.

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