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From: WOODALLP@VAX1.COMPUTER-CENTRE.BIRMINGHAM.AC.UK
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: (none)
Message-ID: <9001100810.AA18447@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 10 Jan 90 02:35:58 GMT
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
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Subject: PC-Emulators

There was recently a query concerning hardware PC emulators on the net, I
would like to help out a little by offering a reply.

First it was pointed out (and rightly so) that you could pick up a cheap PC
for $400, however this in itself is a very inefficient solution as:

	i) Who wants more computers than they need, taking up room.

	ii) Who wants to keep unplugging printers monitors etc so that
	they can swap them between machines (I know there are switches but...).

	iii) The ST hardware emulators run faster than a $400 dollar PC as at
	least 2 of them use the V30 at 8MHz (cheap PCs here in the
	UK run slower than that).

	iv) ST users with a hard disk can use it for the PC emulator, I'm
	sure that the $400 PC does not have a hard disk. This allows easy
	transfer between PC and ST applications.

Anyway onto the product, I recently bought Supercharger, I considered PC-speed
as it had AT&T 640x400 mono screen emulation (making better use of the SM124)
however from my point of view the fact that SC could take a maths co-processor
was the deciding factor. I did not concider PC-Ditto II as here anyway (UK) it
is not yet available.

The product is well made in Germany (at least the European ones are) by Siemens
so it has a good pedigree, opening the case shows a beautiful circuit board with
a slot for an 8087 (soon filled) and space to take RAM upto 1 MEG (also soon
filled). There is also an expansion port which I believe will soon be able to
take PC cards (they are working on a special surface mounted VGA one to fit
inside the box). It comes with MS-Dos 4.0 and the standard screen emulation is
CGA.

The major attraction of SC however is the ease of installation, it simply plugs
into the DMA and you are away. This in fact is where the only problem arises,
and that is that you have to hold down the SC's RESET switch (on the front)
when booting otherwise the hard disk reports an error (at least my ICD one
 does).

Anyway as you can tell I am quite pleased so if anyone wants any more info
drop me a line.

Phil Woodall

Woodallp@uk.ac.bham.vax1

p.s. Oh yes compatibility is good too, nothing yet does not work.