Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac:49812 comp.sys.mac.programmer:12857
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!polyslo!rcfische
From: rcfische@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Raymond C. Fischer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: mac emulation
Message-ID: <25f046a2.6509@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU>
Date: 3 Mar 90 22:35:14 GMT
References: <940@uvicctr.UVic.CA.UUCP> <1990Mar3.190730.15647@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>
Reply-To: rcfische@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Raymond C. Fischer)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo
Lines: 26


In article <1990Mar3.190730.15647@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> dbplass@apple-juice.UUCP (David Plass) writes:
>Whoa!  I just read a posting of a news release on comp.newprod that
>announced a product for X/Unix computers that allow them to emulate
>a Macintosh in software.  They did this by implementing the Toolbox ROMs in
>software, and have included just about every Toolbox trap as documented in IM.
>
>The problem I have with this is: if Abacus (the company who announced the
>product) can "copy" the Mac Toolkit in this way, why aren't there any Mac 
> "clones?" Did Apple give premission to Abacus to copy the Toolbox ROMs? 

The fact is, they did NOT copy the Mac ROMs.  What they appear to have
done is create an interface to X that can be used LIKE the Mac ROMs.
This is a vastly different sort of thing.  What it lets you do is take
a program written in C for the Mac and compile it under Unix without
having to rewrite all the tollbox calls.  You still don't have the Mac
hardware or software.  You cannot take a Mac disk and run it on a Sun.
You cannot boot from a Mac floppy, and as far as I know,  Apple's system 
software is still licensed only for Apple's computers.

Despite all this, I still think it is a significant achievement and I'm
always glad to see the heat turned up on Apple.


Ray Fischer
rcfische@polyslo.calpoly.edu