Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: Dr. Sivana
In 1994, Apple released the Power Mac 6100 DOS Compatible. It had a Cyrix 486 emulator in it, and could boot to DOS for running native DOS apps.

Doc, I wouldn't call that an "emulator." That was a full Intel processor computer card installed in the Mac 6100. . . It added the processor and had its own addressable memory, but relied on the interfacing tech for accessing the hard drives and internal floppies. . . but it had a separate floppy drive output cable for DOS disks. There was also a specialized cable that came with it for the monitor, IIRC, that switched automatically between the Mac output and the PC output. It was literally TWO computers in one. . . and only the Mac really worked well. It worked. . . but compatibility suffered some.

148 posted on 01/20/2015 5:50:25 PM PST by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users contnue...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 141 | View Replies ]


To: Swordmaker
Doc, I wouldn't call that an "emulator." That was a full Intel processor computer card installed in the Mac 6100

I didn't mean emulator the way SoftPC was an emulator. Maybe DOS/Win16 compatible would have been a better term. I know the Cyrix chip in the case had a full-fledged Intel x86 instruction set. But it was NOT an Intel chip. The Cyrix chips were the cheapest and the slowest of the major Intel clones (AMD being more competitive at that time). Anyway, my original point that Apple was making Macs that could boot into non-Apple OSes long before the return of Steve Jobs is affirmed by Swordmaker himself. My company had one of those 6100s, by the way. You were better off with a a PC on the side with a (floppy) Super Drive and a copy of DataViz' products. Of course there was A/UX, but I consider that an Apple OS, even if Apple licensed the Unix kernel from somebody.
151 posted on 01/20/2015 6:26:53 PM PST by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 148 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson