Early Mac Clones

From: Desie Hay <desieh_at_southcom.com.au>
Date: Sun Jun 7 22:53:46 1998

Mac XTs where the first as far as I know Mac clones.............
bascailly a Mac in a IBM 5150 case.........

Desie


-----Original Message-----
From: nerdware_at_laidbak.com <nerdware_at_laidbak.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Monday, June 08, 1998 1:47
Subject: Re: Early Mac Clones


Date sent: Sun, 07 Jun 1998 13:46:25 -0400
Send reply to: classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu
From: Ward Donald Griffiths III <gram_at_cnct.com>
To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers"
<classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: Early Mac Clones

> Zane H. Healy wrote:
>
> > I think that's the same book I've got a copy of around here.
Interesting
> > reading, but I've basically never seen any of that stuff anywhere.
Though
> > I found it really interesting, has anyone ever seen a Mac Plus or
simular
> > system recased into a PC case? It would be a fun project, but I've got
to
> > many other projects :^)
> >
> > The closest I've got to a Mac clone (I'm writting this on a PowerMac
> > 8500/180) is a Amiga 3000 with emulation software. The Amiga is
actually
> > about as fast as the real thing.
>
> I had a coworker in the late 80s who had his Mac and his Amiga 2000
> recased and rack-mounted, sharing a rack with a lot of _serious_
> video editing gear.
> --


IIRC, NewTek (makers of the Video Toaster) decided that since they were
having some trouble getting the Toaster accepted in the mainstream because
most people thought the Amiga was only a toy, they created an interface card
for a Mac that would allow the Mac user to run the Toaster-equipped A2000
(private-labeled for NewTek) from his Mac, thereby making it 'legit'.

I had to laugh at the thought of paying a grand or more just to see the
Amiga
Workbench come up on a Mac screen instead of the "toy" Amiga screen. Of
course, this 'toy' made multimedia possible before Uncle Bill said it was ok
to
use it.....too many people forget that. Not you guys, though. (I hope.)

One of my other favorite Amiga stories was something I swear I read in
AmigaWorld or Byte -- right after the A1000 came out, Gates had a press
conference to talk about Windows. Some reporter asked him about
multitasking, and Gates replied that multitasking really wasn't possible in
anything under 8 megs of ram. To which the same reporter replied, "But
doesn't
your own Amiga Basic multitask nicely on a 512k Amiga?"

A question which Gates promptly ignored and moved on.........
Paul Braun
NerdWare -- The History of the PC and the Nerds who brought it to you.
nerdware_at_laidbak.com
www.laidbak.com/nerdware
Received on Sun Jun 07 1998 - 22:53:46 BST