[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference hydra::amiga_v1

Title:	AMIGA NOTES
Notice:	Join us in the NEW conference - HYDRA::AMIGA_V2
Moderator:	HYDRA::MOORE

Created:	Sat Apr 26 1986
Last Modified:	Wed Feb 05 1992
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	5378
Total number of notes:	38326

466.0. "Magic Sac is Coming..." by LEDS::ACCIARDI () Tue Apr 21 1987 01:27

    I came in on the tail end of a conference on Plink last nite and
    heard Jez San (author of Starglider for the ST and Amiga) reveal
    that he has been contracted by David Small (author/hacker) of Magic
    Sac, the Mac Emulator for the ST.  Jez will be writing the low-level
    routines (whatever they are) for the soon to be released Amiga magic
    Sac.
    
    I don't know how the Magic Sac will attach to an Amiga.  What was
    mentioned is that the Amiga version will be able to read and write
    directly to Mac disks, and that printer support will be included. 
    Apparently the Aniga OS has greater control over the drive speeds,
    format etc.
    
    For those who don't know, Magic Sac is a box of genuine MAC roms
    on a cartridge.  I have played with it on an ST and damn if it doesn't
    work.  The problem comes in trying to get MAC software into an ST.
    So far, I guess people are downloading PD stuff, or using a null
    modem cable.  
    
    I used Macwrite/MacPaint on the ST and it worked faster than the
    MAC versions.  The rev of SAC that I tried did not have any printer
    support.  I don't know if that has been remedied yet.
               
    Personally, I have no desire to turn my Amiga into a MAC.  I didn't
    buy a multitasking computer with stereo and 4000 colors so that
    I could emulate a little monochrome box.  But if there were that
    MAC package that you just couldn't be without, this could be a way
    to go.
    
    In fact, a Magic Sac makes a lot more sense for the ST than the
    Amiga in my humble opinion.  If Atari can sell a $499 system with
    drive and monitor that runs all Mac software at faster speeds, then
    more power to them.

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
466.1	Magic Sack downside	TLE::RMEYERS	Randy Meyers	`Tue Apr 21 1987 15:46`	21
	Re: .0 Lest people become too enthusiastic about the Magic Sack, it does have a few problems (I am describing the ST version here--I expect the Amiga version to have similar problems). Magic Sack only supports the 64K Mac ROMs. These are the old ROMs that were supplied with the "old" Macintosh. Between the Mac plus and upgrade offers, almost all Macs have the new 128K ROMs. Some (most? I don't know) new Mac software requires the 128K ROMs in order to function. (An aside: the new top of the line Macintoshes have 256K ROMs, just like the Amiga.) The ST with Magic Sack is faster than an old Mac. If you compare it to a Mac plus or an old Mac that has taken advantage of Apple's upgrade program, the results become mixed: sometimes the ST is faster, sometime the Mac. There are some programs (with bugs!) that work fine on a Mac, but fail on an ST. The biggest problem seems to be that the low addresses on an ST are ROM, and thus can not be modified, but they are RAM on the Mac (and the Amiga). Mac programs that manipulate low order memory fail on an ST.
466.2	Jazz up your Amiga!	LABC::GRAY		`Fri Apr 24 1987 23:33`	44
	Re .0 >In fact, a Magic Sac makes a lot more sense for the ST than the >Amiga in my humble opinion. If Atari can sell a $499 system with >drive and monitor that runs all Mac software at faster speeds, then >more power to them. Lest ye all forget the Amiga 500! For approx $650 you can get the base 500 and the .5 meg RAM upgrade giving you a 1mb Amiba! The monitors are dropping everyday, and there is always composite and TV capability! Re .1 If they come out with a version supporting the MacPlus stuff (128k ROM) AND coexistance with multitasking on Workbench, I think it would be well worth having. I haven't used Apple equipment since the Apple ][plus, primarily because their new stuff seemed to be either a rehash of the Apple-][ or was too-expensive/closed-bus/ non-color/had a funny looking joystick plugged into the keyboard/ didn't like the first US festival/etc.. The new Macs look like nice machines...someday they may even have a decent price and some rad peripherals for their nifty (non-Apple) buss architecture...(NuBuss) In the mean time, the concept of running the "monochrome classics" that have made the machine (into whatever it is) "in a window on my workbench" (to quote -=> RJ <=- when talking about MicroSoft Windows on the Sidecar/A2000-BRIDGE), IS interesting to say the least! (Why isn't there a Jazz yet for the Amiga!?) * Who knows, if it is fast enough, maybe it will offer at least ((SOME)) of the Mac, //c, //e, and //gs owners an alternate migration path to their next system. Realistically I wouldn't hope for more than 5% of that market though. Now, if we can just get someone to build us a VME cage, a NuBuss interface, a cheapo-mass-market 020 board, and "the basic" business packages done first-run Amiga style, we could have a pretty nice IBM Model 80 alternative. I can see it now: "The Amiga 2000: The machine for mindless people who wander into bookstores and buy computer software without checking to see which system it runs on!" :-)