Re: Apple // emulation contention

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

Gabriel Morales <Togega@concentric.net> wrote:

>Supertimer wrote:
>
>> To give you an example, Bernie can't emulate 3200 color mode
>> for the simple reason that it is probably impossible to duplicate
>> in software the hardware that makes this happen.  So you end
>> up with Bernie video that is basically as limited as Second
>> Sight SVGA Apple IIGS video card's emulation of the IIGS video
>> modes.  Simply put, there is hardware that's missing.  Slots for
>> cards are another thing.
>> 
>> The reason PowerMac emulation of Mac is so flawless and
>> IIGS emulation of the IIe is so flawless is that Apple took
>> pains to PUT the necessary hardware into the unit.  That's why
>> a IIGS is an Apple II and a PowerMac is a Mac even though
>> they are both also something more.  A Mac, however, will
>> never be fully a IIGS.
>> 
>> It does not mean emulation is bad, but that it is simply that,
>> just emulation...and always a step away from the real thing.
>
>	Nevertheless, isn't it possible, with technology being what
>it is today, to condense an Apple IIGS down to an expansion card or two,
>and thus providing the hardware- expansion slots & everything- needed to
>fully "emulate" an Apple IIGS?

Gabriel, if Apple wanted to, they could easily make a IIGS card,
but historically they have showed no interest in making one.
Back with the Mac LC, I think they probably feared the "IIGS
side" would eclipse the Macintosh side...after all, the IIGS has
better sound capabilities that the LC.  Today, they probably just
lack the interest in something they abandoned so long ago.

The only way this is going to happen is if Apple sells the
rights to the IIGS to another company.  Sadly, no attempt yet
to buy the IIGS has come to fruition...

If I had the rights to the IIGS, the first thing I'd produce is a
IIGS equivalent of a GeoBook, with a 20Mhz 65C816 and
a motherboard running at that speed bundled with AWGS
and Spectrum/SIS.
 
>> Otherwise, I'd call a Pentium II with Gemulator running
>> MacOS 8 a Macintosh or a PowerMac running SoftWindows
>> a Wintel....
>
>	Oh, down with that silliness! The difference with the Apple IIGS is
>that, unfortunately, the technology has long ceased to evolve (or at
>least, evolved very slowly since), and therefore it is much easier to
>emulate it.

Sure, but Gemulator is really really good at emulating a Mac
and SoftWindows has always been good at emulating a
Wintel.  Both of them are using real Mac/Windows code
you know...

Considering there are still many people running '040 Macs
(the last Macs before PowerMac) and early Pentiums,
these emulators are viable alternative upgrades.  They
can't, however, be called real Muckintosh or Wintel...