🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <DEVEN.90May24083310@netserv2.rpi.edu>, deven@rpi.edu (Deven T. Corzine) writes:
> 
> al158305@mtecv2.mty.itesm.mx (GUSTAVO CORDOVA AVILA) writes:
> 
> >the sun 386i system comes with softPc installed (i think, not 100% sure).
> 
> On 22 May 90 01:23:55 GMT, farren@well.sf.ca.us (Mike Farren) said:
> 
> Mike> It would be remarkably stupid if it did.  Why would anyone want
> Mike> to _emulate_ an Intel 8088 processor on an Intel 386 processor,
> Mike> when they can just throw the chip into pseudo-8088 mode?
> 
> There is a program which is standard on the Sun 386i to emulate a PC,

I guess the emulator doesn't emulate the 8088, it's emulating the BIOS
and/or MS-DOS.  Anyway, I did play with a 386i over 2 years ago (only for
a short demo; 2 Sun guys were showing it off as I recall).  It ran Flight
Simulator, emulating the CGA graphics.  It was pretty fast as just a PC, and
if you turned up the task priority, it really flew.  (I don't remember
specifics, but at the time it seemed to be among the fastest 386 clones).
Anyway, it looked like a neat idea.  You could even access the same disk
both ways.  It probably had other features.

Why did the original poster say "soft pc" in reference to the sun?  I
agree, that much doesn't make sense.

> in a window.  It does indeed use the 8088 mode of the processor when
> the task is running.  Needless to say, it is a significant performance
> hit on the system, but it DOES work, and you can have an arbitrary
> number of virtual PC's on the 386i, all running under Unix.  (sort of)
> The only limitation I'm aware of is system resources such as CPU
> cycles and VM, etc.
> 
> Now, what does this have to do with the Amiga?

Well, wouldn't it be nice to have, say, the Amiga 3000 running UNIX (much
like the Sun 386i) and then run AmigaDOS programs (much like the 386i runs
MS-DOS programs), at the same time?
> 
> Deven
> -- 
> Deven T. Corzine        Internet:  deven@rpi.edu, shadow@pawl.rpi.edu
> Snail:  2151 12th St. Apt. 4, Troy, NY 12180   Phone:  (518) 274-0327
> Bitnet:  deven@rpitsmts, userfxb6@rpitsmts     UUCP:  uunet!rpi!deven
> Simple things should be simple and complex things should be possible.

As for Soft PC, does that run under A-max?  While most people wouldn't
want a software emulator apparently, I would, even if only for occassional
use and maybe as a novelty.  (If I really wanted a clone, I would have bought
one; if I can get an emulator for, say, $250, that's a lot better than an 8088
based machine and another case to take up space for hundreds more.)  I wondered
if they had to do something special to read/write using Mac-compatible drives,
and whether this worked with A-max.  I've heard from just one source that
Soft PC "looked real good" and even ran graphics reasonably well.  (Transformer
it's not!  Heh.)  Apparently you CAN make a reasonable clone emulator under
software, even on a 68000 based machine.  Another question I have that I
have no idea about is the extent of the compatability.  (There's also "PC Ditto
on the Atari ST, which I am not familiar with except that what I saw of it
years ago was more impressive than Transformer; text-based programs were fast
enough, but CGA graphics painted horribly slow.  I don't know if they ever fixed
that.)

(No, I don't have A-max either, but hey, this sounds like fun: an Amiga
emulating the Mac emulating the Clone.  I'd like to hear about it if someone's
done this!  I may not run out and do this, but you never can tell.... I need to
save up pennies for the A3000 first, I think. :-)  The worst thing is I really
have no use for Mac or clone programs.  I'm having too much fun with my Amiga!
This is interesting though, and I'd still like to hear about it.)

--
Gary Wolfe
..uflorida!unf7!tlvx!sysop, ..unf7!tlvx!sysop@bikini.cis.ufl.edu