Re: running Xy on a Mac

[Harry Binswanger hb@xxxxxxxx]

Flash wrote:
Option 2 (emulator which supports
full-scale Windows): again, there are
several emulators, including Parallels, VPC (virtual PC), BootCamp.
Theyallow you to install any version of Windows (e.g., the last one in
which Xy ran smoothly); this supposes that you have a version to install (on
CD).
I don't think Parallels does, because I don't believe I have any XP disk.
What it does require is validation via Product ID key number.

Parallels sells for $80.
If you go the route with full-scale
Windows environment in Mac, then you

have effectively a dual-boot machine, which is capable of running
any

other Windows app
Well, it's better than that. You are running XP and OS X simultaneously
from a single boot. Each machine also "sees" the other. So I
can see the Windows "C:" drive in Mac's Finder and Mac's
"Mac SSD" drive in Windows Explorer. Cut and paste between the
two works half the time, but drag and drop usually works. What impresses
me is that I can edit a photo in Mac's iPhoto program, then drag it from
there to FTPEditor running in the Windows window, drop it on a unix
directory on the remote server in Toronto and see it instantly
copy!

I don't have the latest version of Parallels (saw no reason to upgrade),
and sometimes the copies, drags, pastes don't work in some situations (as
I noted). BUT, when this happens, there are always workaround. E.g., if I
can't copy and paste directly from Xy to a Mac text editor, then I can
copy it from Xy (using the wonderful U2 routine) and paste it to the
Windows desktop or the Mac desktop and drag it from there to the Mac text
editor (or sometimes drag and drop doesn't work but the menu Edit/Paste
does). So I never feel hampered, though sometimes I'm a little
baffled.
If you like the Mac
and use it, and intend to run only

XyWrite, then I recommend the simpler DOS-only emulation.
Yes, that's probably correct. But who can give up all those Windows
programs after all these years?
I don't see the point of buying a Mac and running only Windows on
it.
The two advantages I mentioned: 1. constant cloning, and 2. no re-install
when buying a new machine (i.e., a new Mac).

Re constant cloning (which can be accomplished within Windows of course,
with RAID and other techniques): if something goes wrong with my Mac,
Ican simply take my external backup drive and boot from it and everything
Windows is right there. Or, I can take the external backup drive to any
other Mac machine (e.g., my wife's) and boot from that external drive and
be right back in business. Or, I can go to the Apple Store, get a new Mac
and again, I'm right back where I was at the last successful backup (I
backup every night to alternate external drives).
A few caveats. Emulated DOS-only full-screen mode may not display as
crisp a font as Xy running in native Windows/native DOS full-screen
mode. TameDOS might improve this, but I have no experience ofit.
BTW, I run TameDOS on Parallels on the XP virtual machine.


Harry Binswanger
hb@xxxxxxxx