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Windows on a Mac: This isn't the first time

Before we all get completely flabbergasted by Apple's efforts to allow users to run Windows on their Macs, let's respect our elders, shall we? This isn't the first time Apple has supplied Mac owners with an official solution for running Windows. The DOS Compatibility Card was released for the Powermac 6100 series way back in 1995. It actually shipped with an installable version of Windows (3.1) and MS-DOS 6.22. They featured a i80486 processor that cooked along at an astounding 33MHz.

We are standing on the shoulders of DOS compatibility cards.

Thanks to Jotefa for the great image.

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Hardware OS Cult of Mac

Before we all get completely flabbergasted by Apple's efforts to allow users to run Windows on their Macs, let's respect our elders, shall...
 

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The Jeremy

I actually speculated that some third-party company would bring out a G5 card for the upcoming Intel based PowerMacs since I doubt Apple will build a machine in these days that include both a PPC G5 and an Intel chip. Even if it would shore up the professional market who want to run programs that are still only optimized for PPC G5 work and not Intel via emulation.

April 06 2006 at 3:20 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Larry Friedman

Don't forget that Orange (PC) Micro sold Pentium cards as well; I always wondered why no one was doing modern versions of that solution.

April 06 2006 at 12:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
EatingPie

I bought one of these, but I forget which Mac I had it in. I don't think it was a PPC. Worked like a charm. Could live switch from the Mac to the PC and back. They didn't share RAM, so sleep had no effect in that regard.

Borrowed a Windows joystick and played the whole X-Wing game, still one of the best ever made. Of course, then X-Wing came out on the Mac, but that was years later.

-Pie

April 06 2006 at 10:32 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Chris Alford

Wow.. I had forgotten this.

I can remember setting one of these up for our accounts person many moons ago at the former advertising agency I worked at. It worked well.

April 06 2006 at 9:43 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mewyn

ben,

There was a PowerPC version of Windows NT, but it was not designed to run on a Mac. It could only run on IBM-made PPC systems, the so-called reference system.

April 06 2006 at 9:00 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mike Shaffer

And before the LC 630 DOS Compatible there was an add-in card for the Mac SE that ran DOS. Worked pretty good, though I don't think they made many of them, seemed like mine was hand assembled. That was '88ish.

And then don't forget MacCharlie for the Macintosh Plus...that was like 1986 or so.

But Boot Camp is certainly the most complete whack at the Windows world

April 06 2006 at 8:31 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ian Betteridge

Actually, even THAT isn't the first time: there was an LC 630 DOS Compatible (http://www.lowendmac.com/quadra/lc630dos.shtml) way back in 1993.

April 06 2006 at 7:51 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Peter Payne

And Apple made a computer that had the DOS card already installed, too. Can't remember what it was called. I had one of these cards in my 7500, and it was really not bad at all, really.

God computers sucked back then...

April 05 2006 at 9:11 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Scott

I had a 6100 that came with this card pre-installed. It actually worked quite well from what I remember. You booted up the Mac first and then a certain key stroke would switch the monitor and all peripherals over to the Windows (3.1) side. You could actually copy and paste between environments. Something it doesn't look like you will be able to do with Boot Camp. I had an Apple StyleWriter inkject printer and printing fron the Windows side was somewhat spotty as it first sent it to the Mac OS and then it went to the printer. Formatting often got lost intranslation.

April 05 2006 at 7:46 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
section8

"We are standing on the shoulders of DOS compatibility cards."

I'm not sure that a place I want to be standing.

April 05 2006 at 7:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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