[an error occurred while processing this directive] Jeff Drew Interview - Part3 ClockWise: Are they aware how close PPC emulation really is? Does this concern them in general? sardaukar_siet: Are you seen as a threat ? (by Apple) Jim Drew: I visited Apple in Cupertino, CA and demo'd EMPLANT to them. They were impressed. Their main concern is that the emulation runs the same as a real machine... as in compatibility. Jim Drew: I don't think Apple knows how good iMac emulation can be. sardaukar_siet: Well, Mac OS X will come out for x86 ClockWise: Do they stand to loose any business (money!) because of emulation? Can they work with you, Darek, ARDI, etc instead? Jim Drew: Perhaps. Jim Drew: I don't think Apple will lose any business, in fact, we have given them thousands of new customers. Most people have still never seen a Mac run. By providing an emulation, we are introducing people to the superior Mac OS. sardaukar_siet: I believe Apple doesn't want the x86 platform to run Apple software because users would see that the Pentium runs it much faster Jim Drew: PPC still beats the Intel in anything floating point related. sardaukar_siet: Well, the AMD has triple FPU sardaukar_siet: it beats the PIII Jim Drew: Still not as fast as the G3/G4 FPU. Jim Drew: The PPC was designed around a DSP, which is nothing more than a floating point engine. sardaukar_siet: We can't really know that, can we ? The G3/G4 is the best kept secret yet ! ClockWise: Have you actually had any contact with Apple on this topic? Jim Drew: I was a certified Apple developer for many years... so, yes, I have had contact with Apple about a lot of things. :-) sardaukar_siet: Anyway, System 7.5.3 is know freeware... u believe MacOS 8 will follow ? Jim Drew: No.. it is not freeware. You can download the software at no cost, but Apple retains the copyrights and does NOT allow the distribution in ANY FORM. Jim Drew: We can not include ANY version of the MAC OS with our software, or on our web site. ClockWise: Which is what Darek did? sardaukar_siet: Oh, sorry. Apple works on like 10% of the market... can they survive any further on it ? Jim Drew: Yes.. Apple is growing because of the iMac's abilities and its price. Jim Drew: Yes, Darek *was* including the OS with his software and on his web site. sardaukar_siet: Well, we all love Apple. On your insider opinion, will they make it against M$'s empire ? Jim Drew: Yes... especially since MS is going to be broken up. My guess is that there will be another lawsuit to break it up further. Jim Drew: I don't love Apple. I prefer the OS and hardware to a PC, as it is substantially more user friendly. I love the Amiga's OS. It is the easiest to use, program for, and is the most efficient system around. sardaukar_siet: Yeah... i'm anxious to see what will come out of that. Anyway PPC! What's Fusion's stance and deadline on it ? Jim Drew: No comment on PPC. Jim Drew: :-) sardaukar_siet: WHY?? Jim Drew: No comment on why. Jim Drew: :-) ClockWise: Is Second quarter of this year still plausible? Jim Drew: No comment. :-) sardaukar_siet: Will the ROMs be easy to get from a real PPC Mac ? ClockWise: I guess I'll chuck my list of questions out the window Jim Drew: I will say this: Jim Drew: The PPC emulation is an iMac emulation. It does NOT require the ROM from an iMac. It WILL require OS8.1 or later. sardaukar_siet: How fast will it be ? (please, it's the #1 question for EVERYone ) Jim Drew: 750Mhz PIII = ~350Mhz G3 in integer performance. Floating point is much less. ClockWise: And are the PPC modules going to give us the speed running PPC native programs comparable to a real PPC Mac (or a fast PC)? sardaukar_siet: Will Athlon users be able to use the triple-FPU ? Jim Drew: Perhaps. We just want to get everything working properly on standard equipment (no MMX or equiv is currently being used) ClockWise: Now that Fusion is moving from DOS to the Windows platform, can we expect a large speed improvement with the 68k module? Jim Drew: No, the 68K emulation will NOT get faster.. it will be slower, just like the Windows version (in a DOS box) is now, compared to DOS only. sardaukar_siet: Not even SIMD ? that would be a big plus ! Jim Drew: SIMD and other new PIII commands are not being used to make the emulation non-processor dependant. We may make special processor specific versions. sardaukar_siet: cool... is FUSION still a 3 man project ? Jim Drew: No. sardaukar_siet: Have you hired the promised 10 new workers ? Jim Drew: More... and no comment on how many. ClockWise: What kind of new projects will these employees be working on? Did you mention Playstation products on your webpage? Jim Drew: There will be no comments made about future products or release dates. Jim Drew: Since the Playstation 2 has been kind of banned, we have postponed work in this area. ClockWise: Can you tell us what types of PPC ROM images will be needed for the PPC module? ClockWise: Any future plans for this area? Or are you dumping them? Jim Drew: You don't need a PPC ROM at all. sardaukar_siet: Is that legal ? Jim Drew: yes. ClockWise: Interesting... sardaukar_siet: That opens the door to lamers that DON't have a Mac... Jim Drew: OS8.1 and later contain the PPC ROM in the system software. ClockWise: Microcode Solutions has pretty much been low-key as far as marketing it's products in the U.S. Are there any plans of going "big time" and Fusion becoming a house-hold name like SoftWindows or Virtual PC? Jim Drew: No. We don't sell enough product in the U.S. to justify any advertising. sardaukar_siet: What will be your upgrade policy for current FUSION users ? Jim Drew: That depends on what version of FUSION you purchased, when you registered, and how much you paid. ClockWise: Where do you sell most of your products? Jim Drew: Most of our product (95% or more) is sold into Europe. ClockWise: You concentrate your advertising dollars in that market then? sardaukar_siet: for example, if i had 2.0 ? Jim Drew: If you paid $129.95 for v2.0, then you get the PPC upgrade for free. If you paid $49.95 for v2.0, then you get the PPC upgrade for $99.95. Jim Drew: Microcode Solutions itself does not advertise. We have dealers and distributors that advertise in magazines overseas. sardaukar_siet: Tell us about your experiences at MacWorld Tokyo Jim Drew: This year was a little less hectic then last year! Last year was my first trip to Japan, so I was a bit overwhelmed at the way the Japanese do business (hurry, hurry, rush, rush) Jim Drew: MacWorld Tokyo was much bigger this year! I was hosted by our Japanese distributor (Open Technologies, Corporation), and I was swamped. sardaukar_siet: 68k is pretty much dead these days... what reaction do you expect from Apple with iMac emulation ? ClockWise: Can you tell us what type of PPC the first modules will emulate? (I'm sorry... but people wanna know) Jim Drew: I don't know what Apple's reaction will be... and I don't really care too much. Apple could have stopped the first Mac emulation (MagicSac for the Atari ST) in 1982. In the U.S., you have a period of 7 years to stop something like this. sardaukar_siet: oh Jim Drew: There will be only one module, and it is an iMac emulation. sardaukar_siet: iMac with USB support ? Jim Drew: Yes., sardaukar_siet: IEEE 1394 too ? sardaukar_siet: "FireWire" ? Jim Drew: I am not sure if we will do fire-wire or not. ClockWise: Do you think that Darek may beat you to PPC emulation? Jim Drew: I am not sure, nor do I care. His past record with Mac emulation speaks for itself. ClockWise: I'm sure he sells a lot of products though. Jim Drew: I am sure that he does not sell a lot of products. :-) sardaukar_siet: AHAH... ;) ClockWise: My mistake :) ClockWise: He DOES have some nice T-Shirts for sale. Jim Drew: When you are in the industry, you have a feel for the customers and their needs. It is on rare occassion that we see someone asking questions about SoftMac. sardaukar_siet: :) Jim Drew: Yeah, we will likely have some nice T-shirts for sale too. sardaukar_siet: great :) ClockWise: Super! Next

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