out of 5

When a computer company decides to cast  aside processors and technology it has used for
10 years and move to completely new architech-
ture, you'd likely think it would be a really 
bumpy ride, filled with incompatibilties and 
user alienation.

Chalk one up for Apple. There are a few 
bumps, certainly, but I am now convinced 
(after spending 4 days with a Power Macin-
tosh 6100/60) that it will be a virtually seemless transition from 680X0 processors to the PowerPC. When you set up the Power Macintosh, you’ll notice some tiny cosmetic changes – “Power Macintosh” now appears both in the start-up screen and on the casing, and there is a new start-up sound – but that really is the extent of it. You boot up to the Finder and double- click your way through applications, as you would with any other Macintosh. 

As the Power Macintoshes encorporate completely new architechture, to function properly older software operates transparently in an emulation mode. Instructions normally directed at a 680x0 processor are translated into instructions for the PowerPC chip. Remarkably, all 680x0 software I had ran seemlessly on the Power Macintosh, side by side with native-mode applications. Even extensions, such a Adobe Type Manager and After Dark, operated without a hitch. (It is important to note that the emulation does not include a math coprocessor, and as such any 680x0 program specifically requiring a math coprocessor will not work.) Apple software engineers have to be commended for the completely seemless and successful operation of the emulator.

In terms of the speed of emulation, everything you run will generally feel pretty zippy, due to the Power Macintosh’s faster video performance. Microsoft Word, for instance, operates at what seems to be the speed of a 25MHz 040. However, any program that requires more heavy-duty processing will tax the emulator a bit more. As indicated by our results, the emulator will (on average) perform such tasks at half the speed of a 33MHz LC 575. 

To really see the Power Macintosh 6100/60 shine, you have to be running native-mode applications, or applications written specifically to address the PowerPC processor. MacSense was able to compare 680x0 and native mode versions of Aldus FreeHand, Fractal Design Painter and WordPerfect. As indicated by the results below, the Power Macintosh will perform approximately 300% faster than the LC 575 we benchmarked it against. This speed improvement is truly amazing, especially considering that the 6100 is the entry-level Power Macintosh.

This processing speed is required, though, to run robust programs such as Insignia's SoftWindows. The beta version we tested on the 6100/60 ran Windows impressively at the speed of a 25MHz 386sx. However, to achieve 33MHz 486sx speeds you will need the 80MHz Power Macintosh 8100/80. Realistically, for the difference in price, you could buy a complete 25MHz 486sx system . 

The major gripe I have is not with the Power Macintoshes, but rather with its' software. QuickTime is not completely native-code yet, and at times I found that the LC 575 outpaced the 6100 at displaying  640x480 movies. Though this will supposedly be remedied in June with the release of QuickTime 2.0, I find it a big oversight that Apple's most impressive piece of software has been neglected on the Power Macintosh. It just doesn't seem right that a new, fast machine like the 6100/60 can be outdone by a machine with 1/3 the performance.

Should you wait for the second-generation of Power Macintoshes? No. The compatibilty has been tested, and these machines really shine. No need to wait for "the bugs to be ironed out". With prices starting at $2800 for a total 6100/60 system, the price/performance value is phenomenal, displacing even the cheapest PC clones. The increased productivity you will get from the 6100 simply make it worthwhile, now.  

 

RAM Doubler is a remarkable little utility from Connectix Corp., of San Mateo California, which does exactly what it’s name suggests – it doubles your RAM. No questions asked, no preferences to worry about. You simply pop the installer disk in your drive, install the extension, and voila… 

Before you decide that RAM Doubler is the answer to all your RAM needs, however, there are a number of things you should know. RAM Doubler is a 48k extension which is designed to work best when you have multiple applications open. If you need more memory for PhotoShop or Ray Dream Designer, real RAM is still the best option. 

RAM Doubler guarantees to double your RAM, and does so by using three different techniques. Firstly, RAM Doubler will 'borrow' memory from other open applications. If you have an 8MB system with RAM Doubler installed and you have PageMaker, FreeHand and Illustrator open at the same time, RAM Doubler will take all available RAM from the other open applications to use in the active program. The About this Macintosh dialog box picture shown here can help you visualize how this is done. The total length of the memory allocation bars represents the total RAM allocation to open applications, and are numerically denoted to the left of the bars. The real amount of RAM used by each open application is shown by the dark part of the bar, and the open or free RAM is the lighter part of the bar. It is this RAM which RAM Doubler will take first to use in the currently active application.

If this does not provide enough free RAM to run the desired application comfortably, RAM Doubler will use a RAM compression technique to compress the RAM used by other open applications (as represented by the dark part of the memory allocation bars). 

Finally, if all else fails, RAM Doubler will use a virtual memory technique write the contents of non-active application RAM to the hard drive. If RAM Doubler has to go to this step, it will result in a significant performance hit for your machine.

Some important things for you must remember for optimal performance of RAM Doubler: 
         •  You should never allocate more RAM to applications simply because you have RAM
             Doubler. This can result in RAM Doubler in using it’s virtual memory technique and 
             it will thus be no more effective than Apple’s virtual memory. 
         •  As a rule, you should make sure that no one application has a memory allocation greater
             than that of total actual RAM (in this case, 8192k) subtract the RAM used by the
             system (2327k). In this case, no one application should be allocated more than 5865k,
             or 5.8 MB. 
         •  The more real memory you have, the more memory RAM Doubler will create for you.
             Had I had 16 MB of RAM, I would have gotten 36 MB!

RAM Doubler is a fine example of how there is still some ingenuity left in programming. Throughout the week I have had it, it has worked flawlessly. I have experienced no compatibility problems at all, and the extra 'space' created by the small extension has left me with some room to breathe. RAM Doubler requires at 68030 processor or greater, 32-bit addressing, retails for approximately $105 Canadian, and is availible immediately. 

 

If you’ve seen Domark’s QuickTime demo for Flying Nightmares that shipped on Apple’s Power Macintosh system software CD, you may be dissapointed with the actual product. However, if you haven’t seen the QuickTime demo, you’ll be awed by its complexity and sheer thrill of game-play. Flying Nightmares, Domark’s first Macintosh game, lives up to the company’s reputation for producing realistic simulators. 

The game is essentially two simulators in one: The first is an accurate flight model of the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B, or Harrier jump-jet. This VTOL aircraft (vertical take-off and landing) was effectively deployed in the Falkland Islands war. In this part of the simulation, you take the role of an AV-8B pilot. The second part is a full-simulation of an amphibious landing operation on a hostile shore by a US Marine ground assualt force. In this portion of the game you play the Task Force commander.

Flying Nightmares places you in command of a naval task force on-board the Tarawa assault carrier. You are in charge of commanding an escort of powerfully armed warships, transport and landing craft, 8000 marines, their vehicles, ammunition and stores, Apache helicopters, and a complete squadron of Harriers. As a Commander, you lead the campaign of ‘Operation Ocean Saber’, a United Nations-authorized invasion of East Timor in Southeast Asia. As a pilot, your skills are tested against dreaded SAM’s (surface-to-air missiles), ZSU-57’s (a soviet T-54 tank with anti-aircraft cannons), small arms fire, and a whole battery of hostile aircraft & helicopters.

You have at your disposal a large variety of weapons and defensive equipment. You can choose from the typical set of aircraft ordinance found in many other games, or you have a choice of destructive weapons (such as the Hydra 70 Fragmentation Rockets). Up to 80 of these 66mm rockets can be hard-mounted –they are very effective against most small ground targets!
In comparing Flying Nightmares with other simulators such as Graphic Simulations’ FA-18 Hornet or Spectrum HoloByte’s Falcon MC, this game certainly provides you with more enjoyment & realism. Flying Nightmares allows you to change the complete Battle Plan by modifying, adding or removing Harrier sorties, letting the computer fly other Harriers, or sit back & watch the whole operation from the commander’s chair.

Flying Nightmares was produced in association with Apple Computer Inc. and is the first game to be accelerated for Power Macintosh. MacSense tested this game on a Centris 650 and found the CPU performance to be barely adequate. The documentation is well laid out, and has a compre- hensive index. Overall, we found this simulator to be quite addictive, challenging and full of surprises. The game is available at your local software dealer for approximately $79.95 Canadian. ($60 U.S.)