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Thursday March 12, 1998
Reality News Is Updated Every Monday And Thursday
A source, who shall remain in the realms of anonymity, recently obtained a copy
of the soon to be released, Virtual PC 2.0 from the Connectix
Corporation. From his experiences, we have received a set of images, bench marks,
and release notes. According to the release notes and file versions, the tested build
appears to have been the golden master, and should be hitting stores in no time.
3Dfx PC Game Play
As Connectix reported earlier in February, Virtual PC does in fact include a set
of dll's to support 3Dfx cards, most notably, Techworks Power3D graphics accelerator
card. This will allow any Macintosh user with a 3Dfx card to play PCVersions of 3Dfx
games via Virtual PC.
The Techworks Power3D PC drivers come pre-installed. If you are installing Windows95
on a new hard drive, the 3Dfx files will be included on the 'extras' drive and need
to be optionally installed by the user. Installation, however, is quite simple. Using
the Win95 device manager and selecting PCI Multimedia Video Device will enable the
user the option to 'Update Driver". Selecting 'other locations' and browse will
allow the user to select the 'Power3D' directory from the extras
2.0 drive image. VPC 2.0 will then ask for the 3dfxps.dll. Select the file, restart
Windows95, and you are set.
Speed Improvements
Aside from the game play enhancements, the Virtual
PC emulator has itself been improved. Our source ran a series of common Windows
95 processes with both Virtual PC and Virtual PC 2.0.
All tests were performed on a PowerMacintosh 8600/300 with an identical 250 Meg Windows
95 VPC drive and 32 Megs of Ram (21.7 Megs allocated to both VPC and VPC2 as recommended
usage). Windows 95 RAM equivalent was 16 Megs. Below are the results. (You can see
the machine specifics as reported by VPC, here)
All times in seconds.
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Virtual PC Speed Tests On A 8600/300
|
| Test |
VPC 1.0 |
VPC 2.0 |
| Boot Windows 95 |
84 |
72 |
| Restart Windows 95 |
58 |
50 |
| Saving Environment |
18 |
23 |
| Boot From Saved Environment |
30 |
36 |
| Install AOL v3.0 |
118 |
99 |
| Launch AOL v3.0 |
24 |
19 |
| File Find |
13.5 |
5.4 |
all times in seconds
Over all, speed seemed to have improved. However, speed improvements weren't drastic.
In the case of working with saved environments, Virtual PC 2.0 was actually slower
than Virtual PC 1.0 in our tests. We must take into account the fact that Virtual
PC was somewhat optimized for the PowerMacintosh G3, yet our tests results came from
an 8600. If you have are lucky enough to have VPC 2.0 installed on a G3 in this point
in time, please send us your results.
The Virtual PC 2.0 installer enables
a series of custom installs with different
drive sizes from the VPC Win95 CD. The contents of the VPC 2.0 folder itself can
be seen in this image.
Some notable portions of the Virtual PC release notes include..
The Techworks Power3D PC drivers include the newest "glide2.dll"
file. Games that require the older "glide.dll" will not work, unless that
particular game installs "glide.dll". You can also install and use other
manufacturer's versions of PC Voodoo Graphics drivers with Virtual PC.
Apple G3 users and users of third-party PCI ethernet cards should use Open Transport
1.3 or later (available as part of MacOS 8.1.)
If you are using multiple operating systems with Virtual PC you can retain the preferences
for each operating system. Make a copy of the Virtual PC application in a separate
folder and place the Virtual PC preferences (from the Preferences System folder)
in the folder.
Update!
- March 12
A few well connected readers have been kind enough to write in with the
results of their testing of Virtual PC 2.0. Below are system performance benchmarks
from Virtual PC 1.0 and 2.0 compared while running on a Power Macintosh G3 266Mhz
MiniTower with 21.7 megs of RAM allocated to each emulator, as recommended by connectix.
|
Virtual PC 2.0 Tests On 266Mhz G3
|
| Test |
VPC 1.0 |
VPC 2.0 |
| Boot Windows 95 |
27 |
24 |
| Restart Windows 95 |
26 |
23 |
| Launch AOL |
12 |
10 |
| Launch IE |
8 |
7 |
all times in seconds
As one can see, this is a drastic improvement over the results above. It is clear
that users will get better performance from VPC under a G3 chip than a 604e chip.
This user suggests that under these hardware specifications, Virtual PC 2.0 ran smooth
enough to use as anyone would an average PC. However, he noted that large 3-D games
such as Quake II still have rather harsh system demands, which causes their performance
to be less than satisfactory.
Next, an anonymous source tested Virtual PC 2.0 on what appears to be a 300MHz G3
and then on a Dell 133Mhz. Virtual PC 2.0 was given 48MB of ram, 32 were recognized
by Windows95. Below are the complete specifications for the Macintosh Machine.
300 mhz 750
66 mhz bus
150 mhz 512 cache
128 megs of ram
disk cache @ 4 megs |
Below are the results of benchmark tests run on both the 300Mhz 750 Macintosh
and the Dell 133 Pentium machine. All results were obtained using Winbench 98.
|
Virtual PC 2.0 BenchMarks On 300Mhz G3
|
| Test |
300MHz G3 |
Dell 133MHz |
| cpumark32 |
117 |
223 |
| fpu winmark |
322 |
322 |
These aren't exactly results to-die-for, but they are solid. As time goes on,
Apple will begin to release faster chips, eventually evolving into the G4 line of
chips, and if Connectix keeps up the consistent advancements of the emulator, the
gap between reality and emulation may soon shorten even further.
Thanks to MacCity for their help with
test results. We are still looking for detailed reports on 3Dfx game play. So send
those in.
If you have any further information on this subject,
please inform us.
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News Index
1)Virtual PC 2.0
2)New PlainTalk Speech Synth?
3)The Apple Media Player
4)New Editorial Column!
5)Speed Doubler 8.1 Report
6)G4 Processor Notes
7)This Week's Apple News
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| New PlainTalk Speech Synth? |
On a very brief note, a Reality source recently passed on a note that Apple has
been hard at work on a brand new PlainTalk Speech Synth. Apparently, the new Speech
Synth is in the final development stages. Apple engineers are currently tweaking
it to perfection. An announcement is expected very soon.
According to the same source, the new speech synth will represent a quantum leap
in realism (as far as voices, etc.) over the old technology. PlainTalk SR will be
receiving a slower revision; the team would have liked to do a lot more with this
technology but rumors tell us that they aren't getting the funds they need.
Update! - March
12
Shortly after we ran the story above, a reader wrote in with a form of confirmation
on the new speech synthesis. The message posted below was a reply to a question on
the PlainTalk Discussion list, by an Apple employee.
::Top portion removed for non-relavance::::
We do have internal tools for making voices using the MacinTalk Pro
diphone-concatentation technology, but
(i) The process is not that easy
(ii) The tools are not in sharable shape
We would love to be able to productize the tools, and hope to be able to
do so. At the moment however we are focussed on producing the next (and
much improved) version of our speech synthesis.
::signature removed::: |
It looks like our rumor is now a 'Reality'.
If you have any further information on this subject,
please inform us.
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Go Back To Reality's Main Page
We're sure many of you have heard of the AMP, or Apple Media Player, code named
Columbus (exploring new worlds). Many of you are eager to learn more, or to just
understand exactly what this piece of hardware makes itself out to be. The truth
is, it's all one big sloppy mess right now. The information, not the product. The
AMP is, or 'was', one of Apple's top secret developments, until someone at Disney
tipped off news.com. Apple had initially hoped to keep this project under wraps.
The AMP is a set top box, that will be portable, and according to unconfirmed reports
(and CNBC) will contain a color screen, which we are assuming may be a touch-control
screen (For portability reason as well). The box will hook up to the TV, of course.
The player will support enhanced CD's - a format that combines audio and multimedia
content, making this a huge focal point for Disney, as this would partially explain
the takeover rumors. In addition to the enhanced CDs, the player will initially support
audio CDs, and then possibly DVD video CDs.
Since the people in Hollywood will not only be the ones to benefit from the technology
the AMP will bring to users homes, but the ones to push the format forward, Apple
needs to provide these people with a clear white paper, persay. They need to assure
developers that this technology will be top notch on Apple's list. Otherwise Apple
may fall short of another opportunity, as another alternative may be chosen to be
embraced by the developers. Below are a short list of rumors features/components
of the Apple Media Player. Take them, and the rest of this report with a grain of
salt.
-Plays Enhanced CDs -Enhanced CD Technology, which enables a single audio cd
to contain both audio and multimedia content.
-Plays Audio CDs.
-Plays DVD Movies. (*Later Version?*)
-8-9 inch color screen, *color touch-control screen?*
-Provides a form of Internet Access.
-Price Range around $650 |
Web TV like Internet access, and the whole environment of the AMP will obviously
be based on a system, possibly a low resource, scaled down, slightly altered version
of the MacOS; also being referred to as "Allegro Lite". Although again,
no one can confirm this totally, at this time. As of now, there is no scheduled,
release/announcement date for this product. And a lot of information/details need
to be made clear. We welcome any further information
on this product.
Also, contrary to reports around the web, we seriously aren't betting on a mention
of the AMP at next week's Seybold Conference in New York City. This would also be
a violation of Apple's new release date/announcement policy. However, most of the
Reality Staff will be hanging out at Seybold next
week to keep you updated on any late breaking news on the AMP or anything else. Stay
tuned for future reports on the AMP.
If you have any further information on this subject,
please inform us.
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Go Back To Reality's Main Page
In an effort to expand the point of view expressed here at Reality, we have a
new columnist who will be writing for our publication. John
Gilbreth's first piece, entitled Apple's Titanic,
talks about Rhapsody, Apple's grand Titanic, and Apple's make or break situation.
So check it out. And please, help us name the column
in general. For instance, we have "Reality Bites" which will be returning
shortly, we hope. We need your help in naming John's new space here on Reality, so
send in some suggestions after reading his column.
In addition, we are hard at work on new advancements to make Reality more 'interactive'.
So stay tuned!
If you have any further information on this subject,
please inform us.
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Speed Doubler 8.1f1 has been seeded to testers. An anonymous Reality source obtained
a copy of this MacOS 8.1 and HFS Plus savvy speed demon. The release is pretty much
in final tweaking stages and should be available for download sometime soon. Our
source completed a series of tasks and we have compiled a table with the test results
below. It is evident that Speed Doubler 8.1 will give MacOS 8.1 a HUGE push when
it comes to speed.
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Speed Doubler 8.1 Tests
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| Test |
With SD 8.1 |
Without SD |
| Launching Microsoft Word |
15 |
19 |
| Launching Netscape 4.0.4 |
7 |
12 |
| Launching PowerPoint |
4 |
12 |
| Launching Excel |
18 |
20 |
| Copying 1429 Files (109.2 Megs) Over Network |
12:28 |
15:49 |
| Copying 3877 files, 288 Mb |
300 |
14:37 |
| Copying 1 file, 72.9 Mb |
36 |
41 |
| Deleting 3877 files, 288 Mb |
21 |
23 |
| Claris Emailer Find, (3297 messages) |
87 |
177 |
| Claris Emailer Sort,(3297 messages) |
16 |
16 |
| System Startup (48 extentions without SD 6,635k heap) |
58 |
100 |
We have posted a listing of all the improvements in this release Below.
- Faster Emulation:
- --Faster Emulation now loads under MacOS 8.1.
- Faster File Copying:
- --Improved compatibilty with the new MacOS Extended Format.
- --Faster File Copying and Speed Erase can now be activated through Finderís contextual
menu.
- --Faster File Copying and Speed Erase can intercept ìduplicateî and ìemptyî Apple
Events sent to the Finder. To enable this feature, turn on the ìIntercept Finder
Apple Eventsî check box in the Copy panel on the Speed Doubler 8 control panel.
- --Added an option to allow the Speed Doubler 8 application to run continuously.
This avoids the overhead of launching the application during copies and when the
trash is emptied. To enable this feature, turn on the ìKeep Speed Doublerô 8 openî
check box in the Copy panel of the Speed Doubler 8 control panel.
- --Added a warning notification if the Speed Doubler 8 application cannot be launched
due to low memory or another run-time error.
- --Improved performance of copying to or from a tape mounted via Optima Technology's
DeskTape software. Optima can be reached at http://www.optimatech.com.
- --Improved the performance of copying files from a remote volume when using Faster
Network Copy Protocol and Use TCP/IP if available.
- --The progress bar in the Connectix Secure Erase window is now updated by the
number of bytes erased rather than the number of items erased. This should give the
user the correct impression that something is happening when securely erasing a very
large file.
- --Fixed a rare problem which could cause Faster Network Copy Protocol to fail
with a ìserver unexpectedly disconnectedî error.
- --Fixed a problem which causes a crash under MacOS 7 during Finder launch if
EvenBetterBusError is installed.
- --Fixed a problem which could cause a crash if another copy-enhancing product
is installed.
- Hot Keys:
- --Added the ability to open a folder or disk or mount a network volume via Hot
Keys.
- Control Panel:
- --The control panel is now part of the Speed Doubler 8 application. You can access
it by selecting Preferences from the Edit menu or by double-clicking the Speed Doubler
8 control panel icon.
- --Faster Network Copy Protocol will no longer be disabled if the user opens the
control panel when the computer is started with extensions off.
- Installer:
- --Installer will no longer adjust cache size if installing under MacOS 8.1 or
later.
|
It looks to us that speed doubler is still a winner.
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Lets take a step back from 'Reality' for a moment, and enter the land of high
speculation otherwise known as RumorVille. A while back we received a few notes on
the plans for the G4 processors from sources close to both Apple and IBM. Being that
it is too early for confirmation, we might as well put them in print rather than
sit on them. Read for yourselves below.
|
The G4 will be a revolution, where the G3 was more of an evolution. According
to a reliable source, the specifications below should be accurate of the G4.
- G4 will have multiple processors on the same chip
- It will run at between 650Mhz and 1.2Ghz
- Will use a 64-bit processor core
- and support even more fast and large cache capabilities than the G3.
Running at the same clock speed, a G4 should be twice or three times faster
than the G3, if early reports are to be believed.
Apple will be supporting the G4 first with Rhapsody, according to plans relayed by
a source a little over a month ago. Because the G4 is a 64-bit processor, there will
definitely be a transition period from older-generation PowerPCs, and Apple apparently
plans to keep that transition as painless as possible by not rushing the product
to market and making older PowerPCs obsolete.
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Right now, the whole basis for confirmation and denial have yet to be completed.
Both Rhapsody and the G4 are names right now, and nothing more. The G4 is still a
ways out there, but we welcome you to add to the story if you have further information.
If you have any further information on this subject,
please inform us.
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Apple Education Store Announced
-The Apple Store for K-12 Education, which will open on April 30th, 1998.
-Will feature built to order systems.
-Read the Q
& A .
Artemis - TV Card
-Rumor has it that Artemis, the all-in-one Macintosh G3 will come standard with
a TV Tuner PCI card.
WallStreet/Main Street
-Now rumored to be unveiled at Seybold, New York Next Week!
Microsoft Office 98 Completed
-Microsoft issued a letter to tester informing them that the final version has
been shipped to manufacturers, but the release will take a few weeks to show up in
stores.
President Clinton Overheard in the Oval Office Yelling at Monica Lewinsky....
-"I didn't say to lie in the deposition!!! I said lie in that position!"
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