A publication by Gavin Gregor Young.
The purpose of this publication is to create and recommend strategic suggestions to help Apple Computer recover, as well as report signs of a recreated Apple Computer that is arising like the phoenix. Prior to November 2, 1997, this publication was known as "PowerPC Platform/Common Hardware Reference Platform (PPCP/CHRP) News Analysis - Your Source for Hard to Find News Analysis Regarding CHRP, Apple Computer and its Licensees, Mac OS, NEXTSTEP/OPENSTEP, Rhapsody, BeOS, AIX, Solaris for PowerPC, and WindowsNT 4.0 for PowerPC."
Do you have news, rumors, or general comments that you would like to send to the author? If so, then send e-mail to: gyoung2@homemail.com.
Apple Recon at: http://www.geocities.com/ WallStreet/7744/apple_recon.html (as of 11-2-97 it looks like this site may have moved), Mac OS Rumors at: http://www.macosrumors.com, thessaSOURCE at: http://www.thessasource.com, MacInTouch at: http://www.macintouch.com, and the Mac The Knife column at MacWeek at: http://www.macweek.com web sites report that Apple is to hold a press conference on November 10, 1997. They say that Apple will make a major announcement -- perhaps the announcement of an intended merger of Apple Computer and Oracle. Since September, these sources have reported many rumors pertaining to Apple. Several of these rumors have been specifically linked to the November announcements. Others may come true at a later date, while some may never come true. I have compiled the most significant rumors here and included a few speculations of my own.
The November 7 - 11, 1997 Apple announcements might include many of the following :
1. Oracle buyout of Apple, Oracle merger with Apple, or major partnership of Oracle with Apple;
2. Oracle "buyout" offer of Apple to translate into $32 - $34 per share for Apple's stock (Oracle's current stock price is about $34/share);
3. Restructuring (such as splitting hardware and software into separate compaines/autonomous divisions);
4. Naming a new official Apple CEO and/or head of the Apple division in the merged Apple/Oracle (currently Steve Jobs is Apple's Interim CEO);
5. The next generation Apple operating system, code named Rhapsody, will be able to run applications written for DOS/Windows 3.x/95/98/NT, OS/2, and Mac OS (for Intel also?), as well as BSD Unix, Java, NEXTSTEP/OPENSTEP, and Rhapsody;
6. IBM will promote Rhapsody as the new upgrade to OS/2;
7. Apple will make Wintel servers and/or PCs (or have Acer, UMAX, or someone else make them for Apple);
8. Apple will use AMD processors;
9. Apple/Oracle will produce NCs for schools, corporations, and consumers;
10. Oracle, IBM, and others will license Rhapsody;
11. Apple bought Exponential patents;
12. Apple will port a new version of OPENSTEP (Yellow Box) to the Solaris operating system;
13. Apple will port OPENSTEP and Rhapsody to Alpha processors;
14. Umax will make circuit boards and/or computers for Apple;
15. Radius will make video cards for Apple instead of Apple designing it's own video hardware;
16. The Developer Release of Rhapsody for PC Compatibles is now available;
17. Rhapsody for PC Compatibles (Intel) will include a Mac OS compatiblity Blue Box (or at least use a third party solution);
18. Mac OS will be ported to Intel x86 processors and compatibles;
19. Apple will make custom designed Macs and sell Macs directly;
20. Rhapsody will be named "Universal OS", "Apple Millennium OS", or "Mac OS Unity";
21. The mid 1998 release of the Mac OS, code named Allegro, will use the NuKernal or Mach kernal;
22. Oracle, IBM, Microsoft and others will announce products for Rhapsody;
23. Apple will announce plans for future operating systems;
24. Apple NCs will use cable modems and regular modems;
25. PowerMacintosh G3 hardware will be unveiled;
26. Flat screen monitors will be unveiled.
My September 1997 Archive contains other ideas of what Apple should do. Perhaps Apple will announce that they will implement some of these ideas also.
A source indicates that it is possible to run Windows NT4.0 on a PCI-bus PowerMacintosh. This is because it is claimed that PCI-bus systems support open firmware. However Windows NT 4.0 can't be booted from the PowerMac hard drive. Instead it must be booted from a floppy. Supposedly the necessary drivers can be obtained by writing a letter to Apple. Two other serious drawbacks to running Windows NT 4.0 on a PowerMac are that there are few PowerPC native Windows NT 4.0 programs and it appears that Windows NT 4.0 includes only a very limited Intel x-86 emulator (MacUser of May 1996 on page 80 in "Changing Horses" said that Windows NT (version 3.5?) has a built -in 286 emulator but not a 486 emulator). Unless the Intel x86 emulator in Windows NT has been upgraded to 486 or Pentium status (or at least 386 enhanced mode status), the only Intel-based Windows applications that the PowerPC version of Windows NT can run are Standard mode Windows 3.x applications.
However, running Virtual PC with Windows 95 on a PowerMac is a good solution for running DOS/Windows 3.x/Windows 95 applications on a PowerMac. Thus Windows NT on a Powermac isn't very important these days. Nonetheless, if anyone has information about running Intel-based Windows applications under Windows NT for PowerPC's built-in Intel emulator or information about running Windows NT on PCI-bus PowerMacs, please send e-mail to me at: gyoung2@homemail.com.
Various articles in Mac oriented magazines have said that the project of porting Sun Microsystems' Solaris to the PowerPC Common Hardware Reference Platform is now dead. They also say that Solaris has been ported to IBM's PowerPC ReferencePlatform (at least partially). You may contact Sun Microsystems at: http://www.sun.com/. If you have any information about the status of Solaris for PowerPC please send e-mial to: gyoung2@homemail.com.
Preview Releases of the BeOS have been ported to several PowerMac and Mac clones. An Intel Pentium port is also in progress. Read MacWorld and MacWeek magazines for details or contact Be Inc. at: http://www.be.com/ for more information.
Apple has sold some PowerPC servers running a version of IBM's AIX operating system.
Are you interested in running Linux on PowerPCs? Victor Yodaiken mentions that http://www.cs.nmt.edu/~linuxppc is a good source for information. His e-mail address is: yodaiken@chelm.cs.nmt.edu.
In a previous article I recommended that Rhapsody be named Apple OS Millennium. Another good name would be Apple Universal OS. This is because the new OS will be universal in the sense of being able to run Rhapsody, NEXTSTEP/OPENSTEP, Mac OS, Pure Java, and BSD Unix 4.4/MACH applications and be able to run on both PowerPC and Intel (PC Compatible) hardware. It is also rumored to be able to run PC/MS-DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95/98, Windows NT, and possibly OS/2 applications. If it does all of these things, then the name "Universal OS" is certainly appropriate. Express your thoughts about this name recommendation at: gyoung2@homemail.com.
On September 28, 1997 I asked for reader feedback about this site focusing on Apple, as opposed to also commenting on PowerPC operating systems that are neither created by Apple nor shipped on hardware from Apple. No one has complained about dropping coverage of those other operating systems (admittedly this is the only issue to significantly discuss those other operating systems anyway). Therefore future coverage of those systems will be minor, if any. In addition, the purpose of this publication will be to create and recommend strategic suggestions to Apple too help it recover, as well as look for and report signs of an Apple Computer recovery.
As a result of the shift in focus, the title of this publication will be given a shorter name that focuses on Apple Computer and the refined purpose of this publication. In addition, it no longer will be appropriate for the subtitle to include the following words: BeOS, AIX, Solaris, and WindowsNT.
Do you have news, rumors, or general comments that you would like to send to the author? If so, then send e-mail to: gyoung2@homemail.com.