Thanks for the good thoughts. I've just been a die-hard Starcraft fan in waiting since, oh, two years ago? You know, back when they said it would be out for the PC before the summer of '97. I hope that they won't push the Mac version back as much as they pushed the PC version back. I mean, don't they just have to put the original code through a different compiler? I know that it's more complicated than that, but I feel that they could at least have a public demo out by now. But like you said - Blizzard is good about doing their beta testing right, so when it does come out for the Mac it should (hopefully) be flawless.
-Jared- <jlb@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Great column, BTW.
Have you played the PC version of Starcraft? If so, are there any differences between that and the Mac version? I already have the PC version but hardly play it mainly because I've become a Myth junkie. I will certainly get the Mac version if there are "Mac Enhancements," as there were in Warcraft II.
Thanks,
Jonathan Penalber <JPfuji@concentric.net>
See below...
From Blizzard:
Hi Tim,
Here's the latest on Mac Starcraft.
Although I can't say how much longer it will take before we ship, to be honest, the game is very close to being completed. Thank you for your continued patience. Below you will find an explanation of the current status of the game.
Blizzard has received many inquiries from the Macintosh community regarding the status of Starcraft for the Mac. We know that many of you are eager to play the game, so we are pleased to announce that development, game balancing and testing are complete.
However, during the time that it has taken to convert the game to the Macintosh, the PC version has undergone stability, balance and installer changes. In our desire to provide the best Macintosh gaming experience possible, we have been working on ensuring that the Macintosh version is fully compatible with the PC version. Instead of updating the Macintosh version to the latest version through a series of patches, we have decided to incorporate the upgrades before releasing the game so that Macintosh players can battle PC players instantaneously. We have already begun the process of implementing these compatibility upgrades and do not anticipate any additional delays to the game's release. We will post an announcement as soon as the final version releases to manufacturing.
Sincerely,
Tony Gervase
Blizzard Entertainment PR
Vimage V-Power G3/240 upgrade
I bought one of these in January after reading My Mac Online's glowing review of this product, and I haven't been sorry (even though I could have got the same card cheaper from Small Dog); it's everything you touted it as being and my PowerMac 6500/250 has improved, according to the Norton Utilities' SpeedDisk benchmarks (I know; you're not particularly impressed with numbers) as follows: CPU score improved from 303 to 587; disk (!) from 329 to 395; overall system rating up from 294 to 557 (lower scores of two tests with G3/225 MHz upgrade).
In short: my system performance has nearly doubled overall; stability is as good or better than before; and the machine is fully $500's worth more useful/fun than before.
It is a bit slower starting up with the 2-stage boot-up, but it's close enough to perfection for my purposes.
Benjamin Venable <benjaminvenable@sprintmail.com>
Virtual Game Station
I have made CD-R backups of all my playstation CDs. Will I be able to play these?
Gary <gvodvarka@POMONA.EDU>
Gary, we honestly have no idea! If you buy Virtual Game Station, please let us know if the CD-R backups work or not.
The Bob factor
Bob McCormick is a new writer whose first column appears in this issue. However, like many of our writers, Bob was first an interested reader. I received a folder-full of email from Bob last month, and just because he's now writing for us I saw no reason not to share some of his letters. Be aware, though, that some of what he writes is, well... very, er... well, read for yourself... ;-) And welcome to My Mac, Bob! And be sure to check out MacAmalgamation in this issue for more from Bob!
Bob on Hal
Dear Tim,
Not sure if you remember me... but I wrote you once about how Windows 98 doesn't make everything better?
I had to share this with you.
I still work at a Major PC/Printer (top 5) company in the IT/IS department. Monday when I got to work I had a message on my voice mail.
Seems Hal is a big hit at this company. The message had originally come from a member in the PC Help area... and had passed through several people on its way to me. It was a recording of Hal and his Super Bowl appearance! It is still racing around the site. I've even seen Hal on someone's desktop complete with a G3. (Obviously pulled from Apple's website. ;-)
Thought your readers might appreciate this little tidbit!
All the Best,
Bob.......
Bob on P1
Dear Tim,
I'm really quite amazed at the serious lack of information coming out about the new P1. At least in regards to the mind boggling possibility that it will have wireless Internet capabilites.
Are we so jaundiced that we don't see what an amazing possibility this will be?
Do we all have the attention span of a gnat?
I'm curious if anyone has heard more about this possibility. I figured there would be people digging up the dirt on this faster than you can say "sign me up!"
If you have heard anything more about this, please update us. If you think we haven't heard more due to Steve plugging the leaks... let us know that too. Just kinda makes me crazy. I'd really like to know more about it.
Also... what about handwriting mode for the P1? There once was talk that you could fold over the screen, pick up an attached pen and start taking notes on your PowerBook. (This would be beyond KILLER! Maybe better than wireless Internet!) Any more word on that?
Gee, I hope you have some friends in high places... or at least friends with friends in high places that could answer that.
All the best,
Bob......
Bob on Copland for Windows
(Where Bob sort of goes off the deep end...)
Dear Tim,
I had an evil thought. It's a "What if...." Kinda thought.
Apple has basically laid the Mac OS over UNIX underpinnings? I mean this is a great idea... but Microsoft being Microsoft what if they did the same thing?
What if they finally came to the realization that "We suck at writing code." And finally decided to copy Apple *yet again!* What is stopping them from laying their "interface" over UNIX underpinnings? Or even Linux?
I mean NT 5.0, er.. I mean Windows 2000, er... oops that is already copywritten by someone other than Microsoft Uhhhh... Copland for Windows is turning out to be just that. How difficult would it be for them to lay the Windows interface over Linux or some other UNIX or maybe even BeOS? (As a preemptive strike, should Apple buy Be?)
What if the basic codes/under pinnings were "free." And in terms of Apple and Microsoft they simply became "interface" companies? Laying their "look & feel" over other peoples base operating systems? Maybe the time has come? (Microsoft can't write a great operating system, neither could Apple. Funny how the "free" operating systems often put the "pro" OSes on the trailer.)
Spending their money on R&D for the way humans interact with the computer? I mean just think if most of Apple's OS R&D budget could be focused on a look and feel that is 3D in origin. (Your Mac HD view could be a list, icons, or three dimensional tree. Or even like a house? Certain rooms for certain applications. In the basement is the furnace (system folder) and so on. The possible analogies could be endless.)
Or better yet... what if the computer had no desktop. Or even better. No keyboard? What if instead of a keyboard we got a blank pad the size of a keyboard. We could write on it... we could trace on it with our fingers, we could paint on it with brushes and it would know the difference between the various sizes and firmness. (A color palette could appear, complete with an are to "mix" the colors.) If we insisted on a keyboard we could "speak" keys onto this blank pad. "Computer... keyboard interface." Suddenly on the blank pad a standard Mac keyboard would appear in the pad ala a touch screen. And as we typed on it the computer would replicate the sounds of a standard keyboard. Even when our fingers accidently hits more than one key at a time. Or better yet it would observe what we are typing and realize that we didn't mean to type, "yues man" but instead meant to type, "yes man."? Correcting on the fly...
And speaking of speaking... when will the Gene Rodenberry vision of a spoken computer interface really come to fruition. Just imagine if Apple was spending most of their time and money on that?
Do I just have an overactive imagination?
Obviously Microsoft has much more resources to do this. But luckily they are spending all their time writing bloatware operating systems and fighting the government. But that won't always be that way.
They just might copy Apple again.
Anyway... just a few rambling thoughts... some nice, some from the Dark Side.
All the best,
Bob.............
PS- sorry this one is "out there" but just some things to make ya wonder. :-)
For more from Bob, be sure to read MacAmalgamation starting in this issue!
email:
•Tim Robertson• <publisher@mymac.com>
•Russ Walkowich• <editor@mymac.com>
 
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