some miscellaneous AUX questions

[sramtrc at windy.dsir.govt.nz]

In article <1990Nov27.041826.15302 at julius.cs.uiuc.edu>, coolidge at cs.uiuc.edu (John Coolidge) writes:
> 
>>If you plan on upgrading to the SuperDrive OR using the 4MB RAM SIMMS, then
>>you NEED the ROM upgrade, whether you're running a 68030 or a 68020.
> 
> Is this implication correct: if I shell out the $150ish (I think) for
> the ROM upgrade, I can a) use the Dove accelerator and b) also use
> 4MB SIMMs in my Mac II? Hadn't heard the one about 4M SIMMs --- that
> makes the ROM upgrade a lot more reasonable. Of course, I'd still like
> to do the fx upgrade one day :-).
> 
No this is not correct. You don't need the ROM upgrade for the SuperDrive
or for 4MB SIMMS. After all, what's in a ROM? Just software, and software
can be provided in other ways than by ROM. What you DO need for the
SuperDrive upgrade is the SWIM chip that comes with the ROM upgrade kit
and if you want to boot from the drive then you also need the ROM upgrade.

For 4MB SIMMS you need special SIMMS with a pal on them but you don't need
the ROM upgrade. But to use 3 of the 4 megabytes in each SIMM you need
some software. This software is part of the new ROMs or it can be provided
by a program called MAXIMA (from the company that makes VIRTUAL) for MacOS.

For A/UX I don't know what the story is. Maybe A/UX can use the remaining 3
out of 4 MB, maybe it can't. I never tried it.

Better than the fx upgrade is the 68040 upgrade. It is free with A/UX
2.1 which is a free upgrade to 2.0. 

Cheers,
Tony

Disclaimer: One of the above sentences is not true.