Insignia Ships Win95 Emulation For Mac

SoftWindows 95 supports 32-bit apps

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By Jason Levitt with Mary Hayes
Issue date: March 25, 1996

Insignia Solutions Inc. is about to ship an emulation software package that will let Apple Power Macintosh users run Microsoft Windows 95.

SoftWindows 95 will run under the Mac operating system and emulate a 486 microprocessor. It will let Power Mac users run any 32-bit Windows application, including multimedia CD-ROMs, without compatibility problems; the applications must use the standard Microsoft developer APIs.

SoftWindows 95 will include an Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) driver that will let users access many PC peripherals, including tape drives, magneto-optical cartridge drives, hard disks, and scanners, by attaching them to the Macintosh SCSI port. SoftWindows 95 will use Apple's Open Transport networking subsystem to provide simultaneous Mac and PC TCP/IP and IPX connections.

Both operating systems will have distinct Internet Protocol addresses, making it possible to run Mac and PC-based World Wide Web browsers and servers at the same time. That will give Web developers a platform for simultaneous Mac and Windows development.

If SoftWindows 95 delivers on its promises, it will make it easier for organizations to distribute the same 32-bit applications and files to its Power Mac desktops that it distributes to PCs, says Chris LeTocq, an analyst at Dataquest Inc. in San Jose, C alif. "It helps Mac fit into a corporate organization better," says LeTocq.

SoftWindows 95 will require a Power Macintosh with at least 16 Mbytes of RAM. The system will retail for $349 to $379, according to Insignia.

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