> 
   > > Will a 68040 version of MacBSD be available before I buy a PowerPC next
   > > year, and when I do, will a PPC version be around?
   > 
   > If you're doing the port, you can answer that question...  I'd love to
   > work on either, and will probably do what I can w/o a machine for both.
   > However, my financial resources are limited.  If someone wants to loan
   > me the hardware, then there might be.  Otherwise, you'll have to wait.
   > There's also the issue that Apple isn't exactly forthcoming with hardware
   > documentation, and from what I've heard, there are a lot of custom
   > ASICs in the PPC machines...  :-(  Also, the hardware is radically
   > different in the Mac II and the Q840AV (and the Q800 and friends)...

   I've heard that Apple is changing their tune when it comes to the PowerPC.
   As I understand it, they are much more liberal with getting developers of
   all kinds documentation to the PowerPC chip and the machine that they are
   building around it.  I could be wrong, but that's what I've heard.
   
   [...]

   Scott Kaplan
   sfkaplan@cs.amherst.edu

I was at an IEEE meeting last week in Oak Ridge at which a Motorola
rep. gave a talk about the PPC line.  It was quite interesting from an
architectural standpoint, but what was really interesting was his
statement that Apple is planning to license the toolbox, etc., so that
competing vendors can produce hardware which will be able to run the
MacOS.  This, of course, doesn't mean that the technical info will be
either free or cheap, but it does open some doors (hopefully).  Also,
a complete set of manuals for the PPC chips will soon be available.

Steve


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