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http://www.macnn.com/articles/03/04/07/fwb.to/

FWB to update Real PC emulation product

updated 12:40 pm EDT, Mon April 7, 2003

 
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MacNN reader Richard Rasch forwarded a note from noting that the company is resuming development of its RealPC emulation product, following the sale of Connectix's Virtual PC to Microsoft: "When Microsoft purchased Virtual PC, we decided it was time to re-release an updated version of Real PC & SoftWindows 98 (and shortly XP etc). We had to discontinue the product as the agreement was with Connectix, not Microsoft. If you would like to update your Real PC to a faster, better and more powerful version, give us 30 days to finish the software and you'll be glad you waited."


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  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    04/07, 01:25pm | report spam | Reply |

    Woo Hoo

    Now this has got my attention. Since the popular verdict is that Virtual PC will soon be either crippled due to Microsoft or will not see much more development... I am hoping that FWB comes up with a winner.

    MacMoose

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    04/07, 01:29pm | report spam | Reply |

    Cool

    I'd rather wait than fill BG's coffers more than I have to.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    04/07, 01:40pm | report spam | Reply |

    Huh

    There was an agreement to not develop a competing product, and it wasn't between Microsoft and someone else? Wow.

    Maybe Apple should ask Adobe to stop developing Avid as Final Cut Pro is so obviously the better NLE.

    Palm could ask Handspring to stop making a fool of themselves with their PDA-Phones that no one wants to use anyways?

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    04/07, 02:32pm | report spam | Reply |

    Agreement?

    What the h*** is this agreement about?!? Why would someone agree NOT to write a competing code?? Sounds to me like Connectix was trying to get a monopoly/price gouging on things (and I thing we can all agree they did for a time)

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    04/07, 02:42pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: Agreement?

    I totally agree, this blows!
    What is happening to U.S. businesses. Agreements like that should be illegal... It hurts the consumer and benefits only the developer.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    04/07, 02:45pm | report spam | Reply |

    adobe

    adobe does not make Avid r*****. they make premiere. FOOL

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    04/07, 02:59pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: agreement

    Agreements to not produce happen all the time. You just purchase the rights to a product. And no one was buying SoftWindows by that time, anyway, so agreement or not, they wouldn't have sold much and discontinued it anyway. I didn't think it would take them long to start it up again after Connectix sold out, figuring there's a crowd out there looking for a PC emulator not owned by MS.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    04/07, 03:15pm | report spam | Reply |

    HDT

    I wouldn't count on FWB delivering Real PC within 30 days. I was told by someone at FWB during Macworld SF HDT for OSX was going to ship mid Feb.

    So HDT for OSX is 2 months late already, and doesn't look like FWB is going to ship anything soon.

    The same thing will happen to this Real PC upgrade... My guess--4 months before we can see anything from FWB.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    04/07, 04:25pm | report spam | Reply |

    Go FWB

    We all know there's a market for anything not sold by MS, so I'm glad to see FWB be the first to jump into the void. Of course, Connectix has been doing a relatively shoddy job the past couple of releases, so it won't be all that hard to look good in comparison if they put some muscle into it.

    I do disagree with the assertion that MS will cripple VPC--quite the opposite in fact. Think of it this way: Who has the technical prowess to make the ultimate emulator? The Mac BU can write decent, albeit somewhat buggy, OSX software, and with the Win source to play with and no restrictions on what they do with it, so there's certainly no restrictions there.

    As for whether MS wants to, I see it this way: Which is more beneficial to MS, a competing platform with no viable emulation, so people support competing products, or a competing platform that is selling Windows licences anyway (which is all they get from PC sales, so really a Mac with VPC and a Wintel box are similar, as long as you buy Office from them either way).

    But if you want to get creative, why wouldn't MS want to make VPC the ultimate emulator--nearly seamless and plenty fast? Get those Pesky Mac Users so addicted to their PC-in-a-Mac that next time, they think "hey, why not just buy a PC outright?" Insidious.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    04/07, 04:51pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: Go FWB

    I do disagree with the assertion that MS will cripple VPC--quite the opposite in fact. Think of it this way: Who has the technical prowess to make the ultimate emulator? The Mac BU can write decent, albeit somewhat buggy, OSX software, and with the Win source to play with and no restrictions on what they do with it, so there's certainly no restrictions there.

    Ah, here's the first problem. What's your definition of 'cripple'? Currently, VPC emulates a PC, not a Windows PC. You can run Linux or OS/2 or any version of Windows or even Darwin/x86. How much desire does MS have in keeping alive VPC as it is, so users can run competing products? If they keep it around at all for the Mac (and remember, its a Mac and Windows product, and they may decide to toss the Mac version altogether), then they're more likely to tie it to Windows. And probably a pre-installed version of windows. Windows XP might run better, but you may not be able to install 2000 or 98 or whatever your needs are.


    As for whether MS wants to, I see it this way: Which is more beneficial to MS, a competing platform with no viable emulation, so people support competing products, or a competing platform that is selling Windows licences anyway (which is all they get from PC sales, so really a Mac with VPC and a Wintel box are similar, as long as you buy Office from them either way).

    Or, it could be "kill the product, because the software makers aren't going to make a Mac version, which in turn will get mac users over to a PC because that's the only platform that runs the software".

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