All in all, seems to be worth an evaluation at least.....
=========ORIGINAL ARTICLE ===============================================
LIKEN is a Mac-emulator that runs Mac applications on a SPARC under X-windows.
It costs $700 for a single floating license.
I am thinking of convincing people here to get one, at least on an evaluation basis.
Please send me your experiences with it if you are or have been a user of the product.
I would like to know what system you were running it on (Sun 4 ? How much RAM ?) and
which Macintosh applications you ran. And how the performace was - was it too unbearably
slow ? Or was it fast enough to be un-noticeable ? Your responses will really help !
PLEASE MAIL YOUR RESPONSES, since I don't subscribe to all of these groups.
Thanks in advance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pankaj Narayan Email: narayan_pankaj@tandem.com
-------------------RESPONSES -----------------------------------------
FROM: SMTPGATE @COMM (blk@vanity.mitre.org)
I've been evaluating LIKEN for about 6 weeks. I'm now ordering it.
LIKEN does a real good job of emulating a standalone Mac classic with
4MB running system 6. LIKEN does not (yet) talk appletalk, quickmail,
etc. LIKEN won't do system 7 yet either. They say they are working
on those.
My tests have not been extensive, consisting of Word, PowerPoint, and
and a locally developed software package.
Pros:
Speed on my Sparc IPX (one of the fast Suns) is much better than the
Mac Classic it emulates, but slower at drawing the screen than a
MacIIcx. Some things run real fast, a big disk copy seems to be
faster than Quadra 700 (betcha it uses SunOS calls). Really looks and
acts like a Mac. Fast enough, basically.
The company is a pleasure to deal with. They have been generous with
my evaluation period. Their technical support is superb (and free).
They are on release 1.2 now, seem to be upgrading rapidly. If you buy
now, get the software maintenance for another $140.
LIKEN can do things that a Mac can't. The desktop can be resized like
other Xwindows, up to the full Sun screen. I use it full screen with
a virtual desktop, so I can pop to other screens of Xwindows and back.
Liken can read and write to a Unix directory, which is real important
for me. I think that the newest release can also cut and paste
between other Xwindows.
Printing is via standard lpr to a Laserwriter or Sun postscript printer.
Cons:
I've had some problems with PowerPoint misdisplaying odd sized fonts
(ie- 20 point helvetica) when in Full View mode, it worked at 66%.
This is allegedly fixed in their latest release. It will only read
high density floppies (2MB, can't read the 1MB). Be sure your Sun has
a 3.5 floppy drive. Beware, most software packages seem to be
distributed on 1MB disks, so must be copied on a real Mac. Won't yet
run TrueType fonts. It is still pretty new, other bugs are probably
lurking. Runs MacFTP, but won't do quickmail.
B< Brian Kahn blk@security.mitre.org "may the farce be with you"
****************************************************************************
FROM: SMTPGATE @COMM (dpl@melmac.dfv.rwth-aachen.de)
Forwarded message:
>From qualix!qualix.com!toms@uunet.UU.NET Sat Mar 21 01:11:05 1992
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 92 16:02:55 PST
From: toms@qualix.com (Tom Stuart)
Message-Id: <9203210002.AA26164@courage.qualix>
To: uunet!balrog.dfv.rwth-aachen.de!dpl@uunet.UU.NET
Subject: MAC Emulator
Dear Dieter,
Here is the information on Liken, the Mac emulator that you requested.
Please let me know if there is anything more I can do to help.
Regards,
Tom Stuart
Director Product Marketing
Qualix Group, Inc.
1900 S. Norfolk, Suite 224
San Mateo, CA 94403
415-572-0200 voice
415-572-1300 fax
toms@qualix.com
Qualix Group, Inc. is an independent marketing organization
that sells and supports UNIX workstation software products.
*************************************************************************
Liken
*************************************************************************
Liken software allows Macintosh applications to be run on Sun
Microsystems and compatiable SPARC workstations. Within the Liken
environment, workstation users can freely move between UNIX and
Macintosh applications and access the vast library of Macintosh
application software.
The Liken solution allows most Macintosh applications which run on a
monochrome 68000 machine to operate without modification in an X-window
on the SPARC desktop.
Liken adds dimensions of compatibility and interoperation to the open
systems architecture.
o Run CLARIS FileMaker Pro, MacProject, MacWrite and MacDraw
Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, Aldus Pagemaker... the list is
long and growing
o Use accessories like Adobe Type Manager, Suitcase II, and
Tempo II
o Files stored on floppy, CDROM, hard disk or Network File System
(NFS) in UNIX or Macintosh Formats
o Window size adjustable from 512 by 342 pixels to 1152 by 900
pixels
o Enlarged display mode for easier reading and accurate placement
o Performance on a 24MB SPARCstation IPX Similar to a 16Mhz 68030
Supported Devices
**********************************************************************
Printing Apple Laserwriter or compatible Postscript Printer via
SunOS "lpr" spooling system.
Hard Disk Any file accessible through the SunOS file system, on
any media supported by SunOS system. HFS-compatible
hard disk volumes are stored within a SunOS file system
container file.
Floppy Disk Local 1.44 MB floppy drive (Apple 400K and 800K formats
are not supported by Sun hardware) in the Apple
HFS-compatible format.
Display/Window The Liken X-window may range in size from 512 x 342
pixels to 1152 x 900 pixels, as a portrait, landscape, or
two-up display. This window is seen by Liken applications
as the display size. The application works in monochrome
only, although Liken allows the use of color workstations.
Keyboard/Mouse Any SunOS X-window supported device
Graphics Accelerator
Used as available to improve drawing speeds
Network File system access using NFS allows direct reference to
files located on different machines.
System Requirements
********************************************************************
o Sun Microsystems or compatible SPARC workstation
o SunOS 4.1.1 or 4.1.2 and OpenWindows Version 2 or 3
o 1.44 MB Floppy Disk (for installation and data interchange)
o 6 Megabytes of free disk space
o 8 Megabytes of RAM
o Apple System Software v.6.0.7 (must be provided separately)
License and Ordering Information
*********************************************************************
Liken software is licensed for use on a single computer.
Liken. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$695.00 (US)
Site licenses and volume discounts are available.
Ordering from Qualix
*********************************************************************
Guarantee: We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if
you're not fully satisfied, we'll refund your money
Corporate Discounts: Your company may have a Corporate Discount
Agreement with us, which will entitle you to
special DISCOUNTS!
If your company has UNIX workstations, but doesn't
have a corporate discount in plan, call us to get
more information on how you can get the best
UNIX software products at the best price.
Qualix Group: Qualix Group is an independent marketing organization
that sells and supports UNIX workstation software. Our
products include systems and network utilities,
personal and group productivity applications, and
object-oriented programming tools.
Qualix Group backs everything we sell with first-class
support. We make sure the software passes our stringent
tests. Our staff of trained UNIX experts know and
understand each product and stand ready to give you
the right answers to your questions -- and timely
solutions to your problems.
CALL US TODAY:
Call us today (1-800-245-UNIX) or send e-mail to
info@qualix to learn more about the product we carry
or to receive our FREE UNIX SOFTWARE BUYER'S GUIDE.
This guide is full of up-to-the minute information
on the products we carry.
QUALiX GROUP, INC.
1900 So. Norfolk Street, #224
San Mateo, CA 94403
Phone: 1-800-245-UNIX
Fax: 1-415-572-1300
E-mail: info@qualix
Dipl.-Ing. Dieter Plassmann | C O M
Communication Networks, Technical University of Aachen | --v-^-v-^-v-^-v--
Phone: +49-241-807919 Fax: +49-241-84964 | N E T S
Email: dpl@dfv.rwth-aachen.de | RWTH Aachen, Germany
------------------------ ATTACHMENT TYPE 200 ---------------------- FROM: SMTPGATE @COMM (dpl@melmac.dfv.rwth-aachen.de)
Ken,
Thanks for your inquiry. The following is information on Liken. If
you have any questions, please call or e-mail me.
Thanks,
Gary Gwin
gary@sunburst.com
Sunburst Computers, Inc. 619-633-1680
Liken TM
Liken is a SunOS application that runs Apple Macintosh applications and
Macintosh System Software such as Finder and the Desktop Accessories on a SPARC
workstation. Liken provides an easy to use environment for Macintosh compat-
ible applications.
Liken provides an emulation of a Motorola 68000 processor, and allows the use
of the SPARC display, keyboard, mouse, hard disk, floppy disk, and CDROM
drives. Liken runs under the Open Windows SunOS windowing system (and Motif)
and is specifically designed to operate with customer-supplied Apple Macintosh
System Software v. 6.0.7.
Environment
The environment provided by Liken is similar to a Macintosh Classic with 4 MB
of memory, one floppy disk, an optional CDROM disk and multiple hard disks.
The Liken window size is adjustable from that of a Macintosh Classic screen
size (512 pixels wide by 342 pixels high) to that of the Sun screen (1152 wide
by 900 high). Liken uses the left most Sun mouse button as the Macintosh
single button. Liken provides the same functionality as the Extended Macintosh
keyboard using the Sun keyboard.
Application Support
Most Macintosh applications run successfully in the Liken environment. How-
ever, because of the physical differences between a Macintosh and a SPARC
workstation as well as the different capabilities provided by the SunOS
operating system, some restrictions arise. Only high density floppy diskettes
are supported. Color applications which run on a monochrome Macintosh Classic
should work under Liken. Applications sound support is equivalent to running
with the sound turned off. Macintosh applications requiring Macintosh specific
communication hardware are not supported due to the differences in the physical
capabilities of the SPARC workstation.
Liken supports applications which conform to the standard published guidelines.
If an application is dependent on a specific model of computer, it may not work
under Liken. However, if an application has been written to work on all
models, then it is expected to work.
The SPARC hardware environment is utilized by the Liken program. Therefore,
the only possible devices which can be supported are those which are available
on the SPARC. The applications running in the Liken environment are provided
access to hardware devices though standard driver interfaces or through the
file system. If an application assumes the presence of particular hardware and
attempts to manipulate it is likely to run into difficulties.
Applications which determine if the display is color or monochrome through the
standard drawing interface should function. Liken only supports black and
white mode and returns this indication to the application. Applications which
make assumptions about the physical hardware display and attempt to manipulate
the display are likely to fail.
Sunburst Computers, Inc.
Compatible / Incompatible Applications
This list represents partial testing on Liken 1.0 , as of publishing time.
Compatible applications were loaded after Liken was successfully installed
using a distribution on a 1.44 MB diskette.
Compatible Incompatible
Hypercard 2.0 Any app which uses
Microsoft Word 4.0 V7.0 Installer
Micorsoft Excel 3.0 SimCity
MacWrite II Canvas V3.0
WordPerfect 2.0 ResEdit2.1
MacDraw II
M.Y.O.B. 2.0
Aldus PageMaker 4.01
Quicken 1.5
Cosmic Osmo
Where in the World is
Carmen San Diego V1.3
MacPaint 2.0
FileMakerPro 1.0V2
Microsoft Works 2.00e
Microsoft Powerpoint 2.01
Reader Rabbit 2.2
Math Rabbit 1.0
Crystal Quest V2.20
FrameMaker
Hypercard is a registered trademark of Apple. MacWrite, MacDraw, MacPaint and
FileMaker are registered trademarks of CLARIS Corporation. PowerPoint is a
registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. WordPerfect is a registered
trademark of WordPerfect Corporation. M.Y.O.B. is a trademark of TELEWARE,
Inc. Aldus PageMaker is a registered trademark of Aldus Corporation. Quicken
is a registered trademark of Intuit. Cosmic Osmo is a trademark of AcTiVision.
Where in the World is Carmen San Diego is a registered trademark of Broderbund
Software, Inc. Reader Rabbit is a trademark of The Learning Company. Math
Rabbit is a registered trademark of The Learning Company. SimCity is a
trademark of Maxis. FrameMaker is a registered trademark of Frame Technology
Corporation. Canvas is a trademark of Deneba Systems, Inc.
Sunburst Computers, Inc.
Technical Specifications
Floppy disk device /dev/rfd0 and /dev/fd0
CDROM device /dev/rsr0 and /dev/sr0
Printer Postscript
Installation Directory /usr/Liken
Manual pages Available
Emulation M68000 without 68881 co-processor
Liken Window Size (minimum) 512 x 342
(maximum) 1024 x 768
Macintosh Simulated 4MB Memory Size
Macintosh System Software v. 6.0.7
SunOS Version 4.1.1 or Later
Open Windows Version 2.0 or 3.0
Disk Space Required Approx 5 MB's for installation
Sunburst Computers, Inc.
Licensing Information
$695.00 single user license. Liken is licensed per CPU with HostID protection.
Server Licensing will be supported in a future revision.
30 Day Money-Back Guarantee
All Sunburst Computer's products come with an unconditional 30 day money back
guarantee. If for any reason you are unsatisfied with any product it repre-
sents, Sunburst will give you a 100% refund.
Evaluations
Due to the anticipated volume of Liken, we will be unable to send copies out
for evaluation. However, we are confident Liken will meet or exceed specifi-
cations and Sunburst offers an unconditional 30 day money back guarantee. If
for any reason you are dissatisfied with this product or other products
Sunburst represents, just ship the product back to us within 30 days of
purchase and a full refund will be mailed within 5 working days. No questions
asked!
616-633-1680 sales@sunburst.com
-- To reach all members of this list, send mail to publish@chron.com. To join or quit this list, send mail to publish-request@chron.com.Dipl.-Ing. Dieter Plassmann | C O M Communication Networks, Technical University of Aachen | --v-^-v-^-v-^-v-- Phone: +49-241-807919 Fax: +49-241-84964 | N E T S Email: dpl@dfv.rwth-aachen.de | RWTH Aachen, Germany
------------------------ ATTACHMENT TYPE 200 ---------------------- FROM: SMTPGATE @COMM (dpl@melmac.dfv.rwth-aachen.de) TO: NARAYAN_PANKAJ@TANDEM.COM SUBJECT: Re: Linken (fwd)
Forwarded message: >From sunburst!gary@sdsu.edu Wed May 27 07:38:50 1992 From: sunburst!gary@sdsu.edu Date: Tue, 26 May 92 13:36:08 PDT Message-Id: <9205262036.AA29308@ sunburst.com > To: dpl@melmac.dfv.rwth-aachen.de Subject: Re: Linken
Dear Dieter
> 1. Are there any reports or test on Linken available?
There have been evaluations of Liken done by Open Systems Today and Sun World. I can send you copies if you'd liken them.
> 2. Is there a german distributor?
We do not have a German distributor. We sell direct from the United State.
> 3. Do you have special conditions for universitys?
We offer a price of $589 per license to universities. The list price is $695.
> 4. How should the 30 day money back garanty work for germany? > (special conditions?)
No special conditions. We ship DHL, the product arrives quickly. If you have a problem, we ask you to contact us with the reason you want to return the product. We will issue you an RMA number if you still wish to send it back.
> 5. Is WORD 5.0 running under Linken? > Is the performance running Word 5.0 more comareable to a MAC Classic, > or to Powerbook 100?
Yes, Word 5.0 works great. The performance depends on your SPARCstation. On and IPC it's similar to a Mac Classic. On and IPX, it's similar to a Mac IIsi.
> 6. Which is the latest Version of Linken?
Version 1.2 just started shipping this week. It includes a new floating license version, support for networking, and cut and paste between Unix and Mac applications.
Please let me know if you have questions of would like ordering information.
Sincerely,
Gary Gwin gary@sunburst.com
Dipl.-Ing. Dieter Plassmann | C O M Communication Networks, Technical University of Aachen | --v-^-v-^-v-^-v-- Phone: +49-241-807919 Fax: +49-241-84964 | N E T S Email: dpl@dfv.rwth-aachen.de | RWTH Aachen, Germany
------------------------ ATTACHMENT TYPE 200 ---------------------- FROM: SMTPGATE @COMM (lind@eng.umd.edu)
We've only tested it REAL superficially. Seems to work. Ran it on a 4/40 with 24 Mbytes. My wild guess (not being much of a macaholic) is that it acts about like a MAC classic.
We haven't had a chance to try many different software packages on it yet.
-- Steve Hanson - FERMILAB, Batavia, Il. (708)840-8043 hanson@pogo.fnal.gov or hanson@fnal.fnal.gov
------------------------ ATTACHMENT TYPE 200 ---------------------- FROM: SMTPGATE @COMM (mdf0%shemesh@gte.com)
In article <1992May28.163646.5217@dsg.tandem.com> you write: |> LIKEN is a Mac-emulator that runs Mac applications on a SPARC under X-windows.
This thread went past ages ago ... my earlier response was:
Article: 667 of comp.sys.sun.apps Path: sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au!cs.adelaide.edu.au!sam From: sam@cs.adelaide.edu.au (Sam Sangster) Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.apps Subject: Re: Request for comments: Liken Keywords: run Mac progs on Sun Message-ID: <6911@sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au> Date: 23 Apr 92 05:16:50 GMT References: <1992Apr22.144903.18225@lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu> Sender: news@ucs.adelaide.edu.au Followup-To: comp.sys.sun.apps Organization: Dept of Computer Science, University of Adelaide. Lines: 40 Nntp-Posting-Host: kanga.cs.adelaide.edu.au
In article <1992Apr22.144903.18225@lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu>, bmw@ldgo.columbia.edu (brian whiting) writes: |> I recently ran into a flyer for Liken, from Xcelerated |> systems, Inc. The program costs $695. and promises |> to run Mac programs on your SparcStation ("...most mac |> apps which run on a monochrome 68000 machine to operate |> without modification in an X-window on the SPARC desktop.") |>
I seem to remember this thread going past not so long ago, but here goes...
|> |> SO: anybody out there use/like/hate, etc this program? The |> blurb above implies a rather limited fuctionality; any major |> Mac programs which do/dont run? |>
It's neat, but does have major limitations. Claims of Classic speed are generous, and the most major limitation is the absence of any network support, which for *me* means I have to keep a Mac on my desk (to read QuickMail, inter alia). It also only runs System 6.0.7.
Version 2.0 (the screen dumps of which were used in the ver 1.0 manual!) will provide system 7.0 (debate on worth of sys 7 to comp.mac.system please!), and a much needed speed increase. Also implemented should be networking capability, but I fail to see how this can be straightforward.
So, at the moment, I find it almost useful, but not good enough to work on for anything major ... a trusty LC with Pivot suffices, or I use my IPX.
|> Brian Whiting | bmw@airy.geosci.unc.edu |> Grad. Student | bmw@lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu |> UNC Geology Dept.| whiting@uncvx1.bitnet (if you must) |> Chapel Hill, NC | 919.962.0705
Sam.
-- Sam Sangster +++ Internet: sam@cs.adelaide.edu.au + Ph: +61 8 228 5441/5502 Support Engineer, Sun Shop & Apple Consortium, + Fax: +61 8 223 1206 Dept of Computer Science, University of Adelaide, South Australia.
------------------------ ATTACHMENT TYPE 200 ---------------------- SENT: 92-05-28 15:54 FROM: SMTPGATE @COMM (bech@chaos.phys.sfu.ca) Copied By: NARAYAN_PANKAJ @FORTY SENT: 92-05-28 14:20 FROM: SMTPGATE @COMM (blrobert@cliff.itn.med.umich.edu) TO: NARAYAN_PANKAJ@TANDEM.COM SUBJECT: LIKEN
I've put Liken 1.0 on an SS-2 with 32 megs of RAM under SunOS 4.1.2, and I found the speed to be faster than any Macintosh I've ever used. The only application I ran was Microsoft Word, and this was very quick. The reason I have not tested it with other applications is that Liken has no communications capability yet, and to be truly worthwhile in our environment, it will have to be able to do AppleTalk and probably Mac TCP.
The worst bug I noticed was that sometimes Liken complains at boot up time about not being able to resize windows while an application is running. When this happens, it may take several minutes for the program to finish initializing. Normally, booting this pseudo Mac takes only a few seconds at most.
============================================================================== Brad Robertson | brad.robertson@med.umich.edu UNIX Support | University of Michigan Medical Center, ITN gopher.master | B1911 CFOB, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0704 ==============================================================================
FROM: SMTPGATE @COMM (mattson@cs.ucsd.edu)
I think you can get an evaluation copy for free. That's probably all you'll need. We found that on a Sparcstation 2, the response was unbearably slow. (One typical unbearable application was StuffIt, which we used quite often to bring stuff from Unix files into the virtual Mac disk.) It also has some major drawbacks, like it only emulates a Mac Classic with 4 Mb of memory, and the Multi-Finder doesn't work. It's really nice for being able to read Mac disks on a Sun, but it's not worth $700 for that.
--jim -- Jim Mattson Internet: jmattson@ucsd.edu UCSD CSE Dept. 0114 Bitnet: jmattson@ucsd 9500 Gilman Drive UUCP: ...!uunet!ucsd!jmattson La Jolla, CA 92093-0114 USA Voice: +1 619 534 7371
------------------------ ATTACHMENT TYPE 200 ---------------------- FROM: SMTPGATE @COMM (mattson@cs.ucsd.edu) Copied By: NARAYAN_PANKAJ @FORTY SENT: 92-05-28 11:17 FROM: SMTPGATE @COMM (rbd@eo.soest.hawaii.edu) TO: NARAYAN_PANKAJ@TANDEM.COM SUBJECT: Re: Anone used LIKEN, the MAC emulator ?
Please post the results of your question about Liken's performance to the comp.sys.sun.apps group, or e-mail them to me directly. There are a number of people here who would also like to know the answer to your question.
Thanks!
-- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pankaj Narayan Email: narayan_pankaj@tandem.com Tandem Computers Voice: 408 285 6047 (work) 19333 Vallco Pkwy, Loc 3-06 Voice: 408 243 5459 (home) Cupertino, CA 95014-2599 Fax: 408 285 7079
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