The Spectre GCR is a hardware and software package for the Atari ST computers. The hardware consists of a cartridge that plugs into the Atari ST's cartridge port and a cable that connects between the cartridge and one of the floppy ports on the ST. Designed by David Small[1][2][3] and sold through his company Gadgets by Small, it allows the Atari ST to run most Macintosh software. It is Small's third Macintosh emulator for the ST, replacing his previous Magic Sac[4] and Spectre 128.[5][6]

In its original form, the Magic Sac emulator was to be supplied as a complete product incorporating the Apple Macintosh ROMs and marketed as the MacCartridge, but this attracted legal threats towards Data Pacific as the manufacturer of the product. In supplying the product without the ROMs, Data Pacific effectively "transferred the problem of obtaining the Apple Macintosh ROMs" to the purchaser. Although Apple representatives asserted that controls over the issuing of ROMs made their procurement for use in such products "impossible", Apple dealers in markets such as the UK, where the product was available as the McEmulator, indicated that the ROMs were "still available to anyone as part of the Apple parts catalogue".[7]

The Spectre GCR requires the owner to provide official Apple Macintosh 128K ROMs and Macintosh Operating System 6.0.8 disks. This avoids any legal issues of copying Apple's software. The emulator runs best with a high-resolution monochrome monitor, such as Atari's own SM124, but will run on color displays by either displaying a user-selectable half of the Macintosh screen, or missing out alternate lines to fit the lower resolution color display. The Spectre GCR plugs into the cartridge slot and floppy port, and modifies the frequency of the data to/from the single-speed floppy drive of the Atari ST, allowing it to read Macintosh GCR format discs which require a multi-speed floppy drive.[8][9]

The manual claims the speed to be 20% faster than an actual Mac Plus with a 30% larger screen area and resolution. Although Spectre GCR runs in 1MB of memory, 2MB or more is recommended.[10]

References

  1. ↑ One Response to “Spectre GCR – I ain’t afraid of no ghost”, 1. David Small Says: October 14, 2009 Hi, I did the Spectre GCR.
  2. ↑ Name David Small, Location Denver, Colorado. ,Bio Many projects. Taught Atari ST to be a Macintosh (Spectre GCR). Writer. Current Project: HyperWeb. I'm done researching; now spinning it up. Twitter
  3. ↑ Spectre gcr By David Small, Posted Tue Dec 18, 2001 - AtariAge Forums
  4. ↑ MAGIC SAC PROFESSIONAL, ST's MacEmulator is better than ever, Reviewed by Jim Pierson-Perry, ANTIC VOL. 7, NO. 3 / JULY 1988 / PAGE 47
  5. ↑ Mac and PC On The ST 3 Computers in 1- For Real?, BY DAVID PLOTKIN, START VOL. 4 NO. 2 / SEPTEMBER 1989 / PAGE 47
  6. ↑ Mac Emulation: SPECTRE GCR, Atari Mega STE, Page Web de Guillaume TELLO
  7. ↑ Walker, Nick (January 1987). "McEmulator" (PDF). Personal Computer World. pp. 146–148. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  8. ↑ SMALL'S SPECTRE GCR: A NEW MAC, By David Plotkin, START VOL. 4 NO. 6 / JANUARY 1990 / PAGE 33
  9. ↑ Spectre GCR, Finally a MacIntosh for 'the rest of us', by Kevin Steele, February 1990, Northern Ohio Atari Helpers (N.O.A.H.)
  10. ↑ Spectre GCR Manual, Scribd
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