Ebikon, Switzerland Ð The first legal Macintosh clone ever will be a NeXT computer. Daydream, due this month at under $1000 from Quix Computerware AG, uses an external "ROM Box" containing actual Macintosh LC ROMs attached to the NeXT hardware's DSP port. At boot time, the information contained in the ROMs is loaded in the computer's RAM. From there, the NeXT computer operates like a fast Macintosh.
Unlike an emulator, Daydream allows black hardware to run the latest Mac system software and popular third-party applications at speeds comparable to a Mac Quadra 900.
According to the company, even shareware extensions and utilities run without fail.
Compatibility is achieved much the same way as Apple would when updating its ROMs to support a new Mac, said Andy Grawehr of Quix. Hardware drivers are replaced in memory when the software is loaded into RAM.
By licensing Macintosh LC ROMs directly from Apple, Quix may have avoided the legal difficulties faced by similar products. The software also ships with a minimal version of System 7.1, apparently with Apple's blessing.
Eric Sirkin, manager of OEM licensing at Apple Computer, refused to comment on any discussions the company might be having with Quix or any other company wishing to license Macintosh ROMs. To date, only two companies Ð Radius and Honeywell Ð are official licensees.
Current limitations to Daydream include a lack of support for NeXT's Laser Printer, and the inability to read 800KB Macintosh disks or attach a modem.