Re: MCL on the PowerPC

[straz (Steve Strassmann)]

 >From: Richard L. Smith <rsmith@cfr32.cfr.nist.gov>
 >
 >What??!!
 >
 >I thought Apple was going to port MCL to the PowerPC machines.  This  
 >fall I had planned to buy a 7100 Macintosh just so I could run MCL  
 >for a new project I'll be starting then.  Did I miss something?  Has  
 >Apple said they were not going to port MCL to the PowerPC?

Since this comes up so often, I think I need to repost these messages
at regular intervals. I'm enclosing below two official messages posted
to this newsgroup by MCL's product manager.

I'd like to mention that the MMU5 patch is available from our anonymous
ftp site at cambridge.apple.com:/pub/mcl/patches/. This enables MCL 2.0.1
to run on PowerPC with Virtual Memory enabled. We're still working on
a patch that lets it work with the New Memory Manager enabled.

-----------------------------
Date: 18 Feb 1994 12:11:26 -0800
From: "Rick Fleischman" <rick_fleischman@powertalk.apple.com>
Subject: Future Plans for MCL
To: "info-mcl@cambridge.apple.com" <info-mcl@cambridge.apple.com>

Dear Macintosh Common Lisp (MCL) customers--

Over the last several months there have been many questions about Apple's
future plans for MCL, in particular about our plans for a version of MCL
which runs in native mode on the upcoming Power Macintosh based on the
PowerPC microprocessor.

We hoped to have firm plans in place before discussing our future directions
for MCL.  However, it is taking longer to work out the details than we
expected.  Because we know that many of you have to make decisions now about
your development work, we want to update you on our plans rather than waiting
until they firm up further.

As long as there is a market for MCL 2.0.1, we will continue to maintain it,
support it, and make it available through APDA and our other resellers.  Our
maintenance plans for MCL 2.0.1 include bug fixes and ensuring that it runs
on future Macintosh computers, including the Power Macintosh in emulation
mode.  However, the current sales volume of MCL does not justify the
resources that would be required to continue new feature development on MCL.

We understand the desire that current MCL 2.0.1 users have to create
applications which run in native mode on Power Macintosh.  At this time, we
don't have plans to create a PowerPC native version of MCL on our own.  We
are in discussions with several potential partners about collaborating on a
native PowerPC version of MCL and in marketing MCL to the Lisp community.

There are also a number of significant in-house projects within Apple that
continue to use MCL.  This is an additional motivating factor both in our
continuing support for MCL 2.0.1, and in finding a partner to work with on a
PowerPC native version of MCL.

We appreciate your interest in and support of MCL through the years.  We're
glad that you've been able to make good use of this product to create great
applications.  It's precisely because of users like you and our confidence in
MCL as a viable, marketable product that we are working so hard to ensure a
bright future for MCL.

Best regards,

Rick Fleischman
MCL Product Manager
AppleSoft Development Products Group
Apple Computer, Inc.
e-mail: rickf@apple.com

--------

Date: 7 Mar 1994 20:26:47 -0800
From: "Rick Fleischman" <rick_fleischman@powertalk.apple.com>
Subject: Your MCL Feedback
To: "info-mcl-digest@cambridge.apple.com" <info-mcl-digest@cambridge.apple.com>

To MCL users--

I recently sent out an update on our development plans for MCL.  I received a
large number of responses from developers expressing frustration with what
was said and expressing support for the MCL product.

Your messages are being read and heard, by both myself and others in
positions of responsibility within Apple.  We appreciate your taking the time
to make your views known to us.

First, let me summarize what was said about MCL in the prior message:
--Apple is continuing to maintain MCL 2.0.1, including bug fixes and ensuring
that it runs on future Macintosh computers, including Macintosh with PowerPC
in emulation mode
--Apple is planning to collaborate with a partner to create a native PowerPC
version of MCL and in marketing MCL to the Lisp community.  These plans are
not yet fully in place.

Many people have interpreted this to mean that Apple has "killed" MCL, is no
longer interested in seeing further development on MCL, or is not committed
to the future of MCL.  This is not the case.  Let me assure you that we
intend to work with a partner to bring MCL ahead.  This not only benefits
you, it also benefits the many Apple internal projects based in MCL.

We appreciate all the support that people have shown for MCL, and we agree
that MCL is a valuable, high-quality product.  We look forward to the
continued availability and use of MCL into the future.

Best regards,

Rick Fleischman
MCL Product Manager
AppleSoft Development Products Group
Apple Computer, Inc.
e-mail: rickf@apple.com