I have a Performa 6400 with SOME cross platform capabilities. I would like to know if my Mac can read PC only software for kids? Is there some extensions or something that I need to do so? OR, is this just totally impossible? Thanx!!!

[Zwilnik]

You could run virtual PC on the 6400 so that you can use PC only software, but you'll need to max out the memory (two 64meg 168pin DIMMS) at 136 megs, and it's REALLY slow (I know, I've done it). It's quite practical to run antique DOS programs that it's not worth porting, but it's incredibly slow for windows stuff on a 6400.
Strange that there's kids software that's still PC only. That's one area where software companies tend to do cross platform well.

[finboy]

Go to ebay and see if you can find an old copy of Virtual PC 2.x.x or SoftWindows for sale. The DOS version of Virtual PC 2.1 runs OK on my 5300 powerbook, so it can't be too slow on the Performa. But you'll need to give it some memory, and don't plan on running it with anything else. In fact, I've seen a little Applescript to tell application "Finder" to quit so that VPC has more resources. This makes a real speed difference. I think I saw it on the boards at MacFixit, or here, or AppleInsider. Maybe Macdebate.

[finboy]

Also, I just updated RealPC which was bought by FWB in the last few months. It runs real well on older slower PPC machines (the latest VPC requires a G3, or so it says).

RealPC is DOS out of the box, but you can load your own windows on it. If you can find someone selling the 1.0 version, FWB will let you download a patch that will take you right up to current for free. And they've fixed a lot of things so that it runs pretty fast.

I forgot, but most of the older versions of SoftPC and/or SoftWindows (say pre-1996) aren't Y2K compatible. There was a good article in MacWorld about this in the fall or summer (I can't BELIEVE that I admitted MacWorld had a good article. Yak).

Hope this helps.