Now that you understand the hardware and software issues, let's see how they affect your choice of platform and content considerations.While it doesn't come free, Director dramatically reduces multi-platform development costs. If you develop mainly on the Macintosh, and then port for delivery under Windows (or vice-versa), or develop web content, you should invest in both types of machines and in a fast, simple method to transfer files between them, such as a network, or Zip drives. See http://www.macwindows.com for Mac-Windows connectivity solutions. You have been warned.

Keep these cross-platform issues in mind:

Compatibility Testing. Macintosh developers are unaccustomed to the compatibility issues with Windows, especially with different video cards. If you support Windows, be prepared for time-consuming compatibility testing with various PCs.

File formats.If supporting both platforms, use cross-platform file formats, such as AIFF, and flattened QuickTime (MOV) files. Avoid Windows-specific formats, such as AVI and WAV.

File names.Especially when supporting Windows 3.1, use file names that conform to the eight-dot-three naming convention, such as SOMEFILE.DIR. Use a three-letter extension, such as MOV, AIF or WAV for external files.

Audio settings.Prepare audio at 11.025 kHz, 22.050 kHz, or 44.1 kHz, which will play back well on both the Macintosh and Windows. Avoid 11.127 kHz, 22.254 kHz or other variations.

Palettes and graphics.The same graphic with the same palette tends to appear darker in Windows than on the Macintosh. Test your graphics carefully before settling on a custom palette.Reserve the first and last 10 colors of the palette for the Windows default colors.Director includes a cast of such palettes that you can choose from: Xtras> Libraries> Palette Library.

Pure white pixels won't properly fade to black, and black pixels won't properly fade to white, in Director for Windows. When using palette fades, use off-white and off-black pixels in your graphics instead. Note that you cannot use Director palette fades in color depths higher than 256 colors.

Color depth. Director for Windows 3.1 does not fully support more than 256 colors. Choose a color depth that performs well on all supported platforms, such as 256 colors. Use deBabelizer to create a super palette to which you can dither higher-depth images.

Transitions.Visual transitions tend to be clunkier and chunkier under Windows (especially Windows 3.1) than on the Macintosh.

Fonts. Use the Director FONTMAP.TXT file to map fonts across platforms. If font appearance or alignment is crucial, use bitmaps or rich text cast members for small amounts of text.

Xtras, XObjects and DLLs. Whereas many Xtras are cross-platform, some are not.Many newer Xtras (MUI Dialog and QD3D) don't support Windows 3.1.