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-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[Last edited on March 20, 1992]
I would like to thank Larry W. Virden and Dan DeMaggio for their help
with this document.
========================================================================
Hi! Welcome to the comp.sys.apple2 newsgroup!
This article contains the answers to some Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) often seen in comp.sys.apple2. I am posting
this article (once every three weeks or so) to help reduce the
volume in this newsgroup and to provide hard-to-find information
of general interest.
I hope it answers some of your questions.
Table of Contents:
Q1: What is comp.sys.apple2? What is INFO-APPLE?
Q2: What are the comp.binaries.apple2 and comp.sources.apple2
groups?
Q3: What are the Apple II FTP sites?
Q4: What is APPLE2-L?
Q5: Are there other electronic mail file servers?
Q6: I just spent X hours downloading a file and I can't
decode it. Why not?
Q7: What is a .Z, .bsq or .shk file? (some common filename
extensions)
Q8: What is BinSCII?
Q9: What is ShrinkIt?
Q10: What is Executioner?
Table of Contents (for part 2):
Q11: What is Kermit?
Q12: What is FTP?
Q13: What is BITFTP?
Q14: What is the current system disk?
Q15: What are technotes?
* Q16: What Apple II magazines are currently being published?
Q17: What is APDA?
Q18: What programming resources are there?
Table of Contents (for part 3):
Q19: Some solutions to some very common problems
Q20: General guidelines on How To Troubleshoot
Q21: Recent Apple Computer Announcements and Changes
Q22: Apple II resources
Q23: Long directions to extract a file in Executioner format
Q24: Future questions for the FAQ
Q25: Editors Notes
+ indicates questions new to this article
* indicates questions/answers with changes of content since the
last issue
? on a line in the articles indicates input from the reader is being
requested.
Note: This is the first third of the frequently asked questions (with
answers), the other two thirds should be the next couple of
articles.
========================================================================
Q1: What is comp.sys.apple2? What is INFO-APPLE?
Comp.sys.apple2 is a Usenet newsgroup that was created for the
discussion of the Apple II series of computers. This forum provides
a way for interested people to compare notes, ask questions, and
share insights about Apple IIs. It works by users posting a message
via specialized software to a local file on their system, and that
message being passed along to all of the 30,000+ other systems
around the world that share Usenet files.
INFO-APPLE is a mailing list that is maintained on some networks
other than Usenet. Comp.sys.apple2 messages are sent to INFO-APPLE
and INFO-APPLE messages are sent to comp.sys.apple2.
The central location of INFO-APPLE is at apple.com.
Thank you, Apple Computer!
Comp.sys.apple2 is also accessed by users of ProLine bulletin board
systems. ProLine systems run, appropriately enough, on Apple II
computers. ProLine users account for a large group of participants
on comp.sys.apple2. Using ProLine's Conference System, users can read
and reply to articles on comp.sys.apple2, as well as many other Usenet
newsgroups. And since ProLine systems have UUCP/Internet access, users
can also exchange electronic mail with people world-wide.
ProLine system operators enjoy a close-knit network relationship with
other ProLine operators. Everyday, ideas are exchanged for making
ProLine systems better for their users. This includes news about
additional Usenet groups available to ProLine sites for the benefit
of their users. There are many newsgroups and mailing lists available
to ProLine sites.
Does anyone know of other folks doing the same thing for other
? networks? For instance, what is being done for Apple IIs on Fidonet?
Are there are networks of relatively low cost access which run
? Apple II discussions? Any other mailing lists dealing with Apple IIs?
For instance, I have heard rumors of a non-GS Apple II mailing list.
? What is it's address and policies?
To subscribe (or (sadly) unsubscribe) to INFO-APPLE, send your request to
the info-apple-request@apple.com address. Please do not send subscription
requests to info-apple@apple.com - it is doubtful that you will achieve
what you are attempting!!!! There is no need to subscribe to INFO-APPLE
when you are getting comp.sys.apple2, since the messages are identical.
To post a message to the thousands of readers of INFO-APPLE
(and comp.sys.apple2) subscribers send their messages to one
of the following addresses:
info-apple@apple.com
comp-sys-apple2@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
To post programs to be used by thousands of grateful readers, send
the appropriately formatted mail to one of the following addresses:
comp-binaries-apple2@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
? comp-sources-apple2@ucbvax.berkeley.edu [Is this correct?]
There is no need for comp.sys.apple2 users to do this - they can
use the standard posting features of Usenet.
On BITNET, INFO-APP@NDSUVM1 (aka VM1.Nodak.Edu) is available through the
LISTSERV on NDSUVM1 to distribute the Apple II discussion mail
? (is this correct?) and
APPLE2-L@BROWNVM distributes messages dealing with programs. They work
by maintaining a private list of users who wish to see the messages in
their mailbox. What is the address users should use to ask administrative
? questions concerning these two services?
Posting commercials and advertising to comp.sys.apple2/INFO-APPLE is
not only discouraged, it is not allowed under the rules of the NSFNET
portion of the group. Due to the complexity of electronic mail and
USENET message routings, commercial messages should not be sent on
either of them. Instead, Usenet users can post their needs to
misc.forsale.computers, misc.forsale, or misc.wanted.
The Internet and BITNET folks are out of luck with regards to these
type of postings. If they want to read and submit for sale or
wanted messages, they need to find logins on one of the ProLine or
other similar Bulletin Board Systems available around the country.
========================================================================
Q2: What are the comp.binaries.apple2 and comp.sources.apple2 groups?
Comp.binaries.apple2 is a newsgroup used to distribute public domain,
freeware, and shareware Apple II software (executables, pictures, sounds,
etc...). Software distributed on comp.binaries.apple2 is expected to be
a BinSCII text file of ShrinkIt archives.
Comp.sources.apple2 is a newsgroup used to distribute public domain,
freeware, and shareware Apple II source code. There are guidelines on
the format in the comp.sources.apple2 newsgroup. Contact
jac@paul.rutgers.edu for details.
Discussions concerning the software posted in these groups, or the
methods of locating, decoding, or accessing this software, or questions
on locating archive sites of this software, or any OTHER discussions (and
in fact many discussions you would NEVER dream of seeing!) are to be
held in comp.sys.apple2. NO DISCUSSIONS, QUESTIONS, PLEAS FOR HELP,
DISGRUNTLED OBJECTIONS, OR OTHER NON-RELATED MESSAGES ARE TO GO TO THESE
GROUPS. If someone DOES either intentionally or accidentally post to
these groups, please respond only in email - do not compound the problem!
Note:
Distributing commercial software is a crime - just don't do it!
========================================================================
Q3: What are the Apple II FTP sites?
Here is a list of the sites that have Apple II software available
by anonymous FTP.
Site Name Internet address Directory
---------------------------- ---------------- ------------------------------
apple2.archive.umich.edu ($) 141.211.164.153 /archive/apple2
bric-a-brac.apple.com = ftp.apple.com
avalanche.berkeley.edu 128.32.234.22 pub/Apple2 (IIe emulator)
brownvm.brown.edu ($) (*) 128.148.128.40 LISTSERV.193
bull.cs.williams.edu 137.165.5.2 /pub/AppleII
calvin.sfasu.edu 144.96.128.9 /pub/apple2
cnam.cnam.fr 192.33.159.6 /pub/Archives/comp.binaries.apple2
/pub/Archives/comp.sources.apple2
cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu 128.59.40.129 KERMA
f.ms.uky.edu ($) 128.163.128.6 /pub/appleII
ftp.apple.com 130.43.2.3 /dts/aii
ftp.cc.utexas.edu 128.83.136.13 /gifstuff/apple
ftp.hawaii.edu (@) 128.171.43.7 /incoming/apple2
ftp.tohoku.ac.jp (@) 130.34.8.9 /pub/news/comp.binaries.apple2
grind.isca.uiowa.edu 128.255.19.233 /unix/apple2
headcrash.berkeley.edu 128.32.234.31 /pub/Apple2
hp4nl.nluug.nl 192.16.202.2 /pub/newsarchive/comp/sources/apple2
isca02.isca.uiowa.edu = grind.isca.uiowa.edu
j.cc.purdue.edu 128.210.9.2 /kermit/appleII
jyu.fi 128.214.7.5 /pub/apple2
mcsun.eu.net 192.16.202.1 /pub/newsarchive/comp/sources/apple2
methan.chemie.fu-berlin.de(@)130.133.2.81 /pub/doc/faq
nic.funet.fi 128.214.6.100 pub/archive/comp.sources.apple2
pindarus.cs.uiuc.edu 128.174.240.84 /pub/apple2
plains.nodak.edu ($) 134.129.111.64 /pub/appleII
relay.cs.toronto.edu (@) 128.100.3.6 /pub/lists.1989
shark.nosc.mil 128.49.80.1 KER*MIT.
syr.edu 128.230.1.49 /software/kermit/appleII
tiberius.cs.uiuc.edu 128.174.240.8 /apple2
trantor.ee.msstate.edu 130.18.64.2 /files/appleII
tybalt.caltech.edu ($) 131.215.139.100 /pub/apple2
ucrmath.ucr.edu 138.23.146.21 /PC/apple2
watsun.cc.columbia.edu 128.59.39.2 /kermit/a
wsmr-simtel20.army.mil 192.88.110.20 PD2:<ARCHIVES.APPLE>
wuarchive.wustl.edu ($) 128.252.135.4 /systems/apple2
/usenet/comp.binaries.apple2
/usenet/comp.sources.apple2
(*) Files on brownvm.brown.edu are stored by serial number. For a human-
readable directory, send e-mail with the text "INDEX APPLE2-L" to
LISTSERV@brownvm.brown.edu.
($) This sign marks the "major" sites--those with especially large and
diverse collections.
(@) This sign indicates "small" sites--each site so marked has only one
or two Apple-related files.
Apple II-related Electronic Mail servers
========================================
archive-server@plains.nodak.edu (Internet), FILESERV@PLAINS (BITNET)
KERMSRV@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu (Internet), KERMSRV@CUVMA (BITNET)
LISTSERV@brownvm.brown.edu (Internet), LISTSERV@BROWNVM (BITNET)
LISTSERV@utarlvm1.uta.edu (Internet), LISTSERV@UTARLVM1 (BITNET)
========================================================================
Q4: What is APPLE2-L?
? [Note: This answer needs some expanding.]
APPLE2-L is an software archive of Apple II programs provided by
a BITNET mail server (LISTSERV@BROWNVM.BITNET). Interactive BITNET
messages are also supported.
Send an electronic message to LISTSERV@brownvm.bitnet to get help
information:
help
index apple2-l
What you will receive in return is a file containing a set of help
instructions and a file that has lines of the following format:
- filename filetype GET PUT -fm lrecl nrecs date time Remarks
- -------- -------- --- --- --- ----- ----- -------- -------- -------------------------------
APPLE2-L 88-00497 ALL OWN V 79 160 88/01/03 23:02:30 -> Applesoft Screen Editor
APPLE2-L 88-00511 ALL OWN V 75 110 88/01/29 20:44:01 -> Deductions.EXEC
APPLE2-L 88-00515 ALL OWN V 77 619 88/02/07 11:05:21 -> SDC.EXEC-- DOS 3.3 disk utilities and copier (similar to copy
There are over 450 files in the Bitnet archive. Most are programs or
updates to programs. A few may be email msgs. There also may well be
a few duplicates - be sure to read through the entire listing before
sending for a file.
The important files in these lines are the filename (APPLE2-L), the
filetype (88-00511), the number of records (nrecs - so you will know how
big the file is), the date (so that you have an idea of the currency),
and the comments, so you will have an inkling of an idea what the file
is. All files are text files - the majority are in BinSCII format.
To retrieve one of these files, you send an electronic message to
LISTSERV@brownvm.bitnet containing lines of the following format:
get apple2-l 88-00511
The file will be returned to you electronically. Some user difficulty
should be expected if you attempt to retrieve a file larger than 64k,
since the LISTSERV software apparently arbitrarily breaks the files up
into this size. Check the subject line carefully to determine the order
of the files. Remove all header and training info, including any white
space, before attempting to reconstruct the file. Chris Chung
<CHRIS@BROWNVM> administers APPLE2-L (Thanks Chris!)
Users with anonymous FTP access can see the above FTP site chart for
details.
? We need more info concerning the BITNET Apple II server for games.
========================================================================
Q5: Are there other electronic mail file servers?
Yes! Much like APPLE2-L works in BITNET, there are electronic
mail servers on Internet. I only know of the one at the
following address:
archive-server@plains.nodak.edu
? Anyone want to contribute info about others?
The idea is that you send simple commands in the mail message.
Start with the following message:
help
index appleII
Note: The filenames are case sensitive on this particular file
server.
You must be aware, however, that if you request the 'send' of
files, you must first be sending the files to a computer that
has access to uudecode and (if you request multiple files) tar
(the Unix tape archive utility).
Note that use of these facilities are generally frowned upon if the
item being retrieved is larger than 10,000 bytes. This is due to the
fact that you are asking a number of machines to carry quite a load
for you at no cost. Please do not abuse these privileges.
========================================================================
Q6: "I just spent X hours downloading a file and I can't decode it.
Why not?"
If you have a text file in your hands that has some lines
resembling:
FiLeStArTfIlEsTaRt
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789()
GBINSCII AQhmAAAAA8)4MIAI02DA9ARMQEDtAQhmAIVZ
gYITA6u7xADA0MjM3YTNBlDOENkQwYURzITM2UDN5gzNDJUQGVERyEDM1QzM4cjN
CFUOFR0QxAjR0MjM3YTNBlDOENkQwAQRzITM2UDN5gzNDJUQGVERyEDM1QzM4cjN
..
then you've got something encoded by BinSCII. You must decode *all*
the parts using BinSCII before attempting to extract using ShrinkIt.
On the other hand, if you have a binary file which resembles:
NuFilei][![/#NuFX_<:c[[[ H`F-fGSCII~[
cRJ0)fNN^P)3'A2p6SF6X#GPd<9#'LC^08N7n\NB7Dd!eMN&eYX0Am=fXp
d@PAsp7rh`I'NS0ALAfi2)2ysGEQ$k9CP%L9
...
then you have a NuFX file (note the key words NuFile and NuFX).
You should be able to extract the files it contains using ShrinkIt.
On the third hand, if you have a text file which resembles:
begin 666 nonsense.bny
M4W5N3U,@4F5L96%S92 T+C$@*%-$4U0V,"D@(S@Z(%1U92!/8W0@.2 Q,CHS
M...3HT.2!%1%0@,3DY, HT
and more lines like that, followed by an:
end
then you have a uuencoded file. This is going to be tougher to
decode. See the Apple II archives for a uudecode program that
works on any Apple II.
On another hand, if you have a text file which resembles:
(This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0)
then you have a BinHex file. This is going to be much tougher
to decode. The GSCII+ NDA by Derek Taubert decodes BinHex files
on an Apple IIGS.
You can also use a variety of macintosh programs to do the
decoding. There is also a Unix implementation of BinHex called
mcvert.
On one more hand, if you have a text file which resembles:
CALL-151
E00:38 A5 FF D0 32 D8 20 8E FD AD 30 BF 8D 6A 0E 20 00 BF C7 6D 0E 0D 80 02
E18:D0 1D 20 00 BF C5 69 0E B0 15 AD 81 02 29 0F AA E8 8E 80 02 A9 2F 8D 81
and more lines like that, followed by a bunch of lines that look like:
F00G
A90885A420732090242039FB2058FCA200BD9220F00620EDFDE8D0F5200CFDA9
then you have an Executioner file. This file is a little to hard
to describe how to decode at this point in the FAQ - check the
last few questions and answers for how to decode this type of file.
? Are there other formats that should be mentioned here?
========================================================================
Q7: What is a .Z, .bsq or .shk file? (some common filename extensions)
Filename extensions are simply the addition of more characters
to the end of a filename (thus the extension). An example could
be FRED.SHK. 'FRED' is the base filename. '.SHK' is a filename
extension that happens to indicate that the file is probably a
NuFX archive and you will need to run ShrinkIt to determine/extract
its contents.
Sometimes you will find multiple filename extensions. Simply take
the filename extensions apart one at a time and you should be able
to reconstruct the original file.
The following is a table of some of the filename extensions that
you may encounter during your trips to Apple II ftp sites:
Extension What does it usually mean
--------- ----------------------------------------------------
.SHK The file is usually a NuFX archive created by
ShrinkIt. Use ShrinkIt to extract the files.
.SDK The file is usually a NuFX disk archive create by
ShrinkIt. Use ShrinkIt to extract the disk image.
.QQ The file is usually a Huffman encoded file created
by BLU or possibly SQZ (If I remember correctly).
.BSQ This is usually a BinSCII'ized ShrinkIt file.
or Use BinSCII to extract a NuFX archive, then use
.BSC ShrinkIt to extract the files.
.BXY This is usually a NuFX file wrapped in a Binary II
header.
.BNY This is usually a BLU archive file. ShrinkIt
can be used to extract its contents. These were
previously referred to as Bunny files.
.BQY This is a BLU wrapped ShrinkIt archive. Use
or ShrinkIt to extract the files (it will automatically
.BNX go past the BLU header to extract the NuFX archived
files).
Note: This filename extension is found on GEnie.
.EXE The file is usually the output of Executioner. To
extract the file, simply 'EXEC' it from Basic
Note: You may need to use DOS 3.3... it depends on
the file you are extracting (sometimes they will
contain a note which will tell you).
.HQX This is a BinHex encoded file. Use GSCii+ or
a Macintosh program to decode it.
.SIT This is a StuffIt archive created by StuffIt on
a MacIntosh. GS ShrinkIt may be able to decode
it (newer StuffIt Deluxe files will not decode with
ShrinkIt).
.CPT This is a Compactor Pro archive created by Compactor
Pro on a MacIntosh - you will not be able to decode
it on any Apple II.
.SEA This is a self-extracting archive - simply executing
it on a MacIntosh will extract its files.
.ARC This is an archive that is usually from an Intel-based
(8086 or later) PC archive. Use either GS ShrinkIt or
DeArc2E.
.ZOO This is another archive that is usually from an Intel
based PC archive. You may be able to use GS ShrinkIt
? program (anyone know for sure?)
.ZIP This is another archive that is usually from an Intel
based PC archive. An UnZip programs exists that can
be used with a shell such as Orca, APW or GNO. Also,
Agate 0.69 or newer can unzip files during transfer.
.LZH This is another archive that is usually from an Intel
based PC archive. I know of no programs to extract
files from a .LZH archive on an Apple II.
.LHA This is quite a common format on the Amiga for MOD.*
type files that are becoming popular on the GS.
Unfortunately, I cannot find any source code for extracting
these files at all.
.uu The file is a uuencoded file, which is a standard Unix and
MS-DOS method of turning a binary file into a format which
can be sent through the mail or Usenet groups. Use the
program uudecode (or one of its many variants) to convert the
ASCII text back into a binary format.
.GIF The file is in the Compuserve defined Graphics Interface
Format. This is a binary file which contains a compressed
graphical image. After you have retrieved this binary
file, you can use programs like SuperConvert, SHRConvert,
Graphics Exchange, or IIgif to display the file.
.JPEG This is a new graphic file format, intended to maintain
.JPG a higher percentage of a 24 bit raster image. Currently
there are no tools native to the Apple II environment to
display or convert these files.
.TIFF This is an older graphic file format which I do not believe
is being supported in the Apple II environment.
.Z The file was compressed with the Unix compress
command (LZW compression). Use your host's uncompress
command to extract the file. Alternatives include
using GSHK (GS ShrinkIt) to uncompress or the
APW/ORCA UNCOMPRESS utility (available in archives).
Some ftp sites give the user the ability to uncompress
during retrieval. Check the site's README/help type
files for details.
.tar The file is a Tape ARchive created under Unix. Use the
Unix tar command to extract the files (tar xvf filename).
Some ftp sites give the user the ability to untar during
retrieval. Check the site's README/help type files for
details.
.tar.Z The file is a combination of the previous two items.
You would need to uncompress the file, then use tar
to extract the members.
I have found ShrinkIt archives as BinSCII files in a tar archive
that was compressed. Seems strange, but you may find a
XXX.BSQ.tar.Z file somewhere.
Good luck in your file decoding!
========================================================================
Q8: What is BinSCII?
This is a program which takes an Apple file and converts it into
a text file which contains a series of letters and numbers.
BinSCII can also convert from a text file (or many text files)
back into a copy of the original file. The main reason for using
BinSCII is that electronic mail and newsgroups like
comp.binaries.apple2 were only designed to transfer text files.
When a file is converted into text with BinSCII, it will become larger,
but it may also be split up into a series of small text files. This
prevents extremely long electronic mail messages or newsgroup articles,
since each can be posted separately. BinSCII segments are often posted
in groups of three (the first three in the first article and so on...).
This grouping works well because each article is not too large (which
some hosts won't handle) and not too small (which makes anyone saving all
the parts happy).
The main thing to know about BinSCII files is that BinSCII is pretty
smart. The program will look for the BinSCII header which is the word
'filestart' twice with funny caps (looks like this: FiLeStArTfIlEsTaRt).
The line delimiter (carriage return or new line) does not matter to
BinSCII - the program is written to skip over any combination without
problems. It also does not matter what order the segments are in, or if
they are in several files. You also do not need to remove electronic
mail or newsgroup headers, or leading spaces.
For example: you could save five BinSCII segments in one file and five
more in another file. The only detail is that you must decode every
segment of a file for the decoded file to work. Using that last example,
you would have to run BOTH files through BinSCII before attempting to use
it. If you did not run all the segments through BinSCII, your resulting
file will not be complete, and will not work as you expect. BinSCII 1.0.3
does not notify you if you are missing any segments.
The current version of BinSCII is 1.0.3. The user interface isn't
very pretty, but it's being worked on. Version 2.0 will change the
encoding format drastically, making BinSCII portable to other systems.
Encoded files will be interchangeable between any two implementations of
BinSCII (for example: encode a file under Unix and decode the file on a
Macintosh). When version 2.0 is available, a portable implementation in C
source will be distributed.
BinSCII was written by David Whitney <davewh@microsoft.com>,
of Zlink fame. BinSCII II is being designed now by David and
Todd Whitesel <toddpw@cco.caltech.edu> of the ftp archive site
tybalt.caltech.edu fame.
Sub-Subject: Where can I get a copy of BinSCII?
BinSCII 1.0.3 is available via ftp from tybalt.caltech.edu (or most of the
ftp sites listed previously).
BinSCII is occasionally posted to comp.binaries.apple2.
One more place to find BinSCII is on the APPLE2-L listserver
(file APPLE2-L 89-01123).
Todd Whitesel has re-encoded version 1.0.3 in a self-saving method
similar to Executioner but more reliable. Grab that version (on tybalt)
first and then you can easily decode future updates (which will be posted
in both Executioner and BinSCII 1.0 formats).
To get the specially-encoded BinSCII by ftp type the following
commands (assuming you have ftp access to Internet):
ftp [131.215.139.100] (or ftp tybalt.caltech.edu)
anonymous
user@node.place.domain (I would be dave@mystie.webo.dg.com)
cd pub/apple2
get binscii.exe
get binscii.txt
If the above doesn't work (try the ftp without the [] also) then
something is really wrong. binscii.txt is a tutorial that Todd
wrote about BinSCII and the binscii.exe file itself. The tutorial
sort of assumes that the .exe file is appended to it when it talks
about the .exe file -- this is because he usually mails them to people
with the tutorial and the .exe appended after it.
Sub-Subject: Is there a Unix version of BinSCII?
SciiBin is a C implementation of a BinSCII decoder. It works well
under most Unix or Unix-like operating systems, AOS/VS and MSDOS.
Note: SciiBin can only decode a BinSCII file! It cannot encode a
binary file into BinSCII format.
SciiBin version 1.10 was written by Marcel J.E. Mol. Version 1.20
had several corrections by Dave Whitney.
The current version is 1.30 by Bruce Kahn. This version corrected a
fair number of bugs and was a port to AOS/VS (where byte pointers are
different than word pointers) and MSDOS (under Microsoft C v5.1).
Sub-Subject: Is there a Unix BinSCII encoder?
Yes! Bsc is a program (written by Neil Parker at Oregon) to generate
BinSCII files on a Unix system (works quite nicely). bsc.aaf (in "Apple
archive format") is in the various comp.sources.apple2 archive sites as
well as on tybalt in the directory /pub/apple2/source. If you don't
have the tools to disassemble an AAF file, just use an editor to break
it up (it is only a few files, and emacs/vi does a quick job of removing
the line marker characters). It does not appear to be on the BITNET
APPLE2-L archive.
========================================================================
Q9: What is ShrinkIt?
This is an Apple II program which takes one or more Apple II ProDOS files
or disks and 'archives' them into a single NuFX archive. ShrinkIt
typically shrinks the members of the NuFX archive with variations of the
LZW (Lev-Zimpel-Welch) compression algorithm.
ShrinkIt has many options, such as whole disk compression,
disk formatting, displaying text files, etc. ShrinkIt also
has the ability to extract BLU archive members - more on BLU
in a couple of questions.
The current revision number of ShrinkIt is 3.3. It runs on Apple IIe,
IIc, IIc+, and IIgs computers.
A special desktop IIgs version is named GShk and is at
version 1.0.4. GShk can do all that ShrinkIt
can do and more. Some of the additions are the ability
to unarchive different archive types (Unix compress, PC
Arc, Mac StuffIt) and the ability to create/extract Apple
Single files. This is becoming more significant as resources
are being used more frequently in IIgs software. GShk
requires System Disk 5.0 (or later). For specialized
extractions, more than 1 megabyte of memory may be required.
ShrinkIt+ and UnShrinkIt+ are programs for the Apple II+ that
allow an Apple II+ user to create NuFX archives and extract
? from them. Can Apple IIs which can run ProDOS use these?
Autounshrink is a NuFX extractor that attempts to recover from
errors within an NuFX file. I believe it also has the
capability to speak what it is doing through an Echo II.
? What models can run this version?
ShrinkIt, GShk, ShrinkIt+, UnShrinkIt+ and Autounshrink were
written by Andy Nicholas <shrinkit@apple.com> of Finder 6.0 and
GBBS Zmodem code fame.
Sub-Subject: Is there a Unix version of ShrinkIt?
Nulib is at v3.13 and is a very close to complete C implementation
of GS ShrinkIt 1.0.4 (the only possible exception is the new code
dealing with files under LZW/2 GSHK compression). Nulib works
very well under most Unix or Unix-like operating systems, as well
as Apple IIgs Orca/C.
Nulib was written by Andy McFadden <fadden@uts.amdahl.com>.
Sub-Subject: What is BLU?
BLU is the predecessor of ShrinkIt. The goal of BLU was to take
one or more Apple II ProDOS files and 'archive' them into a single
Apple II file, maintaining the ProDOS file type information.
It could perform a Huffman compression on the individual pieces
if the user so desired.
The resulting files were named Bunny files (.BNY). BLU files
that were compressed were .QQ files, with a Binary II header
they were .BQY files.
There is little current use of BLU. The reader is most likely
to encounter files in its format on various archive sites. Note
that since ShrinkIt can unbundle the members of these files, there
is seldom any need to use BLU itself, unless it is a requirement
of the archive in question.
BLU was written by Floyd Zink, Jr. <7xxxx.yyy@compuserve.com>, of the
Apple II text file browser Tex fame. The Binary II format is
by Gary Little of Point to Point fame and now working as an Apple
employee.
========================================================================
Q10: What is Executioner?
Executioner was the standard program previous to BinSCII for converting
Apple II files into text to be mailed/posted. It is no longer considered
the standard for most transferals of Apple II binary files.
Executioner was like BinSCII in that it translated an Apple II
file into text to be send via email or 7 bit wide transfer methods.
Only the 4 bit mode was safe to use (other modes used characters
that got translated incorrectly between machines on the network).
Presently, Executioner is typically only used to distribute BinSCII.
Some older files in the various archives may also be encoded with
this program.
To translate an Executioner text file to an Apple II file required
that you delete the mail headers/trailers, translated the newlines
into carriage returns, download the file to your Apple II and from
Applesoft Basic, type the command 'EXEC <filename>' where <filename>
is the name of the file you downloaded.
Note: After the last line of the Executioner text, there needs to
be a blank line. This blank line indicates the end of the text
that gets translated back into an Apple II file.
Executioner was written by Glen Bredon, of ProCMD and ProSEL fame.
[The frequently asked questions (with answers) is continued in
the next posting.]
[Last edited on March 20, 1992]
Dave Kopper Internet: dave@mystie.webo.dg.com
or: dave%dgc.mceo.dg.com@relay.cs.net
Apple II Forever! GEnie: D.Kopper
[Last edited on March 20, 1992]
This is the second part of the frequently asked questions (and answers)
article.
Table of Contents:
Q11: What is Kermit?
Q12: What is FTP?
Q13: What is BITFTP?
Q14: What is the current system disk?
Q15: What are technotes?
Q16: What Apple II magazines are currently being published?
Q17: What is APDA?
Q18: What programming resources are there?
========================================================================
Q11: What is Kermit?
Kermit itself is a file transfer protocol invented by Frank
DeCruz of Columbia University. Typically in this group when
one talks about Kermit, they are talking about a program which
supports the Kermit protocol. There is at least one commercial
program which supports Kermit - ProTerm. But many folks are
using Ted Medin's Kermit-65 (currently 3.87), a freely distributable
version of a telecommunication program which supports Kermit,
xmodem, vt100 emulation, and many Apple II configurations.
Kermit-65 was written by Ted Medin <medin-t@shark.nosc.mil>
The latest official version of Kermit-65, v3.87, is available from
Columbia University via electronic mail or ftp. Send electronic mail
to KERMSERV@CUVMA.BITNET, and a one line message of HELP will get you
started. For FTP users, the site is watsun.cc.columbia.edu (128.59.39.2)
and the Apple II files reside in the kermit/a directory. Get apppro.bns
and apple.doc and run apppro.bns through BinSCII to get a ProDOS version
easily (a configuration program is included to select your driver).
Kermit-65 v3.87 is available at the ftp site
apple2.archive.umich.edu as /apple2/8bit/comm/kermit3.87.bsq (with the
accompanying /apple2/8bit/docs/kermit3.87.txt documentation file) .
A very nice (and large!) PostScript formatted document is also available
for Kermit-65. It can also be found at Columbia's archives.
========================================================================
Q12: What is FTP?
FTP is a program available to many schools and certain businesses
which are connected to Internet. This program permits file
transfers over a high speed international network.
Note: FTP with remote hosts is a privilege! The remote sites can
stop their FTP service if so they desire. Please try to restrict
your FTP usage to off-peak hours.
Some basic directions to get you started with FTP follow:
Enter the FTP program (type FTP; if you get an FTP command prompt
then you're in the FTP program).
Type: open <site> ; This command will establish
; a connection to a remote site.
where <site> is the name or address of the remote FTP site from
which you are trying to retrieve files.
You will be prompted for a username.
Type: anonymous ; The username anonymous is
; recognized by many FTP sites
; as a guest account.
You will be prompted for a password.
Type: your electronic mail address ; The password is usually your
; Internet return mail address.
; In my case it is
; dave@mystie.webo.dg.com
Now you are logged onto the remote host. Some commands you might
want to use after you log on follow:
dir ; Show me a listing of the files
; in the current directory
dir <directory> [<local filename>]; Put a copy of a listing of the
; files that are in directory
; into a file on my machine for
; later perusal.
cd <directory> ; Change the current directory
; to <directory>. pub is typically
; where the public's files are
; stored.
type binary ; Change the way a file is sent
; from the default of ASCII
; (7 bits) to binary (8 bits).
; There are sometimes other
; modes, such as tenex.
; Be carefull with transfering text
; files in binary mode... you may
; find an EBCDIC file instead of
; an ASCII file (depending on the
; type of computer the ftp server
; happens to be).
get <filename> [<local filename>]; Retrieve a file (named
; <filename>) from the
; remote host to your local
; host. If you supply a second
; argument, then the remote
; file is stored as that local
; filename.
put <filename> ; Send a file to the remote
; host.
mget <template> ; Retrieve multiple files
; according to the template.
; The ftp man pages and possibly
; the README files of some hosts
; may explain templates.
close ; Close the connection to the
; remote host.
csh ; Start a local C shell
; (sometimes this is renamed
; to whatever the local command
; shell is named - here it is
; named CLI).
bye ; Close any outstanding
exit ; connection and exit the FTP
quit ; program.
========================================================================
Q13: What is BITFTP?
Contrary to popular belief, FTP is available from BITNET, in a way.
There is a server at BITFTP@pucc.BITNET (or BITFTP@pucc.Princeton.edu)
which will process your requests. IF YOU ARE MAILING FROM A BITNET
SITE! mail a message there with the proper commands in it and it will
attempt to FTP and send the results back to you in a mail file,
Previously, this worked from non-BITNET sites, but the service was
abused and has been shut off for non-BITNET sites.
The files you actually get are typically sent as BITNET NETDATA files.
A sample message (without the text in {}) would be:
ftp tybalt.caltech.edu
user anonymous joe@site.com
cd pub/apple2
dir
get binscii.exe
get binscii.txt
bye
where the third word of the user line is the user's email address.
This will list the directories that you change into, and then
get the files. What you receive back may be several files.
First, everyone would receive back a mail message showing BITFTP
attempting your transaction. Look at this closely, as any errors
in the file names, as well as the results from the dir commands
will be in this message.
If you are on a BITNET site, your get commands will return the get files
into your NETDATA queue or electronic mail message. Each BITNET site
implementation varies, so the description here will be specific to the
VMS operating system.
To get the files from the queue, simply use the 'receive' command.
Binary files are a little special. They will require you to
'receive/binary', but there is still a problem because you will
find a carriage return after every 255 characters (or so). Use
'EDT/FDL BITFTP.fdl' to edit an FDL (file definition language)
file that has an option to turn off 'carriage control'. Finally,
type 'convert/fdl=BITFTP.fdl inputfile.ext outputfile.ext'. This
isn't as bad as it sounds, but it's more hassle than it should be.
For non-VMS systems, you should contact your local BITNET
administrator for assistance.
Obviously, you need to know what the directories are before you
get in them, which means that each time you need to send a new
message. This isn't terribly exciting, but that's how it is.
Internet's ftp is much easier, but the capability is still there
for BITNET.
Note: I have some reports that there are some BITNET sites that
do support FTP. Try the FTP command to see if your BITNET site
has it.
========================================================================
Q14: What is the current system disk?
Current
Revision
Disk name Number
------------------------ --------
DOS System Master ...... 3.3 All Apple IIs
ProDOS 8 system disk ... 3.2 All Apple IIs with 64k or more
IIgs System Disk ....... 5.0.4 Apple IIgs with 1Meg or more
(smaller memory configurations
may work, although they are
not supported/tested).
ProDOS 8 ............... 1.9 Available on the ProDOS 8 and
Basic.System ........... 1.4.1 IIgs System Disks.
The system disks should be available from your local Apple Computer
dealer, a local Apple Users Group or from a commercial information
system (GEnie, America On Line, or CompuServe).
Also, IIgs System Software 5.0.4 is available from ftp.apple.com via
ftp (in the pub/dts/aii/sys-soft directory).
========================================================================
Q15: What are technotes?
Technotes (Technical Notes) are short topics addressing questions that
Apple's Apple II Developer Technical Support staff members get from
outside developers. Apple II Technotes are divided into various
categories including (but not limited to): Apple IIc hardware, Apple
IIe hardware, Apple IIgs hardware, Imagewriter, Memory Expansion, ProDOS
8, GS/OS, and Hypercard GS.
The idea of technotes is to distribute information about
Apple computers that isn't readily available from any other
source. The hundreds of pages are well worth the effort to get.
DTS really does a great job with technotes! (Thanks DTS!!!)
You can find Apple II technotes on the FTP sites (ftp.apple.com
being the authority and apple2.archive.umich.edu being a secondary
source) or the commercial information systems. Another
source of technotes is APDA, where one can order printed or
diskette yearly subscriptions to the technotes.
Technotes are generally updated quarterly.
========================================================================
Q16: What Apple II magazines are currently being published?
GS+ is a bi-monthly magazine for the Apple IIGS published on an
Apple IIGS. This magazine is not as polished as some magazines,
but they are honest and put together very good reviews and
software. If they see something that is junk, they call it junk
(just the way it should be!). Their idea is to show what an
Apple IIGS can do and they succeed very well at doing exactly
that.
Some of their software is just downright great - their EGOed
NDA editor is great, I also like their Shuffle Init (shuffles
the active window between all open windows). I'm not being paid
for this favorable point of view - I'm simply a very happy
subscriber.
Address: GS+ Subscription Services
c/o EGO Systems
P.O. Box 15366
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37415-0366
Voice: (615) 870-4960 (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm EST)
(800) 662-3634 (orders only)
FAX: (913) 469-6507
Email: JWANKERL@UTCVM.BITNET (Internet or Bitnet)
Subscription Price: magazine $15/year, disk+magazine $36/year
magazine $3/issue, disk+magazine $8/issue
First class mail service for $1.50/issue, $9/year
Tennessee Residents add 5.5% sales tax.
Chattanooga Residents add 7.25% sales tax.
Canadian/Mexican orders add $1 extra postage.
All other foreign orders add $6 surface, $30 air.
--
| Nibble - is now a subscription only publication of 32 pages.
| It is still an Applesoft based publication with four or five
| programs per issue.
|
| Address: Nibble
| MindCraft Publishing Inc.
| 5 Boyce Farm Road
| Lincoin, MA 01773-0256
--
d e v e l o p - see the section about APDA for information on
d e v e l o p.
--
inCider/A+ is a monthly Apple II/Macintosh magazine.
Address: inCider/A+
P.O. Box 56818
Boulder, CO 80322-8618
Subscription: $27.97/year $43/2 years
--
HyperStudio Network is a quarterly newsletter about HyperStudio.
Membership in HSN will get you the newsletter (HyperStudio Forum),
an annual 'Best of HyperStudio' disk of stacks and availability
of discounts on HyperStudio accessories (including HyperStudio).
This network seems to be a great place for teachers to get
information/stacks.
HyperPostCards is their current big success. The idea is to
get students to include information about themselves and to
distribute the HyperStudio stacks from one school to another.
It works much like postcards would. I don't have more details,
so I'm stopping.
Address: HyperStudio Network
Box 103
Blawenburg, NJ 08504
Phone: (609) 466-3196
Subscription/Membership: $29 for 1 year, $55 for 2 years.
Institutional Membership: $99 for 1 year, $189 for 2 years.
Includes 20 copies of both HyperStudio
Forum and the annual "Best of
HyperStudio" disk.
--
A2-Central publishes several Apple II magazines:
A2-Central - The Apple II newsletter, there is an optional
disk version. This is a monthly publication.
All of their other publications are 3.5" disk based only.
For the IIGS, the program to use is HyperStudio (they include
the runtime version, in case you don't have HyperStudio).
For other IIs, they include a text browser. Although any text
browser will do the job. I don't know if this applies to all
of the magazines or not (guess I should call again...).
| Studio City - HyperStudio-based disk. Each issue is a
collection of HyperStudio additions. My guess
is that it includes things like Clip Art/Sounds,
XCMDs, PD Stacks and so on. There were some
articles in the demo that I saw - I can't say
any more than this. Except that there are
two disks per issue - every other month.
TimeOut Central - every other month - all about TimeOut
additions and AppleWorks. Includes UltraMacros
Macros, Templates and so forth. There is one
disk per issue.
Hyperbole - This disk based publication is not about computers.
It is HyperStudio based stories and poetry and
so on. The sample issue that I saw was very
interesting.
| Script-Central - This is sort of like Studio City, but for
| HyperCard IIGS users. It is bi-monthly and
| comes on two disks that MUST be installed on
| a hard disk.
? Address: A2-Central (or is it Resource Central now?)
P.O. Box 11250
Overland Park, KS 66207
Voice: (913) 469-6502
FAX: (913) 469-6507
Electronic mail on GEnie: A2-CENTRAL, UNCLE-DOS, or DENNIS.DOMS
? Someone want to update this info - I believe several of the above
items are no longer available? Unfortunately, I had to let my
A2-Central lapse.
--
II Sysops is a bi-monthly newsletter for Bulletin Board
System Operators. It explores every aspect of running a BBS,
from the technical issues, to legal issues, to sysop policy.
They even have board-by-board news on the major BBS's.
Address: II Sysops
P.O. Box 720
Eldersburg, MD 21784
Subscription prices: $10/13/16 for US/Canada/Int'l per year
--
The Road Apple - An Apple // "End Users" Underground Newsletter
Published six times a year.
Address: 1121 NE 177th, Suite B
Portland, OR 97230
Telephone: (503) 254-3874.
Subscription price: $9.95 per year (6 issues)
--
Computist - a publication devoted to gathering and distributing
information on removing copy protection from Apple II
software.
Address: P.O. Box 110846
Tacoma, WA 98411
--
Softdisk and Softdisk GS - monthly disk magazines containing a
variety of software. Softdisk is available on 5.25" or 3.5"
disks. Softdisk GS is available only on 3.5" disks.
Address: Softdisk Publishing
P.O. Box 30008
Shreveport, LA 71130-0008
Phone: 1-800-831-2694
1-318-221-8718
Subscription: Softdisk: $19.95/3 months
Softdisk GS: $29.95/3 months
Both: $39.95/3 months
Quite a few Apple user groups publish newsletters. These range
from a single page mailed out sporadically to dozens of pages
produced monthly. See Q21 for a phone number to call to find some
local user groups.
? Anyone want to suggest some large regional or national user groups
and their addresses, etc?
========================================================================
Q17: What is APDA?
The Apple Programmers and Developers Association (APDA) provides
a way for developers to get development tools that are sometimes
very difficult to find. Membership is free and you are sent a
quarterly catalog of all the available software, manuals, etc.
available through APDA.
Software available through APDA include the following:
MIDI Synth/synthLAB - MIDI Synth/synthLAB is a second
generation note synthesizer for the Apple IIGS. By
integrating a completely new sequencer, MIDI interface
and synthesizer into one programming tool, MIDI Synth
offers developers a powerful but simple solution to
many of their sound needs. Because of this integration,
most of the work required by an application is handled
by the tool.
synthLAB is a demo application that shows the power of
the new MIDI Synth toolset for the Apple IIGS. synthLAB
can be used to create the instruments needed for
applications, either by modifying existing ones or by
creating totally new and original ones. synthLAB's
recorder can be used to record custom sequences used in
applications. synthLAB is built around MIDI Synth and
makes a great learning tool in understanding how
MIDI Synth works.
This package includes one 3.5" disk containing the
MIDI Synth Tool set (tool 35) and synthLAB (a demo
application that highlights the sheer power of the
MIDI Synth Tool set). Also included is documentation
on each of the tool calls within that Tool set, and a
user manual for synthLAB. The APDA part number is
'A0250LL/A" (better known as "MIDI Synth/synthLAB
Version 1.0B3"). The price is $25.
[The above was stolen without permission from
8/16-Central, they took the information from A2Pro
on GEnie.]
Apple II Video Overlay Card Development Kit v1.1 - This
kit provides basic design information about the Apple II
Video Overlay Card. The notes include information on
how the Apple II Video Overlay Card works with
application programs, descriptions of the Video I/O
Interface Tool Set routines for controlling the
operation of the Apple II Video Overlay Card, and
overview of the Apple II Video Expansion Bus (AVEB)
architecture, and a description of the relevant new
features incorporated into the Apple IIGS VideoMix
desk accessory and the Apple IIe Video Setup program.
The disk includes interfaces for the APW and MPW IIGS
development systems and an object file for Apple IIe
programmers. The disk also includes Tool 33 (the Video
Overlay Card tool), the VideoMix desk accessory (for
the Apple IIGS), and the Apple IIe Video Setup program.
APDA part number is 'A0221LL/B', price is $35.
[The above is stolen from the Summer 1990 APDALog without
permission].
GSBug and Debugging Tools v. 4.0B1 - This beta version of
Apple Computer's machine-language debugger works on any
Apple IIGS with System Software v. 4.0 or later.
With GSBug, you can step through your code; save a trace
history to a file on disk; define breakpoints and insert
them into your code; define and use memory protection
windows; and view the debugger's master display, which
shows the contents of the 65816 registers, breakpoints,
and memory-protection ranges that you have set, portions
of the stack and memory, and a disassembly of your
program's code.
Also included with GSBug are the Loader Dumper, Memory
Mangler, and Scrambler classic desk accessories (CDAs).
Loader Dumper lets you see where in memory the System
Loader has loaded each segment of your program and gives
you information about the various tables and variables
that the loader uses. Memory Mangler lets you execute
a variety of Memory Manager routines and provides lists
of the memory blocks that are in use, purged, and disposed
of by the Memory Manager. Scrambler helps you find out
whether your application has incorrectly dereferenced a
memory handle by not having first locked the handle.
The GS/OS Exerciser, also included with this package,
lets you "exercise" GS/OS by practicing its calls from
the keyboard. This utility is supplied as both an
application and as a CDA.
APDA part number is 'A0037LL/A', price is $30.
[The above is stolen from the Fall 1990 APDALog without
permission].
d e v e l o p - The Apple Technical Journal, contains articles
and samples about creating hardware and software for Apple
computers.
The articles and code in d e v e l o p are intended to
lead you into Inside Macintosh. Each issue contains source
code (provided on the CD-ROM disc) that you can use in your
application. Each journal also includes questions and answers
from the Macintosh and Apple II Developer Technical Support
groups.
All of the journal articles and source code are included on
the compact disc that comes with d e v e l o p. The disc
also includes essential tools for developers: international
versions of system software, international HyperCard,
Developer Technical Support Notes stacks, and electronic
versions of selected Apple developer documentation, such as
Inside MacIntosh. If you don't have a CD-ROM drive, you
will be able to find the contents of the disc on AppleLine,
the Apple FTP site on the Internet, and other on-line services
in the near future.
If you're a certified developer, Partner, or Associate, you'll
receive one copy of d e v e l o p every quarter as part of
your developer package.
A subscription to d e v e l o p is $27 for U.S. subscribers
and $47 for international subscribers.
The following back issues of d e v e l o p are available
at a price of $10 per issue:
M0901LL/A d e v e l o p issue 1 January 1990
M0902LL/A d e v e l o p issue 2 April 1990
M0903LL/A d e v e l o p issue 3 July 1990
M0904LL/A d e v e l o p issue 4 October 1990
[The above is stolen from the Fall 1990 APDALog without
permission].
APDA is run by Apple Computer. They also produce a catalog and sell
other products for the various Apple models. Use the address or
phone numbers below to order the latest catalog.
Address: APDA
Apple Computer, Inc.
20525 Mariani Avenue, Mail Stop 33G
Cupertino, California 95014-6299
Phone: 1-800-282-2732 (U.S.)
1-800-637-0029 (Canada)
1-408-562-3910 (International)
1-408-562-3971 (Fax)
171-576 (Telex)
Electronic Mail: APDA (AppleLink)
A.DEVELOPER3 (GEnie)
76666,2405 (CompuServe)
POSTROM (MCI)
APDA (MacNet)
========================================================================
Q18: What programming resources are there?
[by Dan DeMaggio, dmag@caen.engin.umich.edu]
Interested in writing programs for the Apple II? Good! There are
many resources from which to draw. With this type of support, who could
resist writing programs for the Apple II?
A2-Central is a really good resource for programmers and
non-programmers alike. It has questions (and answers) from readers,
and articles from the moderators of an Apple II RoundTable on GEnie.
One year subscription is $28 world-wide. For more information,
contact: A2-Central, P.O. Box 11250, Overland Park, KS 66207.
Ph# 1-913-469-6502.
APDA (Apple Programmers and Developers) is the place to get
the latest and greatest from Apple and third party vendors. They
have many programming tools and debugging aids not available
anywhere else. You can get their catalog for free by calling
1-800-282-2732.
USUS is an international non-profit organization dedicated to
promoting and influencing software standards to aid in the develop-
ment of portable software. They have a large software library
including a lot of source code (for almost every language or
computer). One year membership is $45/51/75 for US/Canada or
Mexico/Int'l. Student, professional and organization rates are
also available. Contact Keith Frederick (Secretary), USUS Inc.,
P.O. Box 1148, La Jolla, CA 92038.
If you do start producing commercial programs for the Apple II,
Apple Computer Inc. may be your best resource. You can become an
associate in the Apple Developer Program for $350 (for Mac and Apple
II) or a mere $150 (for Apple II only) by calling 1-408-974-4897.
That gets you Develop magazine, Apple Technical notes, the Apple
Developer CD, discounts on Apple products, and more! If you want to
license Apple Software for distribution with your product you can
get information by calling 1-408-974-4667. (Note: You need a
license to distribute ProDOS, the Installer, and Apple System
Software.)
[The frequently asked questions (with answers) is continued in
the next posting.]
[Last edited on March 20, 1992]
Dave Kopper Internet: dave@mystie.webo.dg.com
or: dave%dgc.mceo.dg.com@relay.cs.net
Apple II Forever! GEnie: D.Kopper
This is the third part of the frequently asked questions (and answers)
article.
Table of Contents:
Q19: Some solutions to some very common problems
Q20: General guidelines on How To Troubleshoot
Q21: Recent Apple Computer Announcements and Changes
Q22: Apple II resources
Q23: Long directions to extract a file in Executioner format
Q24: Future questions for the FAQ
Q25: Editors Notes
========================================================================
Q19: Some solutions to some very common problems
[most of these are by Dan DeMaggio, dmag@caen.engin.umich.edu, the
last couple are from me and from recent articles of comp.sys.apple2...]
Q: How do I get out of Basic (that little "]" prompt and flashing
cursor?
A: Type: bye<return>
Q: Can the Apple II connect to SCSI devices?
A: Yes. There are several cards that will allow you to do this.
The standard one is the Apple High Speed DMA SCSI card. You
will need an enhanced //e or GS. For more speed, try the
RamFast/SCSI from CV Technologies. For un-enhanced //e's,
try finding an old Rev C SCSI card. This card only
supports regular hard drives and CD ROM. The other two
also support ejectable media and tape backup.
Q: Can my Apple read IBM/MAC disks, and take High Density disks?
A: Yes. 800K Mac disks can be read with several PD programs
including A2FX for the //e and GS/OS System 6.0. You can also
transfer programs directly onto ProDOS disks with the Apple
File Exchange program (comes with all newer Macs). With Apple's
new SuperDrive and disk controller, Apple ][e's and IIgs's will
be able to use Apple's High Density disks (2x the storage of Double
density disks, which hold 800K). If you want to read IBM disks,
it is only possible with the disk controller
in the PC Transporter.
Q: Can I hook up a LaserWriter, DeskJet, etc to my Apple //e?
A: Yes, all the above connections have regular serial or parallel
connections. The tricky part is getting them to do what you want.
The DeskJet, for example will print very nice looking text with
regular old "PR#1". But if you want to change the font or print
graphics, you may have to purchase some software. One excellent
program for these types of printers is PublishIt 4. You won't
believe the output you can get from a //e. For AppleWorks fans,
there is the program called SuperPatch. Among it's patches is
a cool DeskJet 500 printer driver. You can print sideways, and
change fonts with normal AppleWorks commands.
Q: Can I hook up a LaserWriter, DeskJet, etc to my Apple IIGS?
A: On the GS, you can hook up a LaserWriter via AppleTalk or direct
serial connection. A GS program can typically print to a LaserWriter
if it's connected to the GS via AppleTalk. If you get a DeskJet, or
PaintJet, etc, you can hook them up via the serial port. But in order
to use them effectively, you will want Harmony from Vitesse (better) or
Independence (cheaper) from Seven Hills. With either of these, it's
just plug and chug, but you will want LARGE font sizes (which the
printer driver will reduce to get smoother looking output).
Q: Can I hook up a scanner up to my //e? Can it do OCR?
A: Yes and Yes. there is the Quickie (by Vitesse) which is the same
hardware as the LightningScanner, but better software.
Basically, you scan 4" columns (you must have 512K to 1 Meg)
and can even paste them together to make 8" scans. If you
want Optical Character Recognition (allows the computer
to "read" text so you can load it into your word processor)
then WestCode has the product for you. It's called InWords.
Because it was written by Alan Bird, you know it's good.
As for the IIgs, the same above is true. Also, System 6.0
will be including a SCSI driver for the Apple Scanner. Perhaps
some flatbed scanning software will then become available.
Q: My Applied Ingenuity drive died. Does anyone repair them?
A: Bill Heineman, Custom Software Inc, 7734 S. Broadway Rd, Whitter, CA
90606 PH# (213)-695-3966
Q: I get "ProDOS version not compatible" on my GS.
A: It's probably not the ProDOS, but the SCSI drivers. Just install the
Apple SCSI drivers from your System Tools Disk, not the SCSI disk.
Q: Why am I getting "Not a Compatible version of ProDOS" when I try
to run any ProDOS 8 program after I've modified ProDOS 8 with
SCSI Part?
A: The system software is checking to see if P8 is the size that
the system expects. SCSI Part has probably changed the size of
P8. The fix is to patch the system software to accept the new
size of ProDOS 8 (Sorry, I don't have the details on how to do
this for you).
Q: What is an Enhanced //e? Do I have one?
A: Apple has two versions of the //e. The best way to tell is to watch
your computer as it boots. It will say "Apple ][" if it is not
enhanced, or "Apple //e" if it is. You can upgrade for about $70 with
the Enhancement kit. It contains a new Basic ROM (lets you type lower
case basic commands), a new video ROM (lets programs display neat text
symbols) and a new microprocessor (the 65C02, with 10 new instructions).
The basic reason for upgrading is compatibility with programs that
require an Enhanced //e. If you have a //c or GS, you have Enhanced
//e compatibility.
Q: I have a ][+/Franklin. Where can I get tech support?
A: Send a Self Addressed, Stamped Envelope to: TEBR, RFD #1, North Salem,
NY 10560-9705 or call PH# (914)-669-5421
Q: I want to find out about something at Apple. Who do I call?
A: GHOSTBUSTERS!!! Oops. How about Apple - Customer Support
Assistance: 1-800-776-2333 "To Resolve issues about Apple
policies, programs and products"
Q: Are there any dealers/user groups around me?
A: You can find out from Apple: call 1-800-538-9696 Ext 500, and tell
them your ZIP code.
Q: What programming languages are available for the Apple ][?
A: Oh, boy, here comes a can of worms. (+ means free/shareware, ? means
I do not know)
Forth: Purple Forth+, Q Forth+ and Mad Forth?.
Full C: Orca C, APW C, and Manx Aztec C. The first 2 are GS only.
Small C: Hyper-C+ and a Small C that comes as an add-on
package with one of the assemblers.
Basic: Applesoft, which can be extended with several
utilities in commercial and non-commercial form.
Beagle Brother's Applesoft Compiler.
TML Basic, Micol Basic, or Z-Basic, which are BASIC development
packages. Pecan Power System Basic.
GS-Basic, available through APDA.
Pascal: Complete (formerly TML) Pascal, Orca/Pascal, Apple UCSD Pascal
and Quick Pascal via APDA and Pecan Power System's Pascal.
Assemblers: Orca/M, Orca/M GS, APW, Merlin 8/16 Plus, Lisa+,
EDASM.
Other: Pecan Power Systems Fortran.
Lisp, Logo, Promal. GS Scheme+
? Anyone know of other languages?
Q: My AppleWorks program suddenly freezes on the first screen.
A: It may be that AW is barfing on the date. If you have a GS,
check your control panel for the right date (and if it
keeps happening, you have a dead battery, dude. See next Q.)
Q: My GS control panel keeps resetting to the defaults and/or forgetting the
date.
A: It's probably your battery. If you have a ROM 03 GS, you just
pop it out an get another. On the ROM 01, you will need a
Slide-On Battery Replacement Kit from Night Owl Productions:
Address: Nite Owl Productions
Slide-On Battery Dept.
5734 Lamar Street
Mission, KS 66202
Phone: (913) 362-9898
Price: 14:95 plus $2 for shipping
Q: I want a Y-adapter for my GS keyboard.
A: Redmond Cable has an ADB Y-connector cable for separating your mouse
from the side of your keyboard (also can be used to work around a
failing ADB port on the keyboard). Their address is: Redmond
Cable Corporation, 17371-A1 NE 67th Ct, Redmond, WA 98052,
PH# (206) 882-2009.
Q: When I am using my computer, I keep hearing "Party on, Wayne!"
A: You have obviously been spending too much time in front of your
computer late at night. Try and get some rest.
Q: Is anybody still supporting the Apple //?
A: Yup! Try Quality Computers. If you call them up, they will
put you on their Enhance mailing list for free. Enhance is
chalk full of articles about the Apple // in education, new
products, and (of course) contains the QC catalog.
Quality Computers | Main number: 1-800-443-6697
20200 E. 9 Mile Road | (313) 774-7200
Box 665 | Fax number: (313) 774-2698
St. Clair Shores, MI 48080 | Tech Support: (313) 774-7740
? Are there any other companies that folks would like to list here?
[my answers start here... Thanks for your answers Dan!]
Q: Can I get replacement chips for my Apple //c?
A: Alltech Electronics carries all the //c chips for $9 to $39 each
(depending on the chip). Pick up the latest A+ and look for their
ad. You can them at (619) 721-7733.
Q: What programs are there for conversion of graphic images?
(i.e.: GIFs and other pictures)
A. * IIGIF is a freeware GIF converter for any Apple II (but there is
a patch needed for the Apple //c). It reads in GIF and saves as
hires or double-hires.
* MACDOWN is also freeware and lets you do the same with MacPaint pics.
? Someone want to let us know how many formats each of these will read
and write?
The following software only works on an Apple IIGS
(So I won't continually say it's for the IIGS):
* The Graphics Exchange (with library disk 1 - and soon with
library disk 2 and The RGB Exchange) converts between many formats
of graphics.
* SuperConvert loads all GS formats, plus GIFS and other non-GS
specific formats and saves in all GS formats (including Finder Icon
files). It has more dithering options than most of the other
programs, but you may have to play with it to find the best one.
* SHRConvert is the earlier, shareware, predecessor to SuperConvert
It does a pretty good job on the types of graphics it supports.
* Platinum Paint can import all GS formats (yes, even PrintShop) plus
MacPaint. It can only save in SHR and Apple Prefered. It can view
(but not make/edit) SHR animations.
* ShowPic 6 is an NDA that can display most GS formates. You can
also save the resulting graphic as a IIGS SHR painting.
* Dream Grafix supports all 3200 color picture types and also
16 color and 256 color pictures. This is a very impressive
paint program with its 3200 color support.
* Emerald Image is supposed to be a 3200 color paint program,
however I haven't heard much about it in a long time - does
? someone know something more about this software?
Note: 'All GS formats' includes Superhires (type $C1 and $C0), hires,
double-hires and even PrintShop/PrintShop GS.
Q: My IIGS keeps crashing with the error $911 - what is it and how
do I get rid of it?
A: $911 errors are usually caused by too much heat inside your IIGS.
You'll probably want to add a fan (either external or internal).
Depending on your configuration, you way need two fans (My IIGS
has a TransWarp GS, a RamFAST/SCSI and a super power supply from
AE - these three components generate so much heat that I need to
use two fans - one inside and one outside). Just don't get a cheap
fan because the noise of its vibration will probably drive you
nuts.
? Someone recently questioned this explanation - anyone save the alternate
possibilities?
Q: What HyperMedia programs are available?
A: For the IIGS: HyperStudio (3.0 was just released) and
HyperCard IIGS and any of the other programs.
For other Apple IIs: Tech Tutor (although some folks won't agree
that it is hypermedia),
HyperScreen,
At least two different AppleWorks additions and a couple of other
programs.
Q: What desktop publishing software is available?
A: IIGS: GraphicWriter III (rev 1.1 was just released),
AppleWorks IIGS,
? and a few others (are they still supported?).
Others: PublishIt! 4,
AppleWords with some TimeOut utilities such as: TimeOut Graph,
TimeOut SuperFonts, and TimeOut SuperForms
GEOS Publish (probably not published any more)
Q: What Apple II computers are currently being sold?
A: Apple IIGS
Apple IIe
Apple IIe card for MacIntosh LC
Laser 128
Laser 128EX
Laser 128EX/2
? (are there others I'm missing?)
Q: Why does ProDOS 8 only use 32 megabytes per harddisk partition?
A: It is a built-in restriction to the ProDOS file system.
The ProDOS 8 filesystem has 16 bits allocated to describe a disk
block. This restricts you to accessing 32 megabytes per partition.
GS/OS provides access to disk via filesystem translators - FST. If you
are accessing a ProDOS filesystem, it appears GS/OS shares the ProDOS 8
restriction. This is not the case at all. GS/OS provides access to the
AppleShare, High Sierra CD-ROM and Macintosh HFS FSTs, which are not
limited to 32 megabytes per partition.
Q: What Apple II hard disk drive controllers are available?
A: The oldest is the Apple SCSI Card (Revision C is required by the
current system software). This controller will only allow you
to access 64 megabytes of a hard disk (i.e.: Two 32 megabyte
partitions).
? Is this still being sold?
The Apple DMA SCSI Card will allow GS/OS to see lots of partitions
This controller uses DMA (Direct Memory Access to transfer information
from the disk controller directly to the memory where the CPU wants
it read into or written from. The current version of ProDOS 8 can
only access the first two partitions (a shareware program SCSI Part
can get past this limitation).
The RamFAST/SCSI controller can access up to twelve partitions
under GS/OS or ProDOS 8. It also uses DMA to transfer data to and
from the disk drive. This controller is the fastest hard disk drive
controller (it has between 256k and 1meg of memory on it and there is
a 10 Mhz CPU to process the I/O requests on it). Another feature of
the RamFAST is that you can write-protect and/or disable access to
each partition.
? There are other controllers out there; can anyone add details?
Q: Why does my Apple //e lose characters when I'm using the modem?
A: There are various reasons for missing characters on the //e:
1) Flip DIP switch 2-6 (if you have an Apple Super Serial Card) - this
switch enables interrupts for the serial card.
2) The unenhanced //e has a scrolling problem in the 80-column mode.
3) You have the modem in an unrecommended slot.
4) Possibly interference between the modem and another card.
If your IIc cannot keep up at 2400 baud, perhaps it is because you have
a particularly old model - contact your dealer concerning the steps
available to you for upgrading the IIc motherboard for 2400 baud support.
Q: How can I generate a postscript file on my IIGS?
A: Quick easy to follow steps:
Rename LaserWriter Driver to Postscript (or whatever you want)
Put it in Drivers directory
Select it as your direct connect printer in the NDA Control Panel
Select Print from file as normal
Hold down open apple-f as you click on okay.
The postscript file can be found in the Drivers directory!
This method currently works, however this is not documented by
Apple and may not work in the future.
Q: Do third party 3.5" MacIntosh disk drives work on the IIGS?
A: No. Apple's 3.5" drive has logic to sense which machine it is hooked
up to (Apple II or MacIntosh) and it works accordingly. Use a
MacIntosh specific drive on a IIGS and it'll erase the first track
of any disk that is inside and the access light will stay on.
Q: Where can I find oscillator crystals?
A: Digi-Key Corp (Phone: 800-344-4539). They charge $3.75 per crystal
and $5 for shipping an order. Some Digi-Key part numbers are:
SE1101 for 32 Mhz (8 Mhz TransWarp GS)
SE1103 for 36 Mhz (9 Mhz TransWarp GS)
SE1104 for 40 Mhz (10 Mhz TransWarp GS)
Q: How can I change the filetype of a file?
A: FAZ (File Attribute Zapper) works for most Apple IIs. There are desktop
programs available for the IIGS which allow updating files with resources.
| A couple IIGS programs are UtilityWorks and FileManager - both are
| shareware.
========================================================================
Q20: General guidelines on How To Troubleshoot
First, resist the temptation to install all your new toys at once.
Take it one step at a time and test everything after each new item.
Always write down the EXACT error message.
If you have an accelerator, disable it or take it out entirely.
Is the problem re-producable? If so, what are the MINIMUM actions to
reproduce it?
Check all your cable connections.
Run a Verify a disk to see if it has a bad block.
Try the system test: hold down the Control key, the Open Apple key, and
the Option or Solid Apple key. Then press and release Reset. Then
let up on the other keys. Sit back and 'Watchen Der Blinken
Lighten.'
Try pulling out other cards and disconnect your joystick.
If you have a lot of cards, you might consider a Heavy-Duty Power Supply
from A.E. It supplies 6 Amps instead of a measly 2.5 Amps.
Leave the computer plugged in, but turned off when installing cards.
Touch the power supply before and often during your work. Better
yet, use a wrist strap tied to ground.
Most RAM cards come with a memory tester. Try running it in continous
mode for several hours.
Don't change (or at least write down) the configuration if it was working.
Call the manufacturer to see if there is an upgrade or a fix.
For the GS:
Is the slot set for "Your Card"?
Is the startup slot set right?
Try it at normal speed if it's not GS-specific
Disable your RAM disk
Take out or disable your INITS, CDAs, NDAs, and CDEVS.
If you have a hard disk, try booting from a System Disk and/or
re-install the latest system software.
Never connect/disconnect an ADB device when the computer is on!
AppleWorks GS comes with a memory tester (try it).
The TransWarp GS has a continious test on the CDA (try it too).
For SCSI disks:
Try letting the drive 'warm up' for 15 seconds before turning the
computer on.
Try turning off DMA.
Are there 2 devices with the same ID? (most cards are set to ID 7)?
Is there a terminator at each end of the SCSI bus? (the DMA cards are
terminated, and some drives are internally terminated.)
Can the software that came with the card see the card? (I.E. the Apple
DMA SCSI utilities-- does it say "no card found" or "no drives
found"?)
Is the disk formatted, partitioned and has system software been
installed?
Does the drive access light blink in a regular pattern before the
computer is turned on? It's telling you it needs fixing.
If all else fails, take the shrink-wrap off the manuals and sneak a peek.
========================================================================
Q21: Recent Apple Computer Announcements and Changes
The Apple IIc+ was dropped from 1990 price lists (I really liked the
//c+, I even bought my parents one).
ProDOS 8 1.9 was announced in September 1990.
System Software 5.0.4 was announced in December 1990.
System Software 6.0 was completed in February 1990 (it is now
a Golden Master and will soon ship...).
HyperCard IIGS was announced in December 1990 at AppleFest.
It became available from Apple Computer Dealers in 1991 for
for $125 list. HCGS requires 1.5meg (although 2meg is recommended)
and a hard disk.
System Software 6.0 (with HFS FST, Apple DOS 3.3 read-only FST, new
finder, new control panel, StyleWriter printer driver, ProDOS 8 rev 2.0
and so many other enhancements you'll LOVE this system - it should come
on six diskettes!), HyperCard IIGS rev 1.1, 1.4meg floppy (or super
floppy or FDHD) diskette and controller (for Apple //e or IIGS), and
the Apple II Ethernet card were all announced at the 1991 KansasFest.
A national broadcast announced these products in October 1991. They
were expected to be available some time before the end of 1991
(first it was late summer then fall, then late fall - with such
a complex system, we don't mind the wait if it works without
any problems). You will need at least one megabyte of memory and you
might want to get a hard disk drive seeing as the minimum system
software will just barely fit on one diskette.
The FDHD disk drive and controller for both Apple //e or IIGS is
shipping! This disk drive supports 1.4 megabyte floppy disks.
Apple has a toll-free customer assistance line for handling
sales questions and user concerns. This toll-free line is not
designed to be a technical support hotline, but instead is an
extension to the comprehensive Apple customer relations effort.
The Customer Assistance Center is open Monday through Friday
from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time by dialing 1-800-776-2333.
Apple now has two types of computer dealers: Apple II and Macintosh.
An Apple dealer may be of either type or both. If you call Apple
(1-800-538-9696) to find an Apple dealer, ask for an Apple II dealer.
========================================================================
Q22: Apple II Resources
This section is pointers to Apple II resources - places to get
more information about Apple IIs.
--
To find the closest Apple II (or Macintosh) User Group near
you, contact:
The Apple User Group Connection
Apple Computer, Inc.
20525 Mariani Avenue, MS:36-AA
Cupertino, CA 95014
(800) 538-9696, extension 500
--
The Apple II Guide is a 1990 resource guide for Apple II owners. Apple
has given this guide away at Applefest and it may be available from your
local dealer (at a cost), your user group or directly from Apple.
From the comments I've heard about this book, Apple has done
a very good job on it. Thank you Apple!
--
In order to find an Apple II dealer in your area then call the
Apple Dealer Relations toll free number: 1-800-538-9696.
--
If you are having problems with a dealer in your area then call
the Apple Customer Service Center toll free number: 1-800-776-2333.
========================================================================
Q23: Long directions to extract a file in Executioner format
(I'm assuming that you can edit a file before you download it.
If this isn't the case, do all the editing after you download
it and translate the new lines to carriage returns - Kermit
can do this translation for you).
First lets determine if you have an Executioner file. The first
line after all the headers (mail addresses, text, etc...) will
be:
CALL -151
If you have found a CALL -151 then you probably have an Executioner
format file. Delete all the lines above the CALL -151 so that it
is the first line of the file.
Now edit the other end of the file. You should find something like
a line string of numbers (and letters) followed by a blank line which
is followed by a BSAVE command and then a E00G command.
Make sure that the blank line contains no characters (other than the
newline to get the blank line).
Delete any lines that may follow the E00G command. These are
typically signature lines.
Make sure that there are no spaces before the text of each line
(1,{body}lt;< in vi).
Save the file to be downloaded. Note: If you edited the file on
your apple, then you must make sure that you write a text file back
to the disk (A save command from AppleWorks isn't good enough,
you'll have to print the file to disk from AppleWorks).
Now translate the new lines to carriage returns. On Unix systems
the command is:
tr '\012' '\015' < inputfile > outputfile
Other possible methods to do the translation is to download using
the Kermit program (it can translate new lines to carriage returns
for you) or a program on your apple. I believe that the DaveEx shell
has a TR command that can do the translation for you. I also
believe that there are several other programs that can do the
translation for you. List is a file browser that can print to
disk. TextDragon works on the IIGS.
Use whatever method you can, just get the new lines translated into
carriage returns.
Download the edited/translated file - I'm not going into any detail
here. Just get the file downloaded. You may have already completed
this step, if you had to edit/translate the file on your apple.
Just get the edited/translated file onto a disk for your Apple.
Boot ProDOS and get into Basic, then set the prefix so the
edited/translated file is available.
Now type 'EXEC filename', where filename is the edited/translated
text file.
You should see a ']' prompt followed by lots of '*' prompts. A while
later, you will see couple more ']' prompts then everything should
stop with a ']' prompt.
You should see a new file in your directory. If the filetype is
wrong (it may have to be a particular type, for BinSCII it must
be type SYS), then you can try the EXEC command again - which will
probably work the second time.
An alternative (if EXEC doesn't do the trick) is to change the file
type with file type changer.
An example will probably help, so lets try to walk through one.
The following is a 'edited' file that I just got from the APPLE2-L
LISTSERVer (actually file APPLE2-L.87-00031) - my editing was simply
to make its size manageable for this example.
Note: The '****'s are to mark the start/end of the file and are
not actually contained in the file itself.
Here is the file:
- ************************************************************************
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 87 23:14 EST
Reply-To: Apple II List <APPLE2-L@BROWNVM>
Sender: Apple II List <APPLE2-L@BROWNVM>
From: SEWALL@UCONNVM
Subject: Chameleon 2 of 2 files
cham.exe (EXEC under ProDOS)-----------Cut Here--------------------
CALL-151
E00:38 A5 FF D0 32 D8 20 8E FD AD 30 BF 8D 6A 0E 20 00 BF C7 6D 0E 0D 80 02
E18:D0 1D 20 00 BF C5 69 0E B0 15 AD 81 02 29 0F AA E8 8E 80 02 A9 2F 8D 81
E30:02 20 00 BF C6 6D 0E A2 08 B0 0E 20 00 BF C3 70 0E B0 06 A2 26 20 53 0E
E48:AA 20 53 0E 4C D0 03 20 ED FD E8 BD 59 0E D0 F7 60 A0 F3 E1 F6 E5 E4 8D
E60:00 C5 F2 F2 EF F2 87 8D 00 02 00 81 02 01 80 02 07 7E 0E 01 FF 00 20 00
E78:00 00 78 AE 00 00 0B C3 C8 C1 CD AE D3 D9 D3 D4 C5 CD 00
F00:D8 A0 00 84 FF 88 84 E0 A9 0F 85 E1 20 67 FD A0 00 A2 FF 20 2F 0F E6 E0
F18:D0 02 E6 E1 0A 0A 0A 0A 91 E0 20 2F 0F 11 E0 91 E0 45 FF 85 FF 90 E4 E8
F30:BD 00 02 09 80 C9 A0 F0 F6 49 B0 C9 0A 90 17 69 88 09 20 C9 FA B0 0C 68
F48:68 E0 04 B0 BF 98 91 E0 4C 69 FF 18 29 0F 60
F00G
A90885A420732090242039FB2058FCA200BD9220F00620EDFDE8D0F5200CFDA9