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Lighting Your Apple II Path On Delphi | |
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>>> WELCOME TO THE LAMP! <<<
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THINKING KFEST: KansasFest On The Web
AND THE BEST OF THE A2 AND A2PRO MESSAGE BOARDS
"Teaching the Apple II user how to fish since 1998"
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Lamp! An Onipa'a Software Production Vol. 1, No. 7
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Publisher & Editor.......................Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W.
Internet Email........................................thelamp@delphi.com
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
TABLE OF CONTENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 15, 1998
OPENING PITCH
Simple, Practical, Proven -------------------------------------- [OPN]
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED [FOR]
The Heat Is On ------------------------------------------------- [HET]
Miscellanea [MSC]
Rumor Mill ----------------------------------------------------- [RMR]
Public Postings [PUB]
Best Of The Best ----------------------------------------------- [BOB]
A2Pro_DUCTIVITY
Checking out A2PRO on Delphi ----------------------------------- [A2P]
THINKING KFEST
KansasFest On The Web ------------------------------------------ [KFE]
EXTRA INNINGS
About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN]
[*] [*] [*]
READING THE LAMP! The index system used by The Lamp! is designed to make
""""""""""""""""" your reading easier. To use this system, load this
issue into any word processor or text editor. In the index you will find
something like:
EXTRA INNINGS
About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN]
To read this article, simply use your search or find command to locate
[INN]. There is a similar tag at the end of each article: [EOA].
:: DISCUSSED ON DELPHI ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
: :
: I'm not a programmer (but I am one helluva good :
: tennis player) :
: :
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PSEMEL ::::::::
[EOA]
[OPN]------------------------------
OPENING PITCH |
-----------------------------------
From The Editor
"""""""""""""""
by Ryan M. Suenaga, B.A., M.S.W., L.S.W.
[thelamp@delphi.com]
SIMPLE, PRACTICAL, PROVEN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since our last talk, to the alternating cheers and jeers of the
mainstream computing crowd, Microsoft unleashed its _Windows 98_ operating
system on an expecting world. "Windows 98 Party!" cried CompUSA and
Computer City and other giant computing retailing chains, making anxious
buyers late for work the next morning with their after-midnight madness.
Not just on the island, but across the nation if not the world, the hype
that would be king of mainstream computing finally went on sale with all
the hoopla of a Broadway opening--in fact, even more hoopla than that.
I don't subscribe to the belief that any operating system (regardless
of origin) is evil. It's just an alternative, and a new version brings
with it all the advances--real and less than--that we're used to with new
technology in any field. The mythical state of obsolesence is the
direction such an introduction is supposedly pushing us in. But is it?
Alternatives to that which is old abound, regardless of what we're
talking about. For daily transportation, I drive a truck that went out of
production eight years ago. I heat up my lunch at work in a microwave oven
out of the early '80's, I wear a pair of shoes that I bought almost a year
ago and can't find at the store anymore. By modern definitions, all of
these things are obsolete, yet the truck still runs, the oven still heats,
and the shoes still pass dress code. That hasn't changed.
If you look for a computing example, you need not look far, indeed.
In fact, I have no need to even discuss my old Apple II's--just look at my
Macintosh computers, both of which are no longer in production. Yet the
keyboard still types, the hard drive still spins, and the screen still
lights up. It still works.
As does the Apple II.
In my estimation, mainstream computer equipment is not unlike
mainstream athletic equipment. I went for a bicycle ride with a friend of
mine, new to cycling, who showed up with a 24 speed fully suspended
mountain bike to ride with me as I took my tourer, a vintage 1989 converted
Bridgestone mountain bike, on one of the first mid-length rides of the
summer. He certainly had nice new equipment, including a shiny new helmet,
jersey, and shorts, along with his bike. Unfortunately for him, he didn't
pick up any new speed along with his stuff, being just as fast as he was
the month before.
Newer is nice, but is it better?
As long as there is a place for the new, there'll also be a place for
the not-so-new. And that's where I'll be, Apple II in tow.
[*] [*] [*]
And Charles Barkley Is Really 6'7" Department: I had announced this
month's issue of _The Lamp!_ would be shorter than usual due to the fact
that KansasFest 1998 is fast approaching and I have a lot to do to get
ready for my annual trip to Avila. However, as this issue nears
completion, I see that in terms of actual length, this file is longer than
ever. Don't give me the credit: give the credit to the A2 and A2Pro gang
on Delphi, who have given the opportunity for me to carry their vital
discussions here in _The Lamp!_.
I'll be leaving for KFest within days. Take care.
Ryan
thelamp@delphi.com
ASCII ART BEGINS
_________ _ _ _
|__ __| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | |___ ____ | | _____ __ ___ _ _ _____ | |
| | | ___ \ / __ \ | | /____ \ | v v | | v ___ \ | |
| | | | | | | /__\ \ | | ____| | | /\ /\ | | / \ \ | |
| | | | | | | _____| | | / ___ | | || || | | | | | |_|
| | | | | | | |_____ | |____ | |__| | | || || | | \___/ / _
|_| |_| |_| \______| |______| \____^_| |_||_||_| | |\____/ |_|
| |
| |
|_|
ASCII ART ENDS
[EOA]
[OPN]------------------------------
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED. . . . |
-----------------------------------
Checking out A2 on Delphi
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
by Ryan M. Suenaga, B.A., M.S.W., L.S.W.
[thelamp@delphi.com]
* The Heat Is On
* Miscellanea
* Rumor Mill
* Public Postings
* Best Of The Best
THE HEAT IS ON
""""""""""""""
[*] Apple Operating System ....... System Software Patches
[*] Hardware Hacker ....... Modems + Lightning = New Modems
[*] The Apple II Legacy ....... Just Days Left 'Till KFest X
[*] General Chatter ....... The Future of the Apple II
[*] Vendors & Tech Support ....... Do Not Feed The Energy Creature
MISCELLANEA
"""""""""""
SIS HTML COMPATIBILITY SIS knows how to deal with all of the HTML 3.2
"""""""""""""""""""""" tags. There are several books you can find at your
local book store which go in detail on the HTML 3.2 syntax. The official
specifications on HTML 3.2 can be found at www.w3.org, but they don't
provide useful examples which can be found in books. I would recommend that
you purchase SIS so you can see how SIS actually parses the tags.
Geoff
(SISGEOFF, 13586, GO COM A2)
THE SEARCH FOR SYSTEM 6.0.1 PATCHES This is what I found - descriptions
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" from memory - I can look them up and
give you more (accurate) detail, if you like:
#54 - Fix ROM Blaster - Fixes a problem where programs can be loaded
across a 32K memory boundary, causing data from another program to be
wiped.
#57 - Desktop Memory Fixer - Fixes a problem with the Window Manager
forgetting about memory it has allocated and re-allocating it when
switching between graphics modes.
#59 - DiskCount - CDev to make only the correct number of 5.25" drives show
up in Finder.
#64 - Fix Disk Mount Bug - Fixes a problem relating to disk swapping.
#65 - QD Picture Patch - Patches a number of things to allow printing of
large graphics
- Don (IronTooth)
Delivered by my ANSITerm off-line reader scripts...
They're OLRight!
(DZAHNISER, 13014, GO COM A2)
<<<<< BTW - The only patch that I recall from GS+ was 'Dr.Bazyar', which
""""" patched the High Sierra FST to recognize space characters (and some
other characters) in volume, folder, and file names. According to the
article, the HS.FST was correctly written, but the patch is to allow the
FST to work with volumes created with other operating systems/utilities
that are not adhering to the standard.
- Don (IronTooth)
Delivered by my ANSITerm off-line reader scripts...
They're OLRight!
(DZAHNISER, 13015, GO COM A2)
>>>>> As the author of both FixFontMgr601 and GUPP, GUPP certainly
""""" obsoletes FFM601 and my FixKern204* patch program for GNO/ME 2.0.4
and some common programs for it. GUPP is faster than the previous programs,
and has one of the best patches-per-disk-block ratios around.
I do not have any other Softdisk patches handled by GUPP; I've never
bothered asking them to use their code.
Nathan Mates
(NMATES, 13019, GO COM A2)
<<<<< The Magic Routing bug fix (auxtype $00000002 to be accurate) was
""""" published in the Letters column of GS+ V6.N2. The letter was from
Michael Guitton of France...
- Don (IronTooth)
Delivered by my ANSITerm off-line reader scripts...
They're OLRight!
(DZAHNISER, 13059, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Or, park the System folder out on your desktop in the Finder, which
""""" is what all the Apple guys did, and why they thought it worked fine
when they released it. With that method, no need to find a filetype changer
(which can be too much of a tool to shoot oneself in the foot if you're not
careful) or anything else.
Nathan "Magic routing is fluff anyhow" Mates
(NMATES, 13062, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Ok, my ignorance is going to show... what is magic routing?
"""""
As it's supposed to work, within the Finder, if you drag a NDA/CDA/CDEV
/etc to the System folder icon and release it, the Finder will deposit
files in the appropriate subdirectory. As Jeff previously noted, support
for FinderExtras is sometimes flakey-- those can go in either the
FinderExtras folder or the System.Setup folder, and the Finder decides for
you where they should go.
[Anything in FinderExtras will be loaded at Finder [re]startup, and
dumped when the Finder quits or launches things; in System.Setup, they're
loaded once at boot and never dumped. The SS folder method uses more ram,
but can be faster if you launch lots of programs. Not everything is
programmed to be dumped from ram, so do NOT place things in FE unless the
dox (and filetypes-- they're not just something to overwrite at will) say
so]
Nathan Mates
(NMATES, 13110, GO COM A2)
PATCHES VERSUS ENHANCEMENTS I thought that patches to the operating
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" system was -all- that Diz & Co. did! ;)
GS+Vol7No1 - Dr. Bayzar - ISO 9960 & High Sierra CD-ROM patch
GS+Vol6No6 - Doc Alias - What "Easy Mount" left out
GS+Vol6No4 - Finder Binder - Matches Documents with their Programs
GS+Vol6No3 - Cool Cursor - Is My 'GS Hung or What!
GS+Vol6No3 - Ellifont - Double-Click Any Font to view its style!
GS+Vol6No2 - Geeker - Edits Finder's "Geek" preferences
GS+Vol5No5 - More Sound - Adds more event sounds to the system.
GS+Vol5No4 - What is This? - An _expanded_ Get Info Dialog
GS+Vol4No6 - Extra Bits - Controls all of those Battery RAM switches
that Apple forgot to include on the control
panels
GS+Vol4No4 - Rainbow - color control of icons and their windows
GS+Vol4No3 - Rebuild DeskTop - There IS a reason why Mac owners are
- supposed to rebuild their desktop once
- a month. The 'GS has rBundles too!
GS+Vol3No5 - Shuffle - Shuffle up (or down) those stacked windows...
GS+Vol3No5 - Whoosh - Sound, NO Sound; Tunneled Rectangles or NOT...
This list goes all the way back to the system 6 announcement issue.
One may argue that some of these items are not patches, per say, but add-on
features. If a programmer puts a function into an operating system that is
not yet fully implemented or already in the domain of an application
(existing or not), and it is not necessary for the OS to have these
"improvments" to run the machine, I consider it to be a "field
modification" or "patch". (Ya gettin' dis Miz Reno?)
Mike Brouillette; the "Un-Dead Apple"
,___(?___
/ _ _\ Delivered via Spectrum v2.1 & Crock 'O Gold v2.1
\ )|(@)m(_,
`~7oooood' (Thanks Ewen, Dave, Robert, Ken, Kit, Gary, et.al.!)
(MBROUI11ETTE, 13033, GO COM A2)
SSII RETURNS FROM VACATION It sure was nice logging onto Delphi after a 3
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" week absense and reading all the kind words
that people had posted about the latest issue of Shareware Solutions II.
I did get back in time for the Monday night multi-system chat, and that was
a fun homecoming.
As I'm sure you can imagine, when I got home, my (snail-mail) mailbox was
filled to the brim, and it's going to take me a while to process all the
orders and mail them out.
I thank you, in advance, for your patience while waiting for your disks to
arrive.
And thanks to Tony Diaz for handling the Bot for the past 3 weeks.
Joe Kohn
(JOE_KOHN, 13555, GO COM A2)
NEW BINSCII BUG DETECTED For the LBR ($E0) file type, what's the
"""""""""""""""""""""""" difference between the auxiliary types $8002 and
$8102? I mostly see the first one, but sometimes the other type is used and
I can't see any pattern. Just curious...
Michael
(SAR, 13416, GO COM A2)
>>>>> $8102 is not listed in the Technical Notes that I have...
"""""
Perhaps the File Type Librarian can give us the answer.
Ewen Wannop - Speccie
Delivered without using a IIgs by Spectrum & Crock O' Gold 2.5!
Setup: Bernie ][ the Rescue 1.3 and a PowerMac 8200/120
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ewannop/
(EWANNOP, 13426, GO COM A2)
>>>>> I dimly recall that $8102 was the result of a bug in a BinSCII
""""" encoder.
--
Steve Reeves
(REEVESST, 13456, GO COM A2)
>>>>> As far as I know, $8102 is not a valid auxtype for LBR ($E0) files
""""" (it's not listed in the filetype notes.) I do remember seeing it
somewhere, but I can't remember where or what program created it. If anyone
has one of these files, let us know what it is. If it's just a regular
Shrinkit archive then it simply has an incorrect auxtype (which program
created it?)
-----------------------------------------------------
Tony Ward, A2 Database Manager
[Delivered with Spectrum 2.1 and Crock O' Gold 2.5]
--
Pardon me, but your shoe is ringing...
(TONYW1, 13504, GO COM A2)
>>>>> I verified that its the GScii+ v2.3.1 encoder that has the bug that
""""" produces the bogus $8102 auxtype.
--
Steve Reeves
(REEVESST, 13535, GO COM A2)
>>>>> You mean when it extracts a ShrinkIt archive it gives it $8102
""""" instead of $8002? Shame, shame. :)
Anyway, it won't hurt anything if you change all the $8102 archives to
$8002, as long as they really are ShrinkIt archives.
-----------------------------------------------------
Tony Ward, A2 Database Manager
[Delivered with Spectrum 2.1 and Crock O' Gold 2.5]
--
Today's subliminal message is .
(TONYW1, 13539, GO COM A2)
>>>>> No, I mean when it creates the BinSCII file, it puts the auxtype
""""" $8102 into the BinSCII file instead of $8002. So any program that
decodes that file will give it $8102. (With the exception of David
Empson's descii, which is smart enough to correct this as a special case.)
--
Steve Reeves
(REEVESST, 13540, GO COM A2)
>>>>> That is bad... GScii should not be changing the file or aux types
""""" at all. Does it change the aux type of any other file, it could
make a real mess of things if it did?
If you are using Spectrum, then you should discard all the GScii and
BinSCII apps, and use the BinHQX XCMD instead...
Ewen Wannop - Speccie
Delivered without using a IIgs by Spectrum & Crock O' Gold 2.5!
Setup: Bernie ][ the Rescue 1.3 and a PowerMac 8200/120
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ewannop/
(EWANNOP, 13573, GO COM A2)
>>>>> The bug appears to be a rounding error when extracting the high
""""" byte of the auxtype. If so, then any auxtype greater than $8000
that doesn't end in 00 would be affected.
--
Steve Reeves
(REEVESST, 13619, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Thanks for your legwork in sorting this matter out. I'll go through
""""" and try to fix as many of the mistyped archives that I can find.
(Just what I need, more work!) And see about finding a solid replacement
for GScii, finally.
Michael
(SAR, 13596, GO COM A2)
>>>>> The latest BinHQX XCMD for Spectrum is available free from the
""""" library here on Delphi, and supports BinSCII, BinHex 4.0, UUencode
and full MIME Base 64.
You do need Spectrum 2.1 to use it of course...
Ewen Wannop - Speccie
Delivered without using a IIgs by Spectrum & Crock O' Gold 2.5!
Setup: Bernie ][ the Rescue 1.3 and a PowerMac 8200/120
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ewannop/
(EWANNOP, 13603, GO COM A2)
RAMFAST AND REALLY LARGE HARD DRIVES I had a friend ask me what was the
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" largest size hard drive that could
be handled by a GS running GS/OS and a RamFAST. Since I use a //e, I
didn't have a clue, but told them I'd find out. I _think_ I've heard of
people with 1 gig drives hooked to their RamFAST card, but what about
larger units, and to what limits?
Thanks!
Later..............Howard
(HKATZ, 13687, GO COM A2)
>>>>> The RamFAST SCSI allows you twelve partitions per drive, and twelve
""""" active partitions on the SCSI chain, and up to eight SCSI devices
on the chain.
Now, to address your question directly, are we talking -theory- or
actuality?
In actuality, I have used a 1 gig drive on a RamFAST (11 32 meg ProDOS
partitions and one 666 meg HFS partition named "Hades"). It's the biggest
SCSI drive I've had come through here (although if I can scratch up enough
for that nine gig drive I've had my eye on for months, we can test theory a
little :)
In theory, you can go far past one gig.
You can have twelve partitions per drive. I think the maximum size that
GS/OS allows per volume is 4 gigs and the max size that HFS allows is 2
gigs (Geeks jump in here--at 7 am I don't have references ready :). If
that's the case, you could have 28 gigs on a hard drive per GS/OS but only
14 gigs because of the HFS limitations. You couldn't -boot- from such a
drive as there's no ProDOS partition, and I can't imagine partitioning a
drive this way as you have little chance of recovering a file on a HFS
partition gone south, but we're talking theory, right?
Would the RamFAST choke on such a drive? Certainly, it's possible, but I
also don't have a 28 gig drive to check it out on.
In actuality, be assured that I have personally used a 1 gig drive on a
RamFAST. If/when I get larger ones that work its way through here, I'll
check them out.
Ryan
KFest '98!
Delivered by OLRight! scripts for ANSITerm
(RSUENAGA, 13712, GO COM A2)
IIGS COMPRESSION UTILITIES REVISITED Time to kick the hornet's nest. :)
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Okay, so with the newly-uploaded compression utility, Hard Pressed, I find
that I now have a choice between it and my old standby, AutoArk.
AutoArk has worked nearly flawlessly for me since I purchased it some time
ago, but I find myself wondering if perhaps I should give HP a fair chance
to impress me enough to switch over to it instead... yes, that will take
awhile to do, but if HP is a better program, I'm willing to do it.
That said, I should mention that I don't compress active program files. So
far I've only used it to compress text files and unused program files, to
save HD space.
So, for someone like me, is it worth switching over? :)
If anyone has used both, and would like to share war stories or just
personal experiences that led to choosing one over the other, I'd love to
hear them.
I'm not trying to hurt feelings or start a "mine is better than yours" kind
of debate, please. Let's try to be kind. :)
Thank You.
Hugs, Goldfische
Conference Manager, New Age Forum (go rel new)
Web: {<http://www.delphi.com/newage> Newage}
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Renew ...
The Earth Belongs To Our Children
Sent by Spectrum 2.1 & COG 2.3 for the AppleIIGS
---
Viva la Text!
(GOLDFISCHE, 13433, GO COM A2)
>>>>> I once tried a disk compression utility, and quickly decided it was
""""" safer and faster if I did not use it. Most disk utilities will not
help you when you get a problem...
With the PC using more and more SCSI drives, the price of hard drives is
dropping through the floor. The need for a compression utility is no longer
what it was. Here in the UK it is now very difficult to get hold of drives
as small as 2Gb. The commonest starter size is now 4Gb at around $200. This
means that your friendly Mac dealer is going to be awash with left over
500Mb-2Gb drives from Mac owners who have upgraded...
Ewen Wannop - Speccie
Delivered without using a IIgs by Spectrum & Crock O' Gold 2.5!
Setup: Bernie ][ the Rescue 1.3 and a PowerMac 8200/120
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ewannop/
(EWANNOP, 13440, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Keep in mind, though, that a file-based compression utility (like
""""" HardPressed or AutoArk) is much safer than a disk-based compression
utility like you tend to see on the PC.
Compressed disks can get into a state where the entire disk becomes
useless. But compressed files are just... files. You should be able to
unpack them one by one if you need to, if an emergency arises and you have
to turn off the compression software.
Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd
Macintosh & PowerPC Programmers Forum
(SHEPPY, 13443, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Well, I've used both of those and I liked HardPressed much better
""""" HardPressed is lots faster than AutoArk and it works somewhat
different; the biggest advantage of HardPressed is, you can tell it the
names of folders and every item in that folder is automatically compressed
or decompressed when you need it. HardPressed leaves the icons alone so
even a compressed file has the "original" Icon HardPressed works
transparently, so you don't even notice it doing its work. In the end I had
all five partitions of my IIGS HD compressed (except the System folder,
although there are items which can be compressed, too, in the System
folder) and it worked flawlessly from day one.
Even the images for Bernie are compressed by HardPressed, as I just made
the real ProDOS HD into images as they were.
BTW, if you read this Henrik, HDT 2.0.5 has no ProDOS support any more! I
had to downgrade to 1.8.x for getting the ProDOS HD recognized. It was
impossible with 2.0.5 to install a Mac driver on that HD.
Udo
Ceterum censeo, Microsoft esse delendam
(UDOHUTH, 13488, GO COM A2)
INTREC ON MODEMS AND CABLES
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> ...if you're looking for a highspeed modem, try this one. It's dirt
> cheap...
> Anybody figured out how to get it to download using ProTerm?
Let's analyse that: A really cheapo modem, what's wrong with ProTERM ?? :|
The easiest way for major modem (and any appliance device) manufacturers to
develop sales in other markets, is to take the guts of their popular
device, inhibit the feature-functions slightly, change the package, and
sell at a low-ball price under a pseudonym and psuedomodel. All they've
done is to make the device less attractive, less usable, and low-cost
availability. This allows them to manufacture the entire line, even the
quality model at a much lower cost, and to also sell the quality product at
a much higher profit, and the inhibited model at a cheap price that will
move large quantities. A similar strategy has always been common in the
auto industry where there are many common parts for Cad, Pontiac, Chev such
as glass, trim, roller, hinge, closure parts, et al. Parts is parts! :)
Large appliance/goods stores, Sears, Wards, etc., put a twist on this
strategy. They do not sell the cheap model, but privately refer to these
(inhibited) models as "bolt-downs" because they're the ones advertised but
never sold (they are in essence, bolted to the floor - thus the name). They
are advertised cheap, the customer comes to buy one and the salesperson,
under pressure of losing their job, makes sure the bolt-down, is =never=
sold, but those with the bells and whistles (and profit margin) move out of
the warehouse at a good clip. The lowly bolt-down, most probably the only
one in stock, remains until it dies of obsolescence. However, large
quantities of the "bolt-down" are moved through those schlocky horrid ads
on radio, TV and newspaper from stores that hawk the cheap stuff.
I bought a brand name TV cheap, at a schlock store. Later to find that if I
would have shopped, I could have had the same brand, different model at a
slightly higher price, that model had features I would have enjoyed using
and would have paid the difference to get. I then came to realize what I
already knew -- I had purchased a bolt-down -- some of us are slow learners
:)
Another lesson is later learned, what do I do if I have a problem or a
question? The store I bought my TV from couldn't/wouldn't help, and later
closed their doors. The credited stores (Sears, Wards etc) have excellent
return, guarantee and repair facilities for their appliances but we are
lucky to find anyone that will talk to us if we happen to buy the bolt-down
from the price vendors.
That being said:
> Anybody figured out how to get it to download using ProTerm?
Another Delphi user asked about this modem and ProTERM, and Greg Schaefer
offered this:
...tack on an E0 to the end of [the init string] (ProTERM requires that
modem echo be disabled). ...boot directly into ProDOS8 to make sure there
is no GS/OS stuff running which might cause data loss [and try it again].
Booting directly into ProDOS 8 apparently resolved the problem for her.
Anything stealing clock cyles can play havoc with download protocol timing.
Regards,
AutoReply: Jerry Cline @ InTrec Software, Inc. - jerry@intrec.com
ProTERM @ your service! The superior telnet and dialup application.
Sent w/ProTERM Message Manager (PTMM) - Details @ <ptmm@intrec.com>
Download ProTERM & PTMM the full working versions: <www.intrec.com>
(INTREC, 13179, GO COM A2)
<<<<< A point of clarity here.
"""""
While it is true that all cables are not created equal, if the cable is
designed for use on a Mac, is sold with a quality product of a recognized
brand, and is a hand-shake design (if it sells with a modem faster than
9600, it better be), the chances of the cable being correctly wired are
very high.
On the other hand if the cable is sold with a cheap off brand, modem, who
knows unless there is a pinout (schematic) of the available. Customers
have sent cables to us in their modes of frustration, and some have been
wired for who knows for what -- we have no clue?? In those cases, our modem
cable easily resolved the problem.
The common cable problem is when cable "looks" right, but is not checked.
Until recently, there were many more printers than modems, and the chance
of getting a printer cable was high. Printers are terminal devices (the
signal stops there) and modems are not (they pass the signal through).
Consequently, the send and receive pins are reversed on a printer cable
because when the printer needs to communicate with the CPU, it sends a
signal via the send pin to the receive pin on the CPU, and the CPU sends to
its send pin which is received by the printer's receive pin.
As it relates to Spectrum, I assume they still advocate the design from the
ProTERM manual that Greg Schaefer designed. I say this because several
years ago, Seven Hills verbally requested permission to also advocate that
same design, and we gave that permission. I think the person who called was
Dave? I'm sure they would agree with what I stated above.
One of the great attributes of the cable design we use is, it is completely
universal from 300 baud to whatever bps it is pressed it to meet.
Regards,
AutoReply: Jerry Cline @ InTrec Software, Inc. - jerry@intrec.com
ProTERM @ your service! The superior telnet and dialup application.
Sent w/ProTERM Message Manager (PTMM) - Details @ <ptmm@intrec.com>
Download ProTERM & PTMM the full working versions: <www.intrec.com>
(INTREC, 13180, GO COM A2)
STAN, GARY, AND RYAN AND THE RAMFAST REVISION B ODYSSEY I posted this on
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Genie, also, but
just to make sure I get a good sampling of sage advice, I'm putting it
here, too. :)
A friend of mine recently gave me RamFast rev. B SCSI card. I currently
have it installed in a "spare" GS that I'm putting together. I hooked up a
little NCS SCSI drive that I have so I could check the card out, but
instead of booting up, it returns the "Unable to locate ProDOS" message.
(The first partition on this drive =does= have a bootable system setup and
boots just fine on my main GS, BTW.) I =believe= I had everything
configured correctly in the RamFast Utilities when I booted it up the first
time, but now I can't seem to get back into the utility screen to check the
configuration. :/
My questions are:
1) How do I get back to the Utilities screen to check the configuration? I
tried holding down the "8" key while booting (which works with my
RamFast rev. D card on my GS at school), but that doesn't work.
2) Is there anything else that might cause that error message that I am
perhaps overlooking?
This friend says that the RamFast worked fine the last time he used it, but
that was several years ago.
Any ideas, suggestions, or random thoughts will be appreciated. :)
Stan Marks
stanmarks@delphi.com OR s.marks3@genie.com
Delivered by Spectrum v2.5 and COG
KFest '98 Bound!
(STANMARKS, 13138, GO COM A2)
>>>>> I've always used numeric-keypad-0, and that's worked on my Rev C
""""" and Rev D (ROM versions 3.0something thru 3.01f). 8 is the key to
ProDOS-8 boot in an unmodified System 6.x.
Nathan Mates
(NMATES, 13139, GO COM A2)
<<<<< Uhm...heheh...I knew that! :}
"""""
Unfortunately, the 0 key doesn't seem to work, either Nathan, BUT...
changing the RamFast to another slot screws up it's configuration and
=forces= it to boot into the RamFast Utilities. <G>
Ryan and Tony were "helping" me with this last night in the A2 conference,
and that's how I discovered that I could force the RamFast into the
Utilities screen, but when I finally did get there, it seems that there is
NO TransWarp option, and there IS a "Slot Allocation Priority" setting,
both of which Ryan thinks indicate an old set of ROM chips begging for an
upgrade.
Just to clarify the problem, I presently have the RamFast card installed in
Slot 7 of a "spare" ROM 3 GS with a 4-meg memory card. (I also tried it in
a ROM 01 with the same memory card and got the same results.) I have an NCS
HD that is my secondary drive on my main GS and which is connected to an
Apple High Speed SCSI card. This drive has 2 partitions: NCS.1 (ProDOS, 32
Mb) and NCS.2 (HFS, 129.5 Mb). The first partition has a full system 6.0.1
installed and will boot up just fine on my main GS...the "fun" begins when
I hook it up to the RamFast on the other computer.
When the drive is connected to the RamFast on the other machine, it appears
to operate normally but returns the "Unable to locate ProDOS" message...and
yet, ProDOS IS there on the drive, and yes, the slot assignments are
correctly set in the Control Panels (S7-Your Card). (Remember...I said it
boots just fine on my main machine with the AHS card? :) Any attempts to
bring up the RamFast Utilities from the ROMDisk (rebooting with the 0 key)
to check the configuration is futile, but, again, I CAN force it by moving
the card to another slot. Even doing so and re-configuring the card (and
reassigning the startup to S6-Your Card) yields the same error message.
So...
I then tried putting my Focus card in with the RamFast and booting with it.
The Focus boots up just fine, the CVTECH.ROM shows up on the screen, and
the RamFast recognizes NCS.1 but NOT NCS.2! If I try to run the RamFast
Utilities from either the ROMDisk or NCS.1, it asks me to "insert the disk
NCS.2"! Pressing Return yields the same request, so I have to Escape to get
out of the utilities. If I try to run the utilities from the Focus drive,
the computer crashes, and I'm back to square one! :/
So, after "sleeping on it", the following conclusions occur to me:
1) The RamFast IS working, but maybe it doesn't recognize the ProDOS on the
NCS.1 partition OR the #2 HFS partition (yet it DOES recognize a 27 Mb
HFS partition on the Focus), which leads me to believe that...
2) The RamFast ROMs need to be replaced with Rev.C ROMs.
Does that sound reasonable/plausible/possible?
Any other ideas or suggestions?
Stan Marks
stanmarks@delphi.com OR s.marks3@genie.com
Delivered by Spectrum v2.1 and COG v2.5
KFest '98 Bound!
(STANMARKS, 13159, GO COM A2)
>>>>> When you get into the utilities screen you should see, in the upper
""""" left quadrant of that screen, a few lines of text that give you,
among other things, the ROM revision of the RF utilities. If you don't, you
have a REALLY REALLY old Rev B card. :)
Gary R. Utter
(UTTER, 13181, GO COM A2)
<<<<< Well, I have a REALLY REALLY old Rev. B card, then. <G>
"""""
Actually, Ryan pointed that out to me the other night...so, now the
question is, "What does that mean?" Is the card usable as is or should I
(can I, even?) upgrade the ROMs?
As per Ryan's instructions, I called Sequential yesterday and told them
that I had a Rev.C card (yes, that's what Ryan told me to tell them :) and
needed the upgraded ROMs, U15 & U16, for it. They wanted me to send the
card to them, insisting I could not perform the upgrade myself. They also
wanted $45 to do the upgrade, but what they were talking about was
upgrading a Rev.C to a Rev.D card. I finally had to tell them that I
actually had a Rev.B card and just wanted to upgrade it to Rev.C. They said
that they didn't even know if they could do that, but if I wanted to send
it in that they would try it - no promises. I told them I would get back to
them. :)
So...what - if anything - can I do with this thing?
Stan Marks
stanmarks@delphi.com OR s.marks3@genie.com
Delivered by Spectrum v2.1 and COG v2.5
KFest '98 Bound!
(STANMARKS, 13186, GO COM A2)
>>>>> The card is not really usable as is. The ROM has some seriously
""""" nasty bugs.
However, I am currently running RamFast #0022, which is to say, I KNOW that
your card can be brought up to current standards.
You need the current revision of U15 and U16, and you need to make sure
that your DRAM is up to snuff. If it is Samsung, replace it. Period.
There were SOME Rev Bs that went out with a midly defective oscillator
crystal, but not all of them. Probably a good idea to replace it just to
be on the safe side. I'm not sure what the specs are for the replacement,
but one of the tech types should be able to tell you. (It's a simple
soldering job.)
If it comes down to that, I have some fairly recent ROM chips here. I'm not
sure HOW recent, but they are a lot better than what you have. :)
Gary R. Utter
(UTTER, 13188, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Gary's info in message 13188 is very, very to the point and much
""""" more direct than the following post, however, it might be helpful
for trivia fans. . .
>> If you don't, you have a REALLY REALLY old Rev B card. :)
> Well, I have a REALLY REALLY old Rev. B card, then. <G>
> Actually, Ryan pointed that out to me the other night...so, now the
> question is, "What does that mean?" Is the card usable as is or should
> I (can I, even?) upgrade the ROMs?
It means you need to do something about it ("something" detailed below) for
it to be usable; no, it's not usable as is really; and yes you should and
yes you can upgrade the ROMs.
> As per Ryan's instructions, I called Sequential yesterday and told them
> that I had a Rev.C card (yes, that's what Ryan told me to tell them :)
Yes, that's exactly what I said to tell them, for reasons explained in
detail below. . .
> and needed the upgraded ROMs, U15 & U16, for it. They wanted me to send
> the card to them, insisting I could not perform the upgrade myself.
They're wrong :)
> They also wanted $45 to do the upgrade, but what they were talking about
> was upgrading a Rev.C to a Rev.D card. I finally had to tell them that I
> actually had a Rev.B card and just wanted to upgrade it to Rev.C. They
> said that they didn't even know if they could do that, but if I wanted
> to send it in that they would try it - no promises. I told them I would
> get back to them. :)
Okay; here's a bit of history, and a bit of explanation. . .
When we discuss "RamFAST Revisions" there are two different things we could
be talking about:
1) The board revision
and
2) The ROM revision
There are three distinct RamFAST board revisions (aka card revisions) out
there: the Rev. B, Rev. C, and Rev. D (intentionally ignoring the special
//e compatible Rev. D card which I've never seen, and the Rev. A which
never made public distribution).
The Rev. B and Rev. C cards are practically identical, and, in fact, are
almost indistinguishable unless the person trying to tell the difference
really knows what to look for. In fact, they use =the same ROMs= (more
later on the significance of this, besides what is blatantly obvious).
They are usable with the //e and IIgs, are large cards with dip switches,
and can't easily be upgraded beyond 256k of cache (they can be upgraded,
just not easily by mere mortals).
The Rev. D card is a distinctly different beastie which is IIgs compatible
only, eliminated the DIP switches in favor of a single jumper and the
RamFAST util program, and only uses a single replacable ROM chip instead of
the 2 that the Rev. B/C cards use.
Now, old timers know that Sequential is not the originator of the RamFAST;
it was born via CVTech, which sold the rights to it and the 8 meg IIgs card
that Sequential currently sells to Sequential. When Sequential took over
support of the RamFAST, for some reason, it totally stopped supporting Rev.
B cards, and really, they don't know anything whatsoever about it.
However, as you see above, the Rev. C card, which it still supports, is
functionally identical, so. . . simply order the Rev. C ROMs, and replace
the ROMs currently in the Rev. B with them.
The older (I would guess pre-3.00 but I'm not 100% sure) versions of the
RamFAST ROMs couldn't do anything with partitions larger than 32 megs
(okay, maybe CD ROMs were a special case, but I didn't have a CD Rom drive
in those days :), which is why the HFS partition that Stan is unable to
mount is not recognized (really, those were pre System 6, pre-HFS.FST days,
so greater than 32 meg partitions were not an issue).
So, what you need to do is upgrade the ROMs in the Rev. B RamFAST by using
the current 3.01f versions of the Rev. C ROMs. Technically, this is not
the same as going to a Rev. C from a Rev. B; it's merely upgrading the ROM,
not the card, and Sequential will get confused (as you can see) when you
say anything bout a Rev. B card. Just tell them you want the Rev. C ROMs.
And, if you're wondering how I know all of this, it's because I have a Rev.
B RamFAST right here in the GS that's posting this message, with Rev. 3.01f
ROMs for the Rev. C RamFAST in them, and the thing works like an absolute
champ. :)
> So...what - if anything - can I do with this thing?
Well, you can give it to me. . . :)
Ryan
KFest '98!
Delivered by OLRight! scripts for ANSITerm
(RSUENAGA, 13189, GO COM A2)
<<<<< In message 'RE: RamFast rev.B problem (Re: Msg 13186)' UTTER said:
"""""
> You need the current revision of U15 and U16, and you need to make sure
> that your DRAM is up to snuff. If it is Samsung, replace it. Period.
Yeah, Ryan said something about that the other night. Looking at the card,
I don't =see= any chips with "Samsung" on them, but there are several with
a stylized S or ST. Are either of those Samsung?
> There were SOME Rev Bs that went out with a midly defective oscillator
> crystal, but not all of them. Probably a good idea to replace it just to
> be on the safe side.
Where would I find the oscillator chip?
> If it comes down to that, I have some fairly recent ROM chips here. I'm
> not sure HOW recent, but they are a lot better than what you have. :)
Thanks, Gary...I'll keep that in mind. :)
Stan Marks
stanmarks@delphi.com OR s.marks3@genie.com
Delivered by Spectrum v2.1 and COG v2.5
KFest '98 Bound!
(STANMARKS, 13190, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Electronically speaking, the Rev B and the Rev C are TOTALLY
""""" identical. The first production run (for public sale) of the
RamFast was the Rev B card. After the first 200 boards were made, a minor
design error was discovered. This error was fixed by installing 1 or 2
jumper wires on the card (I forget how many).
The Rev C card is simply a Rev B card with those jumper wires traced right
into the card. The ONLY change in the Rev C is that the two jumpers were
made into traces and the Rev level of the card was changed from B to C.
Gary R. Utter
(UTTER, 13196, GO COM A2)
>>>>> "I don't =see= any chips with "Samsung" on them, but there are
""""" several with a stylized S or ST. Are either of those Samsung?"
Might be. There is a bank of 8 DRAM chips on there, just like on a memory
card. Those are the ones that you need to be concerned about. You can
replace them with stock GS DRAM chips. Given the current price of those
chips, I'd probably replace them just for luck. (When that card was made,
those chips were close to $100. :)
>> "Where would I find the oscillator chip?"
It's not a chip, it's a little metal "can". There is a crystal inside it,
it looks like a crystal from an old scanner or CB radio, if you have ever
seen one of those.
Oh, and when I said "fairly recent", the chips I was referring to are at
LEAST 4 years old, probably more. :)
Gary R. Utter
(UTTER, 13197, GO COM A2)
<<<<< OK...if you're talking about the cache memory chips, those appear
""""" to be the same as on the old AE GS-RAM card I got (from the same
friend ). They have a stylized M inside a circle (just guessing, here -
Motorola?) and some of the numbers on the chips are the same as on the ones
on the GS-RAM card.
>>>"Where would I find the oscillator chip?"
> It's not a chip, it's a little metal "can".
Yeah, I knew that. :)
What I meant was, where could I =buy= the oscillator, if I need to?
> Oh, and when I said "fairly recent", the chips I was referring to are at
> LEAST 4 years old, probably more. :)
Well, I'd bet that this particular card is probably much older than that.
:)
I was looking at csa2m today, and Steve Buggie had a post there in which he
stated that he has the upgrade ROM chip for the Rev.B card for $3. He
specifically used the word "chip" and not the plural "chips", and that got
me to wondering which is correct - one chip or two? (Of course, he coulda
meant to type "chips".) Anyway, I emailed him to ask about them.
BTW, Gary, do you know of any other sources of those upgrade ROMs besides
Sequential?
Stan Marks
stanmarks@delphi.com OR s.marks3@genie.com
Delivered by Spectrum v2.1 and COG v2.5
KFest '98 Bound!
(STANMARKS, 13199, GO COM A2)
>>>>> "What I meant was, where could I =buy= the oscillator, if I need
""""" to?"
Any reasonable electonics store (meaning "NOT Radio Shack") ought to have
these; if not, you can try mail order to such places as JDR, Jameco,
Mouser, or any of a whole bunch of different places. . .
> I was looking at csa2m today, and Steve Buggie had a post there in which
> he stated that he has the upgrade ROM chip for the Rev.B card for $3. He
> specifically used the word "chip" and not the plural "chips", and that
> got me to wondering which is correct - one chip or two? (Of course, he
> coulda meant to type "chips".) Anyway, I emailed him to ask about them.
I'll bet you a SSII subscription extension that what is being sold is a
different beastie. Here's another Apple II history thing for ya. . .
Apple Computer, Inc. sold two different SCSI cards for the Apple II: The
Apple II SCSI and the Apple II High Speed SCSI. The Apple II SCSI went
through three different ROM revisions: Rev. A, Rev. B, and Rev. C. Anything
pre-Rev. C is just asking for problems (nasty bugs including stuff like
formatting a volume when trying to eject a 3.5 inch disk) and in fact,
GS/OS just plain won't run on a pre Rev. C card. The upgrade to that is a
single chip. It is merely coincidence that there is a Rev. C Apple SCSI
card (as well as a Rev. B) and a Rev. C RamFAST SCSI card (as well as a
Rev. B and Rev. D).
> BTW, Gary, do you know of any other sources of those upgrade ROMs
> besides Sequential?
Unless Alltech has them, the only place that I knew that carried them was
LRO (aka Other World Computing), and I'd prefer to order from Sequential to
them. . .
Ryan
KFest '98!
Delivered by OLRight! scripts for ANSITerm
(RSUENAGA, 13210, GO COM A2)
>>>>> "?They have a stylized M inside a circle (just guessing, here -
""""" Motorola?)"
I think so, yeah. Definitely not Samsung.
>> "where could I =buy= the oscillator, if I need to?"
Lotsa places, it's a pretty standard part, the problem is to learn just
what you need for a replacement (and whether you need it at all).
>> "He specifically used the word "chip" and not the plural "chips", and
>> that got me to wondering which is correct - one chip or two? "
YOU need both chips, U15 and U16. _One_ of them didn't need to be revised
after something like v2.1, but whatever you have is a LOT older than that.
(DO NOT attempt a 1 chip upgrade with that card, do not put in the 1 chip
and just try it out. You WILL regret it. Trust me. :)
>> "...do you know of any other sources of those upgrade ROMs besides
>> Sequential?"
Certainly not a legal source, and for that matter, I don't know of an
illegal one either.
By the way, with regard to Ryan's comment that you NEED to update those
ROMs, he is absolutely right. Your current ROMs have some serious bugs that
will, sooner or later, trash large quantities of your data. I was a beta
tester on those things. I know.
Gary R. Utter
(UTTER, 13227, GO COM A2)
<<<<< OK...I just got off the phone with Sequential (who says Florence is
""""" the Wicked Witch of the West?? ;), and here's what they told me:
The EPROM chip is (according to Florence) the one I need to upgrade my
RAMFast to v3.01f. When I asked about the U15 and U16 chips, she said that
those were soldered into the board and I would have to send it to them for
replacement. When I told her that the chips on MY board were socketed
chips, she had no idea what I was talking about unless I had, perhaps, one
of the very first Rev. C boards. (I didn't tell her otherwise. :)
BTW, I was looking in the computer that this card was in when I got it and
there, lying in the bottom of the case, was a small label with "U16 v1.0"
hand-printed on it. :)
So, anyway...now what do I do? Should I call them back and see if they even
have the old U15 & U16 chips? Should I order the EPROM chip, too?
Stan Marks
stanmarks@delphi.com OR s.marks3@genie.com
Delivered by Spectrum v2.1 and COG v2.5
KFest '98 Bound!
(STANMARKS, 13241, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Special for you Stan, I just pulled my Rev. B RamFAST. I don't
""""" like to do that because the GS with the RamFAST Rev. B I have here
is in an incredibly inconvenient place to deal with, but -special for you-
I pulled it (i.e. you're buying the beer at KFest '98).
The stickers on the two chips in question are as follows:
U15:
Sequential Systems
copyright (c) 1995
rev. U15CRF301-F
U16:
Sequential Systems
copyright (c) 1995
rev. U16-2.01
> OK...I just got off the phone with Sequential (who says Florence is the
> Wicked Witch of the West?? ;), and here's what they told me:
> The EPROM chip is (according to Florence) the one I need to upgrade my
> RAMFast to v3.01f. When I asked about the U15 and U16 chips, she said
> that those were soldered into the board and I would have to send it to
> them for replacement. When I told her that the chips on MY board were
> socketed chips, she had no idea what I was talking about unless I had,
> perhaps, one of the very first Rev. C boards. (I didn't tell her
> otherwise. :)
Argh. . . .
> BTW, I was looking in the computer that this card was in when I got it
> and there, lying in the bottom of the case, was a small label with "U16
> v1.0" hand-printed on it. :)
> So, anyway...now what do I do? Should I call them back and see if they
> even have the old U15 & U16 chips? Should I order the EPROM chip, too?
Okay; first, some clarification: both U15 and U16 are ROMs, PROMs, EPROMs
(not EEPROMs, though, I don't think, although they certainly could be :)
These acronyms, assuming everyone understands ROM is Read Only Memory,
mean:
PROM = Programmable ROM
EPROM = Erasable Programmable ROM
EEPROM = Electically Erasable Programmable ROM
In any case, the U15 is a 27C256 EPROM, and the U16 is a 2764A-2 EPROM.
From what Florence said to you above, it clearly sounds to me like she
still thinks you have a Rev. D RamFAST.
What you need to order, exactly, are the ROM upgrade chips (call them ROMs,
PROMs, EPROMs, whatever :) for the Rev. C RamFAST, specifically the U15 and
U16, which are the only ROM chips on the board. I find it appalling, but
not surprising, that Sequential is having such a difficult time with this.
If need be, I can see if I can find the receipt from the last time I
ordered these things from them, but if they can't already tell exactly what
you need from your description, I'll be stunned if the part number would
help. . .
Ryan
Proud owner of RamFAST Rev. B # 0128
KFest '98!
Delivered by OLRight! scripts for ANSITerm
(RSUENAGA, 13248, GO COM A2)
<<<<< Well, it appears that the RAMFast rev.B ROM upgrade dilemma is
""""" finally solved! I called Sequential this morning, talked to Joe M.
(Florence wasn't there ;), explained the situation thoroughly, and it was,
like: "Oh! THOSE ROM chips! OK...no big deal, we have those in stock and
can ship them right out to you!" Geez...
Thanks, Ryan and Gary!
Stan Marks
stanmarks@delphi.com OR s.marks3@genie.com
Delivered by Spectrum v2.1 and COG v2.5
KFest '98 Bound!
(STANMARKS, 13267, GO COM A2)
RUMOR MILL
""""""""""
SIMCITY FOR THE IIGS--FANTASY AND FACT It doesn't exist; the GS version
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" of SimCity was started by Bill
Heineman, but Maxis wanted $100,000 for the rights to release the game, so
work was stopped with the game only about 20% done (Burger will tell you
it's 80% done, but that's the way he is :).
Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd
Macintosh & PowerPC Programmers Forum
(SHEPPY, 13549, GO COM A2)
TRACKING THE RARE JOKO ON VACATION BY THE WOOFSTER Important message to
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" all friends of Joe
Kohn... The Meister is still alive! He has been sighted near Bejing in a
yurt with a hot dog. (spell it: h o t d o g) :-)
Henrik Woof Gudat
delivered by Bernie 1.3 CerealPuffs/MuesliPump
(GUDATH, 13300, GO COM A2)
RANDOM REFLECTIONS ON REALITY AND THE APPLE II I'm tempted to say here
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" here to your six points,
but I got in trouble last time I did that, so I'll just say that I agree.
But the bottom line is that the Apple II is coming to (has gone past?) a
turning point, where every user needs to look at their Apple II and
seriously consider why they still have it.
If it is because you have a soft spot in your heart for it, either because
you grew up with, or you think it is a thing of beauty, then the last thing
you'd want to do is change it or upgrade it. You want the Apple II as it
is.
If it is because you cannot afford something better, and let's not pick
bones here, the Mac and W95 *ARE* better in many ways, most significantly
speed. You can argue the importance of proportional scroll bars and the
supposed elegance of GS/OS all you like, but these other machine do more,
faster. If it because you can't afford anything better, then upgrading the
Apple II is not going to help, because you still wouldn't be able to afford
it. And trust me, the costs WOULD be more expensive than a new Mac or PC.
So seriously, I cannot see any reason to upgrade it. And if there was a
reason, there's always the emulator market. But then it gets down to
whether an emulator is supposed to emulate the past as a way to preserve
what once was, or whether it is a way forward. Again, it may be better to
just buy a Mac or PC for the heavy duty work, and keep the II for fun.
Regards,
Richard
(RICHARD_B, 13431, GO COM A2)
>>>>> I just wanted to comment on some of the ideas and comments in this
""""" thread.
We are working our bottoms off to offer a reliable emulation software and,
once we got there, upgrade path. The future of Apple II emulation and Apple
IIgs emulation in particular is to combine Apple II functionality with
features offered by the hosting machine. This is IMO the only
cost-effective way to push the Apple II platform ahead. It doesn't involve
asking anyone for permission, it doesn't stop anyone from implementing fun
features, it costs you a measly $25, and it won't stop Apple II computing
to change for the better. And if it were Gus that saved the emulation
world, that would free me from working on Bernie and I had a lot more spare
time. Fine with me! :)
As Richard suggested, the fun starts when adding features that go beyond a
stock IIgs.
woof,
- henrik
(GUDATH, 13494, GO COM A2)
PUBLIC POSTINGS
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JUST DAYS REMAINING!!!
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| |/ / | | II Infinitum!!
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| | \ \ | | ( _____) ( ___) (__ __)
| | \ \ | | | |__ \ \ | |
| | \ \ | | | __) \ \ | |
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(______) (________) (_______) (__________) (_________) |___|
MORE NEWS ON KANSASFEST 1998!
KansasFest 1998 will be held once again on the campus of Avila College
in Kansas City, Missouri. It will take place from July 22 - July 26,
1998.
The cost of attending KFest '98 is only $365, which -includes- the use
of a double room in the Avila College dorms -and- meals! There are also
a limited number of single rooms available for $465. (If you wish to
stay at one of the many hotels or motels near the college then the cost
is $265, but you would, of course, have to find and pay for your own room
and meals.)
Confirmed speakers for this year include Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd
(Wolfenstein 3D for the Apple IIgs), Nathan Mates (Twilight II 2.0),
Tony Diaz (Alltech Electronics), Ewen Wannop (Spectrum), Geoff Weiss
(Spectrum Internet Suite), Mike Westerfield (ByteWorks) and Joe Kohn
(Shareware Solutions II).
This year, we are running a number of contests, including the Roger
Wagner tie contest, a Door Sign contest, and, for all of you programmers,
we are also planning our first Hack Contest! Rules are still pending,
but stay tuned for details. It's -highly- suggested anyone interested in
these contests (and possible prizes) tune into the KFest Information
Mailing List (see how to subscribe below).
Check-in will be on Wednesday from 1-4 pm, and check-out from 11 am
- 1 pm on Sunday. Computer sessions will be conducted on Thursday and
Friday. A vendor fair and software and hardware demos are scheduled
for Saturday.
To get KFest info by email, subscribe to the KansasFest Information
Mailing List. Send email to majordomo@trenco.gno.org. In the BODY
of the message, place the following text:
subscribe kfest
You will receive a confirmation email. In order to be signed up for
the list, you will have to respond to this confirmation as the
instructions dictate. You will then be sent a welcome message,
including instructions on how to send mail to the list.
If you have other questions about KFest, or wish to make suggestions,
you can find answers via the InterNet. Just send an email message to
kfest@intrec.com or kfest-help@trenco.gno.org, or visit the World Wide
Web page at http://www.primenet.com/~adams/kfest.html
Here's hoping to see all of you in Kansas City in July!
(RSUENAGA, 13225, GO COM A2)
WOLFENSTEIN 3D SHOOTOUT AT KFEST OK, Kfest-ers...it's time to "Get
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Psyched"!!
Announcing the KFest Wolfenstein 3D Shootout!
Do you spend much of your free time roaming the halls of Castle
Wolfenstein, laying waste to Nazis and their Mutant Minions? Think you're
pretty hot? Well, here's your chance to prove it!
This year, I thought it would be an interesting "diversion" to have a
contest featuring the latest and greatest game for the GS to come along in
years...the long-awaited, much-anticipated Wolfenstein 3D! If you would
like to find out just how good you are, here are the (tentative) rules:
1. One or more accelerated GS's (mine will be available) will be set up
for players to use. (If someone would like to volunteer a Power Mac with
Bernie and Wolf 3D on it, that might be nice, also. :) An "anonymous"
scenario of not more than 10 levels will be chosen for the contest.
2. Players will proceed to play this scenario from scratch (basic
weapons/ammo configuration) and with NO CHEAT CODES! The game will open
with the default screen size (#4), but contestants may adjust the screen
size to suit individual preferences.
3. Players may NOT save their games at each level! If you get "killed",
you must start that level over from scratch. (However, if it becomes
necessary for a player to interrupt the game, for some reason, it will
be permissable to save the game to resume at a later time.)
4. When the game is completed (when the victory banner is displayed),
players will record their final scores on the provided scoresheet.
5. The winner will be determined by the highest final score. In the event
of a tie, contestants will play a tie-breaker round of one level chosen
by a "referee".
I think that this will give us a pretty level playing field for the
contest. Anyone having other ideas or suggestions for the Wolf 3D Shootout
is welcome to post them. :)
Stan Marks
stanmarks@delphi.com OR s.marks3@genie.com
Delivered by Spectrum v2.1 and COG v2.5
KFest '98 Bound!
(STANMARKS, 13577, GO COM A2)
GSOFT CALLS ALL BETA TESTERS
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Beta Test Announcement
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The Byte Works, Inc. is looking for a small number of dedicated beta
testers for a new Apple IIGS programming language. After carefully reading
the specifics, if youre interested, please contact Mike Westerfield by
e-mail at MikeW50@AOL.COM, sending the completed form at the end of this
announcement.
The Program
-----------
The program is GSoft BASIC, an interpreted BASIC for the Apple IIGS. It
supports many advanced features, a few not found in any other BASIC were
aware of on any platform. Some of the major features are: