306 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
306 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
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Diversi-Cache(tm)
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By Bill Basham
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Copyright 1987 DSR, Inc.
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Version 1.0
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INSTRUCTIONS
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PLEASE COPY THIS DISK AND GIVE IT TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!
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It is legal to copy and distribute this disk. However, to legally
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use the Diversi-Cache program on this disk, you must send payment
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within 2 weeks. Please send $35 directly to:
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DSR, Inc.
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34880 Bunker Hill
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Farmington, MI 48018-2728
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You will receive a user support number, and a new disk with the
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latest version of Diversi-Cache. Your honesty will help us
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distribute future programs in this same, low-cost way.
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*** Introduction ***
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Diversi-Cache requires an Apple //gs with at least 512K, and an Apple
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3.5 disk drive. The Apple //gs comes with 256K, so you must buy a
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memory card with at least 256K, which plugs into the //gs memory
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expansion slot. We recommend buying a 1-megabyte (1000K) expansion
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card, since Diversi-Cache will use up to 800K.
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Diversi-Cache dramatically increases the I/O speed of the Apple Disk
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3.5, under any operating system (ProDOS, Pascal, DOS 3.3).
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Diversi-Cache only speeds up the Apple Disk 3.5 designed for the
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Apple //gs, and will not affect the speed of the older Apple //c
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compatible UniDisk 3.5.
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Diversi-Cache speeds up the Disk 3.5 in two ways. First of all,
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whenever the system reads a block, Diversi-Cache actually reads an
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entire track. This triples the speed of disk reads, and doubles the
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speed of ProDOS writes.
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Secondly, Diversi-Cache allows you to allocate a cache memory buffer
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from 0 to 800K in size. An 800K cache works for the entire disk,
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while a 400K cache would cache the first 1/2 of the disk, for
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example. Whenever the system reads a block in the cache range,
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Diversi-Cache saves it in the cache buffer. If the system asks for
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this block again, it comes out of memory at "Ramdisk" speed.
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*** Installing Diversi-Cache ***
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The Diversi-Cache program is a binary file named "CACHE".
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Diversi-Cache may be installed under ProDOS or DOS 3.3 with:
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BRUN CACHE
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Diversi-Cache installs itself in the first 64K of the memory
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expansion card (bank 2), and stays there permanently until a power
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off re-boot. That is, Diversi-Cache stays installed even if you
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reboot with open-apple-ctrl-reset. Note: after a reboot,
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Diversi-Cache is reconnected with the next toolset call (INPUT or
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entering the control panel does a toolset call).
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The Diversi-Cache program comes on a 5.25 ProDOS floppy disk. We
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recommend you boot this disk when you power on, to install
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Diversi-Cache. You can then boot from the 3.5 drive with "PR#5".
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You can also use the Apple //gs system utility program to transfer
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all of the Diversi-Cache files to a newly formatted 3.5 inch disk.
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*** Adding Diversi-Cache to PRODOS *** (Not available on demo disk)
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You can append Diversi-Cache to any disk with a file named PRODOS,
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for automatic installation when you boot that disk.
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Choose this option from the menu, and insert the disk you want to
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update. Then, enter the slot and drive where the disk is located.
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You may enter the slot and drive of a hard disk, if desired.
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If the PRODOS file you select already has Diversi-Cache appended, you
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will be given the option to add the new Diversi-Cache, or to remove
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Diversi-Cache and restore PRODOS to normal.
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*** Installation Errors ***
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When you BRUN CACHE, you will hear a "beep" if the installation was
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unsuccessful. The usual reason for this is that you tried to install
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Diversi-Cache again, when it was already installed. You also get
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this error if you don't have a //gs memory expansion card, or if
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there is no memory available on bank 2 to install Diversi-Cache. If
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this occurs, try installing Diversi-Cache from a power-off boot.
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Note: To avoid the beep, POKE 0,0. The beep does not occur when you
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append Diversi-Cache to PRODOS.
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*** Removing Diversi-Cache ***
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You can remove Diversi-Cache by turning the power switch off for 10
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seconds or so, but this will eventually wear out the switch. You can
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simulate a power-off re-boot as follows:
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1. Hold OPEN-APPLE_SHIFT_CONTROL keys down.
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2. Press and release RESET key.
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3. Wait for 2 beeps.
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4. Release OPEN-APPLE_SHIFT_CONTROL keys.
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This will remove Diversi-Cache, and clear your Ramdisk (if any).
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Note: If you have added Diversi-Cache to your PRODOS file, it will be
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re-installed when you boot ProDOS. To avoid this, continue holding
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the OPEN-APPLE_SHIFT_CONTROL keys down, until the ProDOS boot message
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appears on the screen.
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*** Changing the Cache Buffer Size ***
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The first time you access the Disk 3.5, Diversi-Cache allocates up to
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800K for the cache buffer, by calling the Apple //GS memory manager.
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If 800K is not available, Diversi-Cache will allocate the largest
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possible block of memory.
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If you need more memory for a program, you can decrease the size of
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the cache buffer by first pressing OPEN-APPLE_CONTROL_ESCAPE. You
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then select "Diversi-Cache" from the "Control Panel" menu.
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Hold down the left or right arrow keys to adjust the buffer size.
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Press <RETURN> when you see the desired buffer size. Note that a
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buffer size of 0K disables the cache buffer entirely. Even with the
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cache buffer disabled, Diversi-Cache will still approximately triple
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the read speed for long files.
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*** Changing the Cache Drive ***
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If you have more than one Apple Disk 3.5, Diversi-Cache normally will
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only cache drive #1. To select a different drive to cache, hit the
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down arrow key after selecting the buffer size as described above.
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You may cache drive 1, drive 2, or both drives.
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When you cache both drives, the cache buffer is cleared every time
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you switch from one drive to the other.
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When you BRUN CACHE, you start with an 800K cache for drive #1. To
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change these starting values, RUN SETCACHE on the Diversi-Cache disk.
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This modifies and BSAVE's the CACHE file, so be sure your disk is not
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write protected.
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*** Disabling Diversi-Cache ***
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Hit the down arrow again, and then the left arrow to disable
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Diversi-Cache entirely. This may allow you to use Diversi-Cache with
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protected disks, by temporarily disabling it when the program checks
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for a protected block.
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*** Compatibility Problems ***
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Diversi-Cache works with any program which uses the //gs expanded
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memory correctly, as well as most copy protected programs. However,
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some of Apple's initial system software has memory management bugs.
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In particular, if you set up a Ramdisk with the control panel, be
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sure the maximum and minimum size are the same.
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WARNING!!!!!!
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THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM SIZE OF YOUR //GS RAMDISK MUST BE THE SAME!
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Diversi-Cache tends to trigger bugs in software which occur when the
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//gs memory fills, since the cache buffer fills all available memory.
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In particular, the //gs Ramdisk may return write errors if memory is
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full and the minimum size is set to less than the maximum. Many
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programs, such as Appleworks, don't check for write errors on a
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ramdisk, and may do strange things (like destroy your disks, even).
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Other problems occur with ProDOS16 version 1.0, which de-allocates
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all memory. This will eventually destroy your Ramdisk space and
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Diversi-Cache as other programs overwrite their memory. If you have
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to boot Version 1.0, be sure to do an "open-apple_shift_ctrl_reset"
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reboot afterwards.
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Some ProDOS16 programs "hang" when they run out of memory. These
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programs will work if you reduce the cache size, or increase the
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amount of memory in your //gs.
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Hopefully, ProDOS16 version 1.2 corrects these problems. It is
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contained on the //gs system disk with the version number 2.0.
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An occasional program, such as "Bard's Tale", ignores the //gs memory
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manager and destroys all memory, overwriting Diversi-Cache, Ramdisk,
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and anything else. You will have to run these programs from a power
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off reboot.
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In summary, if a program doesn't work with Diversi-Cache, try
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reducing your cache size. If possible, set your Ramdisk size to 0 to
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leave more memory for Diversi-Cache.
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*** Converting to a System File ***
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You can convert Diversi-Cache to a system file, so you can run it
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directly from a menu selection program. To do this, first run
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BASIC.SYSTEM. Then CATALOG the Diversi-Cache disk and note the
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length of the CACHE file. Then, enter the following:
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CREATE SCACHE,TSYS
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BLOAD CACHE
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BSAVE SCACHE,TSYS,A$2000,Lxxxxx (where xxxxx is length of CACHE file)
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*** Converting to DOS 3.3 ***
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First, boot DOS 3.3 and format a disk with:
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INIT HELLO
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Then, boot ProDOS again and enter:
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BLOAD CACHE
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Put in your new DOS 3.3 formatted disk
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PR#6
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BSAVE CACHE,A$2000,Lxxxxx (where xxxxx is length of CACHE file).
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Note that to run DOS 3.3 on a Disk 3.5, you need a DOS 3.3 adapter
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program. We recommend AmDOS(tm) from Gary Little, 131 Water St.
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#210, Vancouver, B.C., CANADA V6B 4M3, 604-681-3371 for $20.
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AmDOS works with our Diversi-DOS(tm). For maximum DOS 3.3
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performance on the Apple Disk 3.5, combine Diversi-Cache,
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Diversi-DOS, and AmDOS together.
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*** Licensing Information ***
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Although Diversi-Cache is copyrighted, DSR allows copying and
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distribution of the program subject to the following restrictions:
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1. Anyone receiving a copy of Diversi-Cache must send a $35 license
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fee directly to DSR, Inc. within 2 weeks.
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2. Any company, club, or individual may charge up to $5.00 for
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distributing copies of Diversi-Cache, provided it is clear that an
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additional $35 fee must be sent directly to DSR.
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Publishers:
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Publishers may license Diversi-Cache for a $250, one-time fee for all
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their programs. To do this, the following message must appear in the
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written documentation:
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This disk contains a high-speed operating system called
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Diversi-Cache(tm), which is licensed for use with this program only.
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To legally use Diversi-Cache with other programs, you may send $35
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directly to: DSR, Inc., 34880 Bunker Hill, Farmington, MI 48018.
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You will receive the latest Diversi-Cache program disk with
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documentation.
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Multiple Computers:
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Each additional computer license fee is $35, up to a maximum of $250
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for all the computers owned by a company (or school district).
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*** User Support ***
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Your user support number entitles you to talk directly to the
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programmer, Bill Basham. Please write if possible, or call:
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313 553-9460 between 3 and 5 PM Eastern time.
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*** Diversi-Copy ***
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Diversi-Copy(tm) is the fastest and easiest way to make back-up
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copies of your 3.5 disks. Diversi-Cache triples the disk read speed
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when used with Diversi-Copy. Note, however, that Diversi-Copy exits
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with a power-off type reboot, so you'll need to re-install
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Diversi-Cache.
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Diversi-Copy was chosen as inCider magazine's "Editors' Choice". It
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is the best copy program available, for both 5.25 and 3.25 drive
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copying.
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*** Diversi-Key ***
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Diversi-Key is a keyboard macro program for the Apple //GS that will
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work with any program that allows interrupts. This includes programs
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that run under Pascal, ProDOS, or DOS 3.3. Diversi-Key works with
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Appleworks 2.0, as well as most other programs.
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Diversi-Key sends macro keystrokes as if you had typed them at the
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keyboard, so you don't need to modify your programs to work with
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Diversi-Key. Diversi-Key allows you to add an almost unlimited
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number of custom functions to any program.
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Diversi-Key includes a flexible way to program the mouse to work with
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any program, as well as date and time macros, nested macro calls,
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nested repeat, IF, and WHILE conditional loops, and much much more.
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*** How to Order ***
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To order, please send your check to:
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DSR, Inc.
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34880 Bunker Hill
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Farmington, MI 48018-2728
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The cost of our programs is as follows:
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Diversi-DOS $30
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Diversi-Copy $30
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Diversi-Cache $35
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Diversi-Key $45
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We only sell our programs by mail-order, and will notify you of
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future program updates which you may purchase for $5 each.
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