2935 lines
145 KiB
Erlang
2935 lines
145 KiB
Erlang
|
||
|
||
|||||| |||||| || || |||||| ||||||
|
||
|| || ||| || || ||
|
||
|| ||| |||| |||||| || |||| Your
|
||
|| || || || ||| || ||
|
||
|||||| |||||| || || |||||| |||||| GEnieLamp APPLE II
|
||
|
||
|| |||||| || || |||||| RoundTable
|
||
|| || || ||| ||| || ||
|
||
|| |||||| |||||||| |||||| RESOURCE!
|
||
|| || || || || || ||
|
||
||||| || || || || ||
|
||
|
||
~ PROFILES: MIKE WESTERFIELD OF BYTEWORKS ~
|
||
~ APPLE II HISTORY: PART 9 ~
|
||
~ THE SYQUEST 88 REMOVABLE HARD DRIVE ~
|
||
~ GOLDEN OLDIES: YOURS FOR THE ASKING ~
|
||
~ HOT NEWS ~ HOT MESSAGES ~ HOT REVIEWS ~
|
||
|
||
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
|
||
GEnieLamp A2 ~ A T/TalkNET OnLine Publication ~ Vol.2, Issue 11
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
Publisher.................................GEnie Information Services
|
||
Editor-In-Chief........................................John Peters
|
||
Editor.............................................Darrel Raines
|
||
|
||
~ GEnieLamp IBM ~ GEnieLamp [PR]/TX2 ~ GEnieLamp ST ~ GEnieLamp A2 ~
|
||
~ GEnieLamp MacPRO ~ GEnieLamp A2Pro ~ GEnieLamp Macintosh ~
|
||
~ Member Of The Disktop Publishing Association ~
|
||
////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
|
||
|
||
>>> WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE APPLE II ROUNDTABLE? <<<
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
~ February 1, 1993 ~
|
||
|
||
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] APPLE_TALK .............. [TAL]
|
||
Notes From The Editor. Apple II Corner.
|
||
|
||
HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY] HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM]
|
||
Is That A Letter For Me? Safe Fax.
|
||
|
||
REFLECTIONS ............. [REF] CowTOONS! ............... [COW]
|
||
Online Communications. Great Cows From Literature.
|
||
|
||
PROFILES ................ [PRO] THE MIGHT QUINN ......... [QUI]
|
||
Who's Who In Apple II. Random Access.
|
||
|
||
A2/A2PRO_DUCTIVITY ...... [A2P] THE ONLINE LIBRARY ...... [LIB]
|
||
Calling All Beginners! Yours For The Downloading.
|
||
|
||
TECH_TALK ............... [TEC] ONLINE FUN .............. [FUN]
|
||
A Hard Look At Hardware. Search-ME!
|
||
|
||
APPLE II ................ [AII] LOG OFF ................. [LOG]
|
||
Apple II History, Part 9. GEnieLamp Information.
|
||
|
||
[IDX]"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
READING GEnieLamp GEnieLamp has incorporated a unique indexing
|
||
""""""""""""""""" system to help make reading the magazine easier.
|
||
To utilize this system, load GEnieLamp into any ASCII word processor
|
||
or text editor. In the index you will find the following example:
|
||
|
||
HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM]
|
||
[*]GEnie Fun & Games.
|
||
|
||
To read this article, set your find or search command to [HUM]. If
|
||
you want to scan all of the articles, search for [EOA]. [EOF] will take
|
||
you to the last page, whereas [IDX] will bring you back to the index.
|
||
|
||
MESSAGE INFO To make it easy for you to respond to messages re-printed
|
||
"""""""""""" here in GEnieLamp, you will find all the information you
|
||
need immediately following the message. For example:
|
||
|
||
(SMITH, CAT6, TOP1, MSG:58/M475)
|
||
_____________| _____|__ _|___ |____ |_____________
|
||
|Name of sender CATegory TOPic Msg.# Page number|
|
||
|
||
In this example, to respond to Smith's message, log on to page
|
||
475 enter the bulletin board and set CAT 6. Enter your REPly in TOPic 1.
|
||
|
||
A message number that is surrounded by brackets indicates that this
|
||
message is a "target" message and is referring to a "chain" of two
|
||
or more messages that are following the same topic. For example: {58}.
|
||
|
||
ABOUT GEnie GEnie costs only $4.95 a month for unlimited evening and
|
||
""""""""""" weekend access to more than 100 services including
|
||
electronic mail, online encyclopedia, shopping, news, entertainment,
|
||
single-player games, multi-player chess and bulletin boards on leisure
|
||
and professional subjects. With many other services, including the
|
||
largest collection of files to download and the best online games, for
|
||
only $6 per hour (non-prime-time/2400 baud). To sign up for GEnie
|
||
service, call (with modem) 1-800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH.
|
||
Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XTX99368,GENIE and hit RETURN. The system
|
||
will then prompt you for your information.
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
|
||
//////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ A A A I I I I /
|
||
/ I I /
|
||
/ I E /
|
||
/ E ~~~~ /
|
||
/ E _____ ..~ /
|
||
/ E ______ O / /
|
||
/ E _____ /== / // /
|
||
/ ! // / ==/ /
|
||
/ \ ! / _ / / /
|
||
/ \ ! / ____ \\//\\ /
|
||
/ \ / _____ \/ \\_ /
|
||
/ _______SPLAAT!_______ \/ /
|
||
//////////////////////////////////////////// R.MARTIN22 ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[FRM]//////////////////////////////
|
||
FROM MY DESKTOP /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
Notes From The Editor
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
By John Peters
|
||
[GENIELAMP]
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
FROM MY DISKTOP When chatting online or when leaving messages to other
|
||
""""""""""""""" RoundTable members, sometimes problems, misunder-
|
||
standings or downright angry confrontations are created simply because the
|
||
other person doesn't understand what you're _really_ trying to say. If
|
||
you're not careful in how you convey your thoughts via the keyboard, what
|
||
you meant as a joke or wrote in jest, can sometimes be taken the wrong way
|
||
or blown entirely out of context.
|
||
|
||
The problem is it's not _what_ you say that creates this situation,
|
||
but it is _how_ you say it. For instance, a sentence said with a smile can
|
||
take on a whole new meaning than if it was said with a frown or angry look.
|
||
Facial movements and voice inflections are difficult to interject into your
|
||
writing, especially when you're writing on the fly as in an informal
|
||
RoundTable Conference or when writing a message or reply online. Since the
|
||
reader can't see your face or body-language, he or she may not know that
|
||
you're making a joke or that you are teasing.
|
||
|
||
There is a solution. Over the years a "modem-language" has developed
|
||
to help take care of this predicament. By interjecting a smiley face, " :)
|
||
" within your message or a descriptive word in brackets, such as [grin] or
|
||
[laugh], you can tell the other person, "Hey, don't take this seriously,
|
||
I'm just having fun." A well placed [grin] can go a long way to help stop
|
||
a misunderstanding.
|
||
|
||
Another reason this modem-language developed is to help minimize the
|
||
amount of typing it takes to convey a message to someone else while online.
|
||
For example, it is much quicker to type, "BTW" then to type, "By The Way"
|
||
or "IMHO" instead of "In My Humble Opinion."
|
||
|
||
Confusing? Not really. As you become more familiar with the lingo,
|
||
the strange characters and funny faces will be easier to figure out. If
|
||
you do come across an unusual cluster of letters and you don't understand
|
||
what they mean, by all means ask the person who sent them. To help you get
|
||
started, here's a partial list of some of the more popular modem-phrases
|
||
being used today on GEnie. (Note: The following has been collected from
|
||
online posts, unofficial dictionaries and other sources.)
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> THE UNOFFICIAL GEnieLamp ONLINE DICTIONARY <<<
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
b4 - before BCNU - Be See 'N You
|
||
|
||
brb - be right back BTW - By the way
|
||
|
||
chuckle - something was kinda channel hoppers - someone who
|
||
funny jumps from one channel to
|
||
another
|
||
|
||
c u l8tr - see you later go pri - go into private
|
||
|
||
GR8 - that's great grin - something was humorous
|
||
|
||
groan - I can't believe you hahaha - something was funny
|
||
said that
|
||
|
||
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA - something was MORF - Male or Female
|
||
REALLY funny
|
||
|
||
OIC - Oh, I see re - about (as in re last night)
|
||
|
||
rehi - hi again TTFN - Ta Ta For Now
|
||
|
||
turbo sta - doing a /sta * to get UR- you are
|
||
a list of all Chat Lines users
|
||
|
||
wave - to someone monitoring yawn - I've heard that before
|
||
(like "Waving at Fuzzball on
|
||
channel 15)
|
||
|
||
???? - I don't understand... [] = hugs
|
||
or What?
|
||
|
||
:) - a sideways smiley face ;) - a winking smiley face
|
||
|
||
:P - a smiley face sticking :( - a sad face
|
||
tongue out
|
||
|
||
:/ - frustrated/perturbed =:0 - surprise
|
||
|
||
:-I - Indifferent smilie. :-> - User made a really biting
|
||
Better than a Frowning sarcastic remark. Worse
|
||
smilie but not quite as then a :)
|
||
good as a happy smilie
|
||
|
||
>:-> User just made a really >;-> Winky and devil combined.
|
||
devilish remark. A lewed remark was made.
|
||
|
||
[SMILE] [LAUGH]
|
||
|
||
LOL - Laughing Out Loud ROFL - Rolling On the Floor
|
||
Laughing
|
||
|
||
IMHO - In My Humble Opinion WTG - Way To Go!
|
||
|
||
|
||
Think about what you're typing. Does what you write really say what
|
||
you mean?
|
||
|
||
[*][*][*]
|
||
|
||
|
||
PARTING SHOTS GEnieLamp Script users take note! The GEnieLamp RoundTable
|
||
""""""""""""" (M515) is undergoing some major menu changes.
|
||
Unfortunately, this means that your script files will no longer work. Once
|
||
the changes are in place we will be uploading new scripts to the GEnieLamp
|
||
Library. We're sorry for the inconvenience, but we think you'll like the
|
||
new menus. (Hint: Lots of new goodies in store! :)
|
||
|
||
|
||
NEW BBS ONLINE NEWSLETTER February 1, 1993 marks the start of a new
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""" online newsletter for members of the BBS
|
||
RoundTable. How the newsletter will be distributed is still undecided.
|
||
For more information, drop by the BBS RoundTable on page 610.
|
||
(Keyword: BBS)
|
||
|
||
|
||
ASK DOCTOR BOB Do you have a question about operating systems, GEnie or
|
||
"""""""""""""" anything concerning computers? If so, you can get your
|
||
questions answered here in GEnieLamp by Doctor Bob. Any question is fair
|
||
game...and if the good Doctor Bob doesn't know the answer, he'll find
|
||
someone who does. Stop wandering around in the dark, send your question
|
||
via GE Mail to GENIELAMP.
|
||
|
||
Until next month...
|
||
John Peters
|
||
[GENIELAMP]
|
||
|
||
|
||
////////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ "First thing is don't panic!! And, don't give up until you have /
|
||
/ found help from someone more knowledgeble than I!" /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////////////////////// R.MOSHER1 ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[TAL]//////////////////////////////
|
||
APPLE_TALK /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
Apple II Corner
|
||
"""""""""""""""
|
||
By Darrel Raines
|
||
[D.Raines]
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
IT'S NOT JUST A JOB! As we begin to get settled into 1993 most people
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""" are starting to forget the New Year's resolutions
|
||
that they made. These resolutions were probably made with the best of
|
||
intentions, but eventually the monotony of carrying out the pact has caused
|
||
us to forget our resolve. It is my job to make sure that this newsletter
|
||
stays on its toes for the whole year. I want to continuously examine the
|
||
product of our efforts and assess how well we are following our New Year's
|
||
resolution to be the best we can be.
|
||
|
||
With this said, I now want to request your help. As a reader of this
|
||
newsletter we need your feedback. I can see that hundreds of GEnie
|
||
subscribers are getting their free copy of A2 GEnieLamp. Great! Now we
|
||
need to know what you think about our efforts. Even if we think that
|
||
things are going well, it is ultimately the decision of the average GEnie
|
||
user as to whether or not the results are readable and informative.
|
||
|
||
Therefore, take some time to write us and let us know what you think.
|
||
If you like an article, then say so. If you think that we don't have
|
||
enough Cowtoons (although I can't image why you would think this), then
|
||
tell us. If you believe our coverage is biased and therefore unfair, then
|
||
blast away. If you think that an article is especially good, then let both
|
||
the author and the editor hear about it.
|
||
|
||
I received more mail concerning GEnieLamp when I was writing
|
||
individual columns for this newsletter than I have since becoming the
|
||
editor. We need more feedback than this to better meet your needs. It
|
||
only takes a few seconds to give us this type of information. The mail
|
||
menu is part of GEnie*Basic services for composing online messages. You
|
||
don't even have to find a stamp and get your tongue sticky to give us
|
||
feedback on GEnie.
|
||
|
||
Consider this to be an "Are you out there" feeler. I really want to
|
||
hear from a lot of people about this month's GEnieLamp for the Apple II.
|
||
If we continue to have sufficient letters coming in, then I will consider
|
||
starting a section devoted to letters. With your input we can climb on to
|
||
greater heights. Let us hear from you.
|
||
|
||
|
||
Author and editor Darrel Raines (D.Raines) welcomes any feedback or
|
||
""""""""""""""""" comments via electronic mail to the listed user name.
|
||
|
||
|
||
////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ "How do you kill the Mother Festor in Xenophobe? /
|
||
/ No hints, just tell me straight. /
|
||
/ I can take it! <G>" /
|
||
//////////////////////////////// ZRATH-SMILEY ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[HEY]//////////////////////////////
|
||
HEY MISTER POSTMAN /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
Is That A Letter For Me?
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
By Darrel Raines
|
||
[D.RAINES]
|
||
|
||
o APPLE II ODDS & ENDS
|
||
|
||
o WHAT'S NEW?
|
||
|
||
o THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE...
|
||
|
||
o MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> A2 ODDS & ENDS <<<
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
LEARNING DTP The Robin Williams who wrote "The Mac Is Not A Typewriter"
|
||
"""""""""""" is a woman.
|
||
|
||
Lots of folks at my local user group love that book, and feel as if
|
||
it's a good intro primer to DTP. To tell the truth, I looked at it
|
||
recently, and felt that it was just too elementary for my needs.
|
||
|
||
I feel that there are 2 aspects to DTP...the first, and easiest
|
||
aspect, is learning how to use a DTP program. IMHO, the much harder part
|
||
has to do with presentation. Anyone can learn how to use a DTP program, but
|
||
not everyone is artistically inclined enough to make their DTP project look
|
||
good.
|
||
|
||
I'm one of them.
|
||
|
||
But, I recently got a great book out of the library called "Looking
|
||
Good in Print". It's by Roger C Parker, and it doesn't say a word in nearly
|
||
400 pages about how to use software. Instead, it's more involved in what I
|
||
imagine is called "elements of design". There's lots of examples, and many
|
||
"makeovers". Those show a before and after picture. The before examples
|
||
look like lots of DTP projects I've seen. The makeovers show exactly what
|
||
can be done to give those projects a professional look to them.
|
||
|
||
Roger C Parker has another book, but I'm not sure of the name, and
|
||
it's devoted strictly to the before and after examples.
|
||
|
||
They're both published by Ventana Press. Looking Good In Print is
|
||
$23.95. I highly recommend it for anyone who knows how to use DTP software
|
||
but who lacks an artistic sense.
|
||
(J.KOHN, CAT2, TOP4, MSG:38/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
MY NEXT COMPUTER "My next computer" turned out to be a IIgs, purchased
|
||
"""""""""""""""" through this RT.
|
||
I decided to get another Apple II rather than a Mac for a number of
|
||
reasons: Cost; I already have a lot of software and files for the Apple II
|
||
series; learning curve; and the IIe (which I'm keeping for the kids) does
|
||
practically everything I want, except feed my ego.
|
||
|
||
I get the feeling the driving force behind MS-DOS sales (and the Mac,
|
||
too) is ego: "Gotta have the latest, the greatest, the biggest, the
|
||
fastest."
|
||
|
||
If memory serves, it was my questions that prompted this topic, so I
|
||
thought I'd do the follow-up, as we'd say in the news biz.
|
||
(L.DEVRIES, CAT2, TOP5, MSG:97/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
SHRINKWRAP LICENSE Generally speaking, a "shrinkwrap" license is illegal
|
||
"""""""""""""""""" when it attempts to restrict YOUR rights under the
|
||
copyright laws.
|
||
|
||
Those parts of the "shrinkwrap license" which are in agreement with
|
||
the copyright law are enforceable, NOT because they are in the license, but
|
||
because they are in the law. Those parts of the "shrinkwrap license" which
|
||
restrict rights granted to YOU under the law (such as the making of
|
||
archival copies) are NOT legal, or enforceable.
|
||
|
||
Those parts of the license which are not covered, in any way, under
|
||
the copyright law may or may not be enforceable, but in any case, will be a
|
||
civil matter, i.e. violation of any part of a "shrinkwrap license" which is
|
||
not backed up by the copyright laws is NOT illegal. You cannot be arrested
|
||
and prosecuted for it. You MAY be sued, but that is relatively unlikely.
|
||
(Depends on how seriously, and how blatantly, you are in violation.)
|
||
|
||
Unfortunately, in the language quoted above, wherein the company
|
||
refuses to transfer your "rights" in the program to a new owner, there is
|
||
nothing you can do. You CAN sell the program, but the new owner cannot get
|
||
support from the company, etc, and there is not a darned thing either you
|
||
or the new owner can do about it.
|
||
(GARY.UTTER, CAT2, TOP8, MSG:6/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
IS MUSIC WRITER GS STLLL AROUND? Yes. I have had MW GS for a little over
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" two years, and I love it. As to Pyware
|
||
support, it has been good. I received an offer to upgrade (either to the
|
||
professional level - 32 staves, or across platforms) about two months ago.
|
||
As the majority of the music I write is for small choral groups and a pep
|
||
band, the 8 staves of the intermediate level is more than enough. If you
|
||
want to print music, I _heartily_ recommend Music Writer GS.
|
||
(EBR2, CAT6, TOP7, MSG:69/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
CRASHES & FILE-COPYING PROBLEMS Update on crashes, file-copying problems,
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" etc. in GS/OS: In our last installment
|
||
I was unable to copy large batches of files across hard-drive partitions
|
||
using Finder, and I was getting frequent crashes in GS/OS applications.
|
||
Received many helpful suggestions, tried many things including swapping Zip
|
||
cards between two systems, disabling RamFAST driver, reinstalling system
|
||
6.0, burying dead cat at midnight, etc.
|
||
|
||
My hard-won discoveries:
|
||
|
||
I can complete batch-copying operations if I: 1) Turn Zip speed down
|
||
one notch, or, 2) disable the RamFAST driver in the System folder. On
|
||
another, nearly-identically set up GS, neither of these steps is necessary.
|
||
Go figure. Current theory is that on the one machine that needs fiddling
|
||
with, there is some sort of timing incompatibility between the RamFAST and
|
||
the Zip that is cured by slowing either down, even a slight bit.
|
||
|
||
Regarding other crashes, I found and deleted three (count 'em, three!)
|
||
icons in my ICONS folder that were set to match type $00, auxtype $0000,
|
||
which, if I understand this correctly, can cause some problems. The
|
||
specific problems I was having that seem to have been cleared up by this
|
||
action were: the "calculate" function in the "Get info" window was
|
||
crashing; I was also occasionally getting garbage characters in Finder
|
||
windows and some system sounds weren't playing when they should have. The
|
||
whole system seems more reliable since deleting these icons, but that may
|
||
just be the placebo effect at work.
|
||
|
||
The third change I made that seems to have improved the behavior of
|
||
the system is installing the Pointless 2.01 upgrade. Now GraphicWriter and
|
||
other DTP programs no longer hog huge gobs of memory.
|
||
|
||
I also tossed out a couple of DA's and inits that were of questionable
|
||
integrity.
|
||
|
||
Hard to measure the effect of the cat funeral, but the windows _do_
|
||
seem to whoosh open and closed with a bit more snap since then.
|
||
|
||
Lesson I've learned from all this fooling around: If it's not one
|
||
thing, it's probably another...
|
||
(D.CRUTCHER, CAT9, TOP6, MSG:1/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
MNP ISN'T A PERFECT WORLD... As you explained your problem, it sounds
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" like it should all work but if you have
|
||
line noise and invoke MNP, its not going to make the world perfect. MNP as
|
||
you know is just an error checking protocol and if data is transferred that
|
||
is not correct, it is retransferred until it is correct. What that
|
||
translates to is: If you are sending at 2400 BPS its working. But if you
|
||
send at 9600 and noise effects the transfer and you have to use MNP to make
|
||
the 9600 work, it has to keep re-sending until its correct (or it gives
|
||
up). You could find 9600 w/MNP slower than 2400.
|
||
|
||
If you have a line noise problem, it can be detected by the phone
|
||
company. Call the repair service and ask. If they say it may be in your
|
||
house wiring and you don't have the repair service insurance, get yourself
|
||
a long piece of phone wire extension (called base cord) and take it
|
||
directly from your modem to the interface box on the outside of your house.
|
||
Unplug the modular interface plug (this disconnects all the phones in the
|
||
house) and plug your modem in directly. Try the call and see if you still
|
||
have problems. If you do, its not on your end, ask the phone company to
|
||
assist you. Tell them you are using the phone for data transmission - its
|
||
legal. If they tell you to buy a special line, just ask them for a clean
|
||
voice quality line, that is all you really need.
|
||
|
||
If the noise disappears when you plug in outside, remove all of the
|
||
coverplates on your phone jacks and loosen and tighten all screws and check
|
||
again. Dissimilar metals (screws and wires) sometimes interact and loose
|
||
good contact.
|
||
|
||
You asked about a special line. They are pricey and are referred to as
|
||
"balanced lines." Of all the Tech Support calls we have ever taken, not one
|
||
person has ever said they have one of these "special" lines.
|
||
|
||
If you have line noise it often looks like -- }}{f/g}} - kinda
|
||
stuff. You can even hear it a crackling hissing sound when the phone is
|
||
quiet. Dial one digit and listen. Radio Shack sells a device for less than
|
||
$10 that indicates if your wires are reversed. It seems that is a problem
|
||
some of the time, but I am not sure when and why it sometimes seems to
|
||
affect the modem and sometimes does not??
|
||
|
||
Re; your question about the buffer and percentage display, if you
|
||
would like to try a demo version of ProTERM 3 we would be glad to send it
|
||
to you or you can d/l it from the Library here on GEnie. If you would like
|
||
us to send it, let me know your address and the disk size via EMail or
|
||
whatever is easy for you.
|
||
|
||
InSync Software, Inc.
|
||
3035 E Topaz Cir
|
||
Phoenix, AZ 85028-4423
|
||
Voice 602/992-1345
|
||
BBS 602/992-9789
|
||
FAX 602/992-0232
|
||
GEnie InSync.SW
|
||
(INSYNC.SW, CAT10, TOP2, MSG:56/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
SOUND FILES HELP
|
||
""""""""""""""""
|
||
> How can I adapt sound files for the Sound CDev in System 6? Is there a
|
||
> way to take Mac Soundmaster files and adapt them?
|
||
|
||
There is a file here in the A2 library somewhere entitled rSounder.
|
||
This will take raw sound files and/or HyperStudio sounds and turn them into
|
||
rSounds which will work on the Sound CDev.
|
||
(D.MILLER132, CAT9, TOP12, MSG:68/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
PROPERLY WRITTEN? A properly written 8-bit program will NOT copy a file
|
||
""""""""""""""""" with a resource. It will instead kick up an "unknown
|
||
storage type" error. It should refuse to do anything at all with a
|
||
resourced file. Only 8-bit programs specifically written in a way that
|
||
ignores Apple's rules on this, such as Copy II+, will copy resourced files
|
||
and leave the resource behind.
|
||
|
||
A properly written 8-bit file copier will simply refuse to copy the
|
||
file. ProTerm 3.0 is such a program; you will find that it will refuse to
|
||
manipulate a resourced file.
|
||
|
||
PT3 is an excellent file utility program in an 8-bit environment.
|
||
IIgs users can use it with confidence whenever convenient, bearing in mind
|
||
that it just won't copy certain files. It WILL copy ShrinkIt archives and
|
||
text files, which are the types of file you'd most often want to copy from
|
||
within your modem software. ;-)
|
||
(A2.DEAN, CAT9, TOP15, MSG:75/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
TAKE A DEEP BREATH...
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
TO: ALL
|
||
RE: Zip GS and Self-Test
|
||
|
||
Everyone take a deep breath and then repeat after me...
|
||
|
||
"My Apple IIgs will not EVER pass the self-test with a Zip GS installed."
|
||
"My Apple IIgs will not EVER pass the self-test with a Zip GS installed."
|
||
"My Apple IIgs will not EVER pass the self-test with a Zip GS installed."
|
||
"My Apple IIgs will not EVER pass the self-test with a Zip GS installed."
|
||
"My Apple IIgs will not EVER pass the self-test with a Zip GS installed."
|
||
|
||
Now that you've gotten that out of your system, you don't need to
|
||
worry about it. The tests on the GS are designed to run a 2.8 MHz. Even
|
||
if you turn OFF the Zip GS, most likely the tests will not pass correctly.
|
||
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR GS, OR WITH YOUR ZIP GS CARD IF THE TESTS
|
||
FAIL! IT IS NORMAL.
|
||
|
||
The Zip GS card is pretty simple, when it comes right down to it. I
|
||
used to work for Zip, I know. If the Zip GS is bad, most likely your
|
||
computer won't work for longer than 3 minutes at all. If you are worried
|
||
your GS itself is bad, remove the Zip, put in the normal CPU, and THEN run
|
||
the self-test. Hope this alleviates the concern over bad self-testing.
|
||
(M-RYAN, CAT12, TOP5, MSG:154/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
DISCOUNT MAIL ORDERS While we're on this subject, let me offer my
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""" unsolicited feelings about the discount mail order
|
||
system and how it affects a company. MDG has been doing direct mail-order
|
||
to customers with excellent speed and service for over five years. At one
|
||
time, we offered our products through Roger Coats, Programs Plus, and
|
||
Preferred Computing. We didn't gain anything by distributing our products
|
||
through vendors -- in fact we lost income because they demanded a
|
||
substantial discount off the retail price so that *they* can make a profit.
|
||
I could not artificially increase prices so that we recover what our
|
||
products are worth.
|
||
|
||
That's why you'll only see MDG products in magazine news and reviews
|
||
sections- -not in mail order ads. Mail-order distribution is for suppliers
|
||
that don't have the resources to do their own sales, packaging and shipping
|
||
to their customers. For that service, they pay the price in the form of
|
||
40% to 70% discounts offered to their distributors.
|
||
|
||
Years ago, if you could get a one-liner in a full page ad, you were
|
||
doing well. Today the distributors ask suppliers to PAY big dollars for
|
||
large chunks of ad space within their ads! The free one-liners, now
|
||
cutting into space that could be paid for by a supplier, have dropped in
|
||
number (not to mention point size). So relatively small to medium sized
|
||
companies, like MDG, get the squeeze and end up staying out of the
|
||
mail-order vendor mess.
|
||
|
||
In the last two years, we've streamlined our ordering, production and
|
||
shipping capabilities so we can cut out the middle-man approach. We're
|
||
fast-- we can ship within 12 hours of receiving an order--but we don't move
|
||
enough volume to offer overnight shipping like big companies. However, we
|
||
can get you your products in just two days or less. Plus, we've integrated
|
||
a CASS- certification ZIP+4 Postnet bar code system into the addressing of
|
||
everything we mail, which lets the post office instantly route mail where
|
||
it should go. We used this last month to quickly and accurately deliver
|
||
thousands of Groupnews newsletters to our customers and friends. (See the
|
||
HISTORY BUFFER topic for more details). And we use it on all of our
|
||
packing lists and address labels.
|
||
|
||
/\/\
|
||
/ /__\ Morgan Davis ------------
|
||
(MORGAN-DAVIS, CAT27, TOP3, MSG:5/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
USES FOR SPARE COMPUTER CHIPS
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
1) Scarecrow for centipedes
|
||
2) Dead cat brush
|
||
3) Hair barrettes
|
||
4) Cleats for mice
|
||
5) Self-piercing earrings
|
||
6) False eyelashes
|
||
(A2.HANGTIME, CAT4, TOP10, MSG:94/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> WHAT'S NEW? <<<
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
NEW PRODUCT ANOUNCEMENT! Although most of my programs have been
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""" utilities, I've also written one game for the
|
||
IIgs: FloorTiles. FloorTiles has been quite successful as shareware, and
|
||
has gotten good reviews in A+/InCider and elsewhere.
|
||
|
||
I have just released Ant Wars, my new game for the IIgs. According to
|
||
my wife (the real game-playing expert in our household), Ant Wars is "even
|
||
better than FloorTiles".
|
||
|
||
Ant Wars is a strategy/arcade game in which you maneuver red ants
|
||
around a grid, attempting to kill -- and avoid being killed by -- black
|
||
ants. You will need both quick reflexes and careful planning to chalk up
|
||
the high scores. Watch for Ant Wars in the A2 download library, and give
|
||
it a try. (K.BUNKER, CAT13, TOP10, MSG:30/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
SWITCH-IT! - A MULTI-APPLICATION SWITCHER FOR THE APPLE IIGS
|
||
"""""""""" Littleton, CO, December 25, 1992 -- Procyon Enterprises, Inc.
|
||
of Littleton, Colorado announced today that they have released Switch-It!,
|
||
an extension to Apple Computer, Inc.'s GS/OS, that brings Macintosh
|
||
MultiFinder style capabilities to the Apple IIGS. Switch-It! allows the
|
||
user to load any number of desktop programs (limited only by main memory)
|
||
and switch between them instantly. The addition of this important new
|
||
ability makes the Apple IIGS computer one of the most versatile and cost
|
||
effective personal computers on the market today.
|
||
|
||
Switch-It! is fully compatible with the most popular applications for
|
||
the IIGS, including AppleWorks GS, Platinum Paint, DreamGrafix, Medley,
|
||
Finder, GraphicWriter III, HyperCard and HyperStudio, and many more. Matt
|
||
Gudermuth, President of Procyon, Inc., said "For anyone who finds
|
||
themselves moving between a lot of different GS/OS desktop programs, you'll
|
||
save an amazing amount of time. Switch-It! allowed us to produce the
|
||
documentation in roughly half the time it normally takes. Switch-It! is
|
||
the perfect way to increase your productivity."
|
||
|
||
Switch-It! is closely integrated with System Software 6.0 via its
|
||
Inter-Application Communication features, turning the plain IIGS Finder
|
||
into a MultiFinder. "When you launch a program from the Finder, the Finder
|
||
remains resident. This not only greatly speeds up launching and quitting,
|
||
but means the Finder is always handy in the event one needs to format a
|
||
disk or do other Finder operations from another program.", Jawaid Bazyar,
|
||
Vice-President and Chief Technical Officer, explained. "With Switch-It!,
|
||
those long periods waiting for a program to load or for a program to quit
|
||
back to the Finder are gone. This is especially beneficial to users
|
||
without hard disk drives.", Mr. Bazyar continued. "Switch-It! also makes
|
||
cutting and pasting between applications quick and easy."
|
||
|
||
Switch-It! is fully compatible with and requires GS/OS System 6.0. It
|
||
comes with several desk accessories that help exploit the power of
|
||
switching technology. Switch-It! also comes with Apple IIGS Installer
|
||
scripts, so putting Switch-It! on a hard drive is a simple operation.
|
||
Product support is provided by telephone and online through InterNet,
|
||
America Online, GEnie, and Delphi.
|
||
|
||
Switch-It! has a list price of just $79.95 and will be available from
|
||
mail order houses by the third week of January. For more detailed
|
||
information, contact Procyon Enterprises, Inc. - P.O. Box 620334 -
|
||
Littleton, CO 80162-0334 - (303) 933-4649. Distributors please contact
|
||
Sequential Systems - 1200 Diamond Circle - Lafayette, CO 80026 - (303)
|
||
666-4549.
|
||
|
||
Procyon, Inc.
|
||
P.O. Box 620334
|
||
Littleton, Colorado 80162-0334
|
||
(314) 334-7078
|
||
Contacts: Matthew Gudermuth, Jawaid Bazyar
|
||
(PROCYON.INC, CAT2, TOP27, MSG:1/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
APPLE EXPO WEST Event Specialists, in association with the Bay Area Apple
|
||
""""""""""""""" II Users Group & BMUG proudly present:
|
||
|
||
The Apple Expo West
|
||
April 23-25, 1993
|
||
@ Brooks Hall in San Francisco, CA
|
||
|
||
Three exciting days (compromising one weekend) are planned for all
|
||
Apple II and Macintosh users throughout the world meeting in one prime
|
||
location - San Francisco. Located near SiliCon Valley, the San Francisco
|
||
expo will feature MANY events, all offered at one very low and economical
|
||
price. All seminars offered through the duration of the Expo will be
|
||
offered to all attendees at no extra charge. This is the best opportunity
|
||
for Apple users to see what the future holds for them, and should be
|
||
considered an event NOT to be missed. Apple II users will have a few
|
||
special treats in store for them as this will be an invaluable chance for
|
||
them to check out all the new products which will be unveiled at the show
|
||
first hand, and possibly get a chance to walk away with some of these
|
||
products at one-time, show special pricing. Over 12,000 people are expected
|
||
to attend this premier event.
|
||
|
||
For more information on this event, see the bulletin board item
|
||
listed below. (A2.LUNATIC, CAT5, TOP2, MSG:29/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE! Last summer, a challenge was issued to the Apple
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""" IIGS community. That challenge was in the form
|
||
of a contest. With the backing and support of Olivier Goguel of the FTA, we
|
||
at inCider/A+ urged the IIGS community to seek greater heights, to have fun
|
||
and to go where no one had gone before.
|
||
|
||
Some answered the challenge and some rose to the occasion. I
|
||
personally came online and said "blow my mind and make my day". And, guess
|
||
what?
|
||
|
||
Yes, indeed, the first Bouncin'Ferno entries are starting to arrive in
|
||
SillyKohn Valley.
|
||
|
||
I have seen the future. I have tasted greatness. I have feasted on
|
||
the next generation of IIGS superstardom. I have climbed to new peaks. I
|
||
have played new Bouncin'Ferno levels. I have gotten blisters on my fingers.
|
||
I have smiled at the little bouncin fernos, and I have cursed at
|
||
frustratingly insane new Ferno games.
|
||
|
||
You rose to the challenge and you have succeeded. You did make my
|
||
day. And my night, as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
|
||
|
||
Over the next several weeks, I'll be sorting through the contest
|
||
entries, and choosing the winners. And, prizes will be announced.
|
||
|
||
But, will that be it? Is Bouncin'Ferno really the last of its kind?
|
||
Have we seen the last works of The FTA? Is the fun and excitement that the
|
||
FTA generated for us over? Are memories of the FTA all that remain?
|
||
|
||
I think not!
|
||
|
||
Coming soon to Shareware Solutions: The Lost Works of the FTA!
|
||
|
||
You ain't seen nothing yet!
|
||
(J.KOHN, CAT28, TOP4, MSG:157/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEM IS NOW FREEWARE! Well, it's about time we announced this.
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""" Those of us who run A2 have recently finalized a
|
||
deal with Tom Hoover to license GEM.
|
||
|
||
For those of you who are interested, GEM is now available as
|
||
freeware. The $20 shareware fee no longer applies. :-)
|
||
|
||
We are in the process of rewriting the GEM documentation, and are
|
||
planning on adding a couple of _minor_ additional features, though they
|
||
will be of no use to current GEM users.
|
||
|
||
Tom Hoover hopes to continue to update and expand GEM, but such
|
||
updates will still undoubtedly be shareware upgrades - i.e. you'll be able
|
||
to have the current one for free, but if Tom Hoover does a major updates he
|
||
can still charge for it. ;-)
|
||
|
||
Anyhow, if anyone out there has been hesitating to start using GEM,
|
||
now's a good time. We'll soon be uploading an unlocked version with
|
||
revised documentation, but anyone who'd like the program now can write to
|
||
me for the unlocker program to get all GEM features functioning.
|
||
|
||
We think GEM is a great product and hope many people who've been
|
||
hesitant up to now will give it a try.
|
||
(A2.DEAN, CAT29, TOP5, MSG:41/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE... <<<
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
WHAT YOU WANT IS...
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""
|
||
> Where do I get a crystal to upgrade from 8/32 to 9 or 10 mhz? Where do
|
||
> I put the crystal or crystals? Thanks Dan, thanks for your earlier help!
|
||
> Fritz
|
||
|
||
>>>>> What you want is a crystal oscillator. These are available from
|
||
""""" companies such as Jameco, JDR Microdevices, and DigiKey. Sorry, I
|
||
don't have the numbers or prices handy, but you can call 1-800-555-1212 for
|
||
the phone numbers. For 9 MHz, you need a 36.00 MHz oscillator. For 10
|
||
MHz, you need 40.00 MHz. For any other speed, simply multiply the
|
||
processor speed by 4. You can get a CMOS oscillator, but it's not
|
||
required. I don't know about pricing; the figure of $15.00 sticks in my
|
||
head though.
|
||
|
||
Now take a look at your Zip card. With the card "fingers" at the
|
||
lower right, you should see a little silver box in the top left corner.
|
||
Among other markings, you should see "32.000 MHz". VERY CAREFULLY unsolder
|
||
this box, and solder the new one in its place. ORIENTATION IS IMPORTANT!
|
||
If you get a CMOS oscillator, it should have a notch in one end. Install
|
||
it with the notch up. If you didn't get a CMOS oscillator, there should be
|
||
a painted dot on one end; install it with the dot toward the top.
|
||
|
||
You should also install a new CPU that's rated for the speed you want
|
||
to run at; I understand these run $95 from WDC in Mesa, AZ at 602-962-4545.
|
||
You want the 44-pin PLCC version, not the 40-pin DIP version.
|
||
|
||
WARNING: I have _not_ done this myself. The information in this post
|
||
was compiled from prior posts here, on the Internet, and other sources. I
|
||
_do_ believe it to be accurate; however, I can't guarantee that.
|
||
(D.BROWN109, CAT22, TOP10, MSG:149/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
LET US HELP YOU! AE's attention to this topic -- probably to this whole
|
||
"""""""""""""""" RT -- is spotty, at best. I had major problems with my
|
||
Serial Pro, too....finally got them to swap it with another that had some
|
||
different alphabet soup that the rep never bothered to explain to me.
|
||
|
||
But there are a lot of smart technically-minded people on this board,
|
||
so why not detail your problem here (even if it is with another on-line
|
||
service)?
|
||
|
||
If I buy a piece of hardware, and it doesn't work, I won't just toss
|
||
it aside and buy another brand. I don't have that sort of money to waste.
|
||
I eventually had to call AE's main number and ask for the president (Robert
|
||
Carroll) before getting satisfaction. I wasted more than the cost of the
|
||
Serial Pro on that )(*&^%! 900 number before making that much cheaper call
|
||
to {214} 241-6060.
|
||
(L.DEVRIES, CAT14, TOP11, MSG:2/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
REGARDING YOUR FLAKY TWGS... A friend and myself both had problems with
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" a flaky TWGS which were solved by
|
||
replacing the short cable that goes from the board to the CPU socket. I
|
||
got a plug that had gold pins and I soldered the connections on the
|
||
connector so there would be better reliability of the connections. I have
|
||
not been aware of any problems due to the TWGS for the several years since
|
||
I made the cables. It was my assumption that non-corroding gold would be
|
||
more reliable than the tin (?) plating on the original connectors.
|
||
(W.SHUFF, CAT, TOP9, MSG:6/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
OPTION KEY TIP Hold down the Option-key, while selecting "About" from
|
||
"""""""""""""" the Apple menu in AppleWorks GS. You'll see a screen with
|
||
some memory information and information about your GS.
|
||
(U.HUTH, CAT17, TOP17, MSG:23/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
WHY A USER GROUP? There are advantages to being an "official" Apple User
|
||
""""""""""""""""" Group. Among the advantages are:
|
||
|
||
- A free license to distribute Apple II System Software.
|
||
- Being listed with the 800 User Group Locator Service, so that when folks
|
||
in your area call Apple to find out where the nearest group is located,
|
||
they'll give your group as a contact.
|
||
- A monthly mailing from Apple.
|
||
- A subsidized account on AppleLink.
|
||
- A free hour of connect time each month on AOL.
|
||
- A yearly Christmas card from Apple.
|
||
|
||
I can't think of any disadvantages to registering with Apple, except
|
||
that whoever is listed as the contact person will start getting lots of Mac
|
||
oriented junk mail. And, I do mean Junk Mail.
|
||
(J.KOHN, CAT31, TOP5, MSG:25/M645;1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<<
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
Category 5, Topic 3
|
||
Message 16 Fri Jan 08, 1993
|
||
S.WEYHRICH [ Historian ] at 21:29 EST
|
||
|
||
Here is a reproduction of part of my upcoming A2 News Digest that I
|
||
thought deserved posting immediately:
|
||
|
||
[*][*][*]
|
||
|
||
|
||
--Zip Continues Zippin' Along
|
||
|
||
Out of the blue, there was a report from the National AppleWorks User
|
||
Group posted in their category on the A2 RT on GEnie. It read as follows:
|
||
|
||
"Zip Technology no longer sells Zip Chips, replacement processor chips
|
||
that dramatically increase the speed of Apple II+, IIe, and IIc computers.
|
||
According to J. P. Hayes, President of Zip, the company can no longer find
|
||
a manufacturer capable of producing these 'hybrid' chip products. When
|
||
NAUG contacted Ms. Hayes in early December, she reported that Zip had a
|
||
single Zip Chip in stock that would be kept by the company. She indicated
|
||
that the company is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from
|
||
its creditors.
|
||
|
||
"Although Zip Chips were recently sold with a one year guarantee, the
|
||
company originally advertised an unlimited 'satisfaction guarantee' on the
|
||
product. According to Ms. Hayes, Zip can no longer replace defective chips
|
||
and, under the terms of their Chapter 11 protection, cannot refund
|
||
customers' payments for these products.
|
||
|
||
"Ms. Hayes reports that Zip continues to manufacture accelerator
|
||
products for the Apple IIgs. However, NAUG suggests that its members
|
||
consider the company's financial condition carefully before buying a Zip
|
||
product."
|
||
|
||
Naturally, this raised some concerns among Apple II and IIGS users who
|
||
read the message. In my preparations for this article, I decided to
|
||
contact Zip myself and see exactly where things were at this time. On
|
||
January 8, 1993, I called Zip and Ms. Hayes spoke to me. In our
|
||
discussion, I found a some major inaccuracies in the NAUG article. Ms.
|
||
Hayes stated that she is Zip's CEO (not president), and that they have been
|
||
in Chapter 11 for two years, and actually went OUT of it four months ago.
|
||
That means that they are NO LONGER in Chapter 11 at this time! (For those
|
||
who don't know, a Chapter 11 declaration simply provides protection from
|
||
creditors, while a company reorganizes itself to change its operations to a
|
||
more profitable situation. It is NOT the same as a company declaring
|
||
bankruptcy and going out of business).
|
||
|
||
Secondly, and of similar importance, she said that Zip had indeed lost
|
||
their previous manufacturer for the Zip 8 Chips, but they HAVE located a
|
||
new company for doing this work. It is not a trivial operation to create a
|
||
Zip Chip, and it will take another four to eight weeks until they will be
|
||
back at full production again; however, Zip Technologies WILL still be
|
||
making the 8 MHz Zip Chip for 8-bit AppleII computers, as well as the Zip
|
||
GS card for the AppleIIGS.
|
||
|
||
Now, it concerns me greatly that there could be such a discrepancy
|
||
between what NAUG says it learned in talking to Ms. Hayes in December, and
|
||
what I learned in talking with her on January 8th. If we can assume the
|
||
best, that no one was INTENTIONALLY deceiving anyone else, we DO have a
|
||
serious miscommunication here. It is so serious that just the RUMOR that
|
||
Zip was in Chapter 11 could easily have mutated into a rumor that they WERE
|
||
out of business (perhaps the rumor has done so by now). Press coverage
|
||
like that can kill a company. If we who write news articles (such as NAUG
|
||
and myself) are going to be helpful to the AppleII community, we need to
|
||
make things absolutely clear. The people that PROVIDE information should
|
||
try to make sure that whatever they said was understood (the correct
|
||
message was transmitted), and we who try to write up this information must
|
||
take care to ensure that we have REALLY heard what we think we have heard
|
||
(the correct message was received). It may simply require a phone call to
|
||
clarify things.
|
||
|
||
The whole situation reminds me of the inCider/A+ "announcement" that
|
||
indicated a major change in direction was in the works, and then their
|
||
subsequent correction that stated that, no, they were NOT decreasing
|
||
AppleII coverage. I was just as guilty as any in transmitting the
|
||
incorrect information; I assumed (erroneously) that the statements made by
|
||
Cameron Crotty were an accurate reflection of upcoming corporate policy.
|
||
As it turned out, whether minds at inCider were changed because of the
|
||
ruckus that was raised by the suggestion of such a radical change, or
|
||
whether the statements made by Crotty WERE incorrect at the time, things
|
||
did NOT change for the worse, and all that hand-wringing and name-calling
|
||
was unnecessary.
|
||
|
||
The bottom line for this situation is this: If you were interested
|
||
in a Zip accelerator for YOUR AppleII, rest assured. For the time being,
|
||
at least, Zip Technologies will stay in business and continuing producing
|
||
products for both the 8 and 16 bit platforms. And it doesn't hurt to point
|
||
out that if you want them to STAY in business, it would be a good idea to
|
||
plunk down some money and buy an accelerator from this company.
|
||
|
||
Zip Technology
|
||
5601 W. Slauson Avenue, Suite 190
|
||
Culver City, CA 90230
|
||
|
||
(310) 337-1313
|
||
Fax: (213)-337-9337
|
||
|
||
----------------
|
||
|
||
Thought y'all might like to know...
|
||
|
||
[*][*][*]
|
||
|
||
|
||
While on GEnie, do you spend most of your time downloading files?
|
||
If so, you may be missing out some excellent information in the Bulletin
|
||
Board area. The messages listed above only scratch the surface of
|
||
what's available and waiting for you in the bulletin board area.
|
||
|
||
If you are serious about your AII, the GEnieLamp staff strongly
|
||
urge you to give the bulletin board area a try. There are literally
|
||
thousands of messages posted from people like you from all over the
|
||
world.
|
||
|
||
|
||
/////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ "Techies write and writers go hungry. And users are baffled." /
|
||
///////////////////////////////////////////////// W.LIVELY ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[HUM]//////////////////////////////
|
||
HUMOR ONLINE /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
Safe Fax
|
||
""""""""
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> THE FRIENDLY GUIDE TO SAFE FAX <<<
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
Dr. B. Comfortable answers some of your questions....
|
||
|
||
Q.: Doctor, I am new to fax, I have not had much fax, and I am worried.
|
||
Is it safe to have fax?
|
||
A.: Fax is perfectly safe, providing both you and your partner maintain
|
||
your equipment in good order, keep it clean and have a regular
|
||
check-up by a qualified consultant. Do not be embarrassed at your
|
||
lack of experience. There are many excellent fax manuals available,
|
||
including my own "The Joy of Fax".
|
||
|
||
Q.: About how often should I fax?
|
||
A.: Those who are new to fax often can't get enough, and do it all the
|
||
time. We usually find, however, that as we get older and the novelty
|
||
wears off, the desire for fax decreases rapidly, particularly if we
|
||
still have the same old machine. (It is not unknown for jaded faxers
|
||
to have a brief "fling" with a new, exciting machine, but this, too,
|
||
will usually burn out quite quickly.)
|
||
|
||
Q.: Can I have fax with more than one person?
|
||
A.: By all means. This is perfectly normal, even necessary in most
|
||
circumstances. It is time we cast aside our hang-ups about fax, feel
|
||
free to "let it all hang out" and share your true self with the world.
|
||
|
||
Q.: Do I have to be married to have fax?
|
||
A.: Good Lord, no. People who hardly ever fax their wives will spend
|
||
most of their working lives faxing complete strangers.
|
||
|
||
Q.: My parents say they never had fax when they were young, and were only
|
||
allowed to write memos to each other until they were twenty-one, is
|
||
this true?
|
||
A.: Yes, but why worry about boring old twits like them?
|
||
|
||
Q.: If I fax something to myself, will I go blind?
|
||
A.: Certainly not, as far as I can see.
|
||
|
||
Q.: There is a place on our street now, where you can go and pay to fax,
|
||
is this legal?
|
||
A.: Yes. Many lonely people have no other outlet for their fax drives and
|
||
must pay a "professional" when their need for fax becomes too strong.
|
||
|
||
Q.: What are the consequences of indiscriminate fax?
|
||
A.: Very high telephone bills
|
||
|
||
|
||
/////////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ " >Good thing you're almost done! Ultima Underworlds II is out!" /
|
||
/ /
|
||
/ "Oh no! :)" /
|
||
//////////////////////////////////////////////////// J.JIMENEZ ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[REF]//////////////////////////////
|
||
REFLECTIONS /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
Thinking Online Communications
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
By Phil Shapiro
|
||
[P.SHAPIRO1]
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> APPROACHING A MORE PERFECT STATE OF HUMAN COMMUNICAION <<<
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
~ Part I ~
|
||
|
||
|
||
COMMUNICATION BARRIERS Have you ever stopped to consider the many types
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""" of barriers that exist in human communication?
|
||
Some barriers are barriers of cost. Some are barriers of inconvenience.
|
||
And some are barriers of time delay.
|
||
|
||
It's interesting to take a closer look at these barriers to see how
|
||
online communication helps eliminate or minimize them.
|
||
|
||
|
||
The Barrier of Cost The barrier of cost takes on two principal forms:
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
1) The cost of transmission, and,
|
||
|
||
2) The cost of production.
|
||
|
||
The cost of transmission usually involves first class or second class
|
||
postage costs. And the cost of production usually involves editing costs,
|
||
page-layout costs, printing costs, and paper costs.
|
||
|
||
Online communications radically minimizes both transmission costs and
|
||
production costs. In some cases the transmission costs of sending ASCII
|
||
text can amount to a small fraction of the cost of sending the same text
|
||
via the postal service. This is especially true if people take full
|
||
advantage of flat-rate electronic mail.
|
||
|
||
Of all the many barriers, the barrier of production costs is the one
|
||
that most severely restricts useful information from passing between human
|
||
beings. The restrictive barrier of production costs was recently brought
|
||
to mind in a very personal way. Just last week a national magazine sent my
|
||
software publishing company a strongly favorable, but extremely brief,
|
||
review of my company's new educational software product.
|
||
|
||
Despite the positive tone of this review, I could not help but be
|
||
disappointed about the brief length of review. One can only speculate that
|
||
their production and transmission costs were so exceedingly high that they
|
||
had to condense each of their reviews to the absolute minimum number of
|
||
words. Another consideration could be that they wanted to give equal space
|
||
to fifteen or twenty new software products. The only way to be fair-handed
|
||
would be to give short shrift to each product.
|
||
|
||
Had this same publication been published online, the production and
|
||
transmission costs would be a fraction of their current costs. The editors
|
||
of the publication would then have no problem in "printing" complete and
|
||
informative reviews of new educational software products. The beneficiary
|
||
of such improved communication would include not only the software
|
||
publishers (who might benefit from increased sales), but also the teachers
|
||
and students who ended up using the software. In a very real sense,
|
||
society as a whole benefits from the opening of improved communication
|
||
channels.
|
||
|
||
Another example of the barrier of production costs can be seen in
|
||
newspaper classified ads. Whether it be employment, for-sale, or housing
|
||
classifieds, the content is almost always boiled down to twenty five or
|
||
thirty words, with each word so radically abbreviated as to constitute a
|
||
veritable dialect of the English language. (This "dialect" was charmingly
|
||
spoofed in the 1960's dramatic play titled: "4 RMS, RVR VU," about two
|
||
people who meet while searching for a four-room apartment with a river
|
||
view.)
|
||
|
||
Imagine if each classified fully and completely described the job
|
||
available, the merchandise for sale, or the housing situation offered.
|
||
People could actually browse the classified with a reasonable chance of
|
||
finding something that meets their needs. Currently, newspaper classifieds
|
||
can only give you an inkling of the opportunity expressed by the
|
||
classified.
|
||
|
||
Online communication does not place such rigorous limits on the length
|
||
of "classified" communications. On both local bulletin boards and national
|
||
information services classified notices often run to several hundred words
|
||
in length. Luxuriating in the available space, persons selling second-hand
|
||
computers have been known to list all two hundred titles of software
|
||
accompanying the computer. Buyers, likewise, can luxuriate in knowing the
|
||
complete details of the computer system they are purchasing.
|
||
|
||
|
||
The Barrier of Inconvenience The second barrier to human communication,
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" the barrier of inconvenience, is not as
|
||
obviously pernicious as the barrier of production costs. Yet this barrier
|
||
remains doggedly irksome.
|
||
|
||
A prime example of such inconvenience is the game of telephone tag.
|
||
Nobody but the most persistent person would continue the game of telephone
|
||
tag past the first few missed connections. Even when substantial benefits
|
||
could be gained on both sides, few persons have the resolve and tenacity to
|
||
continue playing telephone tag for more than a few days.
|
||
|
||
A second example of inconvenience is the trip to the post office that
|
||
is required each time you need more postage stamps. Next time you're
|
||
standing behind ten other people at the post office, take a moment to
|
||
consider the heavy burden of the "barrier of inconvenience."
|
||
|
||
A third barrier of inconvenience is the time-consuming chore of
|
||
affixing an address and postage stamp to your postal correspondence. (Not
|
||
to mention the chore of printing out, signing, and folding each letter you
|
||
send.)
|
||
|
||
Online communications almost totally eliminates the barrier of
|
||
inconvenience. E-mail makes telephone tag history (or at least more
|
||
bearable.) You'll never run out of postage stamps when sending electronic
|
||
mail. And you can bypass the "envelope game" entirely.
|
||
|
||
|
||
The Barrier of Time Delay A third barrier to human communications is the
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""" barrier of time delay. If it takes too long
|
||
for communications to travel back and forth, the rhythm of human
|
||
communication is seriously disrupted. The example that immediately comes
|
||
to mind is the interminable delays of sending and receiving mail between
|
||
the United States and Canada.
|
||
|
||
It's not unusual for an air mail letter to take ten days to travel
|
||
between the United States and Canada. That means that an ongoing postal
|
||
correspondence between the United States and Canada would yield a maximum
|
||
of two interchanges of letters in any given month. It is amazing our two
|
||
countries have remained such good trading partners given such slow-motion
|
||
postal exchanges.
|
||
|
||
A second example of the time delay barrier is overseas correspondence.
|
||
An air-mail letter traveling between Washington D.C. and Moscow takes about
|
||
two weeks to be delivered. Interestingly enough, the letter actually
|
||
travels to Moscow in less than three days. It takes the Moscow postal
|
||
authorities about ten days to sort and deliver their local mail.
|
||
|
||
Such time delays degrade the natural rhythm of human communication.
|
||
If you sent a letter on the first of the month, would you even remember
|
||
what you wrote when you received a reply on the 31st?
|
||
|
||
|
||
Conclusion As each of the above-described communication barriers is
|
||
"""""""""" eliminated or minimized, communication between human beings
|
||
flows smoother and faster. And history has repeatedly revealed that the
|
||
forward progress of civilization is directly proportional to the quantity
|
||
and quality of communication taking place.
|
||
|
||
Businesses grow through communication. Children learn through
|
||
communication. Social fabric is formed through communication between human
|
||
beings. Improved communications yields rippled benefits that extend far
|
||
out in all directions.
|
||
|
||
-Phil Shapiro
|
||
|
||
[*][*][*]
|
||
|
||
|
||
[The author can be reached on GEnie at: p.shapiro1; on
|
||
America Online at: pshapiro. GEnieLamp invites others to
|
||
share their ideas in this forum about our ongoing journey
|
||
into this new communications age. Submissions can be sent
|
||
via GEnie mail to any one of the GEnieLamp editors listed at
|
||
the end of each issue.]
|
||
|
||
|
||
/////////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ "***** - Warning: Long post and lousy spelling ahead <G> - *****" /
|
||
////////////////////////////////////////////////// K.CAVAGHAN2 ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[MOO]//////////////////////////////
|
||
CowTOONS! /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
Cows from Literature,
|
||
History, and the Arts
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
Volume I, Number 1 D============(==)==D
|
||
/ \
|
||
By Mike White `~~~~~~`
|
||
[M.WHITE25]
|
||
(__)
|
||
(oo)-------\
|
||
/~~~~ \/ ~~~~\ | \
|
||
| || *
|
||
""""""""""""""""""~"
|
||
Sir Thomas Mooer
|
||
1478 - 1535
|
||
|
||
A Cow for All Seasons
|
||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||
Moovie starring Paul Scowfield, 1966
|
||
|
||
|
||
________________
|
||
||____________||
|
||
~||\ ||~
|
||
|| \ ||
|
||
|| \ ||
|
||
|| \ ||
|
||
|| \ ||
|
||
|| \ ||
|
||
|| (__) ~||
|
||
||----(oo)----||
|
||
|| \/ ||
|
||
|| ||
|
||
""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
Moorie Antoinette
|
||
1755 - 1793
|
||
|
||
"Let them eat cake."
|
||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||
200 years later, all cows agree
|
||
|
||
|
||
|~~~~|
|
||
| |
|
||
_|____|_
|
||
(o~~o)
|
||
/---------(..)
|
||
/ | ) ~~ Watch for another thunderin' herd of
|
||
* |/ || Moo Fun from Mike White in the next
|
||
||-------|| issue of GEnieLamp.
|
||
~~ ~~
|
||
|
||
Abraham Lincown
|
||
1809 - 1865
|
||
|
||
"...all cows are created equal."
|
||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||
|
||
|
||
( )
|
||
\_ /"\_/ /----------------------|
|
||
( ! ! ) / AN' A ONE, AN' A TWO. |
|
||
( " ) < |
|
||
/ = \ \ EVERYBODY POLKA! |
|
||
/ / ~ \ \ \ _____________________|
|
||
/ / \ \
|
||
/ |X X X X X X| \
|
||
\_ | \ / \ /| _/
|
||
( | \/ \ / | ) CowTOONS? Stephen Litwin took us up
|
||
\| X X X X X |/ on our offer and sent in this month's
|
||
\ / CowTOONS selection.
|
||
\_ __ _ /
|
||
|| || If you have an idea for a CowTOON, we
|
||
|| || would like to see it. And, if we pick
|
||
]| |[ your CowTOON for publishing in GEnieLamp
|
||
we will credit your account with 2 hours
|
||
A Pol-Cow of GEnie non-prime time!
|
||
~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||
Playing His Cow-Certina
|
||
By Stephen Litwin
|
||
[S.LITWIN2]
|
||
|
||
|
||
////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ "Just think how boring life would be without you guys... /
|
||
/ energize... 8^)" /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////////////// D.HARRIS8 ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[PRO]//////////////////////////////
|
||
PROFILES /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
Who's Who In Apple II
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
By Phil Shapiro
|
||
[P.SHAPIRO1]
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> WHO'S WHO? <<<
|
||
""""""""""""""""""
|
||
~ A GEnieLamp Profile of Mike Westerfield ~
|
||
~ of ByteWorks ~
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> ByteWorks is a long time supplier of programming software for
|
||
""""""""" the Apple II line of computers. We were able to tag up with
|
||
Mike Westerfield, owner and chief software guru for ByteWorks,
|
||
and asked him a few questions. The results of that interview
|
||
are reprinted below.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> How did you get started writing software for Apple II
|
||
computers?
|
||
|
||
Westerfield> By accident, really. At my first assignment in the Air
|
||
""""""""""" Force, I was sent to a computer school to learn assembly
|
||
language for the IBM 360. The year was 1977, just as home computers were
|
||
starting to get fun. I bought an Apple II, and decided to write a chess
|
||
program. As a warm-up exercise, I wrote an Othello program, but none of
|
||
the assemblers could handle the job -- so, as a "brief" aside, I wrote my
|
||
own. Not knowing that it "couldn't" be done, I implemented the full
|
||
assembly language and macro language I was most familiar with, the one from
|
||
the IBM 360. I've been at it ever since.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> When did you decide to start up business with the Byte Works?
|
||
""""""""" How did the Byte Works get started?
|
||
|
||
Westerfield> The Byte Works got started as a software development
|
||
""""""""""" company. The original goal was to sell the ORCA/M
|
||
assembler and related products, which I did. Hayden Software published the
|
||
DOS 3.3 version of ORCA/M in January of 1982. A couple of years later,
|
||
just before the ProDOS version was ready, Hayden started to slide. A
|
||
friendly product manager at Hayden saw this, and set things up so we got
|
||
the rights to ORCA/M, rather that getting stuck in the process of the
|
||
company folding, and it was then that we started publishing our own
|
||
products.
|
||
|
||
Like most startup companies, we began business in the house. Steve
|
||
Jobs and Steve Wozniac started their business in a garage. Software is, of
|
||
course, a more refined activity -- we started our business in a bedroom.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> What kind of products does the Byte Works produce?
|
||
"""""""""
|
||
Westerfield> We've tried from time to time to publish just about
|
||
""""""""""" everything, but most of our products are for programmers.
|
||
We've published compilers, assemblers, programming utilities, and most
|
||
recently, self-study courses.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> When Apple started preparing for the introduction of the Apple
|
||
""""""""" IIgs, how was Byte Works selected to produce the software
|
||
development environment that was eventually introduced at the same time as
|
||
the computer?
|
||
|
||
Apple's engineers wanted a broad-based, flexible environment that
|
||
could handle more than one language. ORCA/M did that. The fact that the
|
||
assembler was so powerful helped in the decision, but as I understand it,
|
||
the main reason for picking ORCA over the other programming products
|
||
available at the time was that it was already set up to handle multiple
|
||
languages.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> How do you rate the ORCA development environment in
|
||
""""""""" comparison to what is available on other personal computer
|
||
platforms?
|
||
|
||
Westerfield> These days, there are certainly better development
|
||
""""""""""" environments on other computers, but strangely enough, I
|
||
still think the ORCA environment is the best one anywhere for the audience
|
||
it has to satisfy.
|
||
|
||
Let's look at that for a moment. If you are an advanced hobbyist or
|
||
professional programmer, there are better environments available. The
|
||
stuff that comes with the IBM compatible machines is very extensive, and
|
||
MPW is a fine system; both are more capable than ORCA. I would estimate
|
||
that ORCA has about 95% of the features any given professional would be
|
||
likely to use, and about 60% of the features that you would find in the
|
||
most advanced IBM or Mac development systems. When you consider the number
|
||
of people involved in developing those other systems -- MPW took 10 man
|
||
years for the _first_ release -- I feel pretty good about what we have on
|
||
the GS.
|
||
|
||
For the beginner and hobbyist, though, the most advanced system is
|
||
too big and complicated. Even a lot of the professionals will choose THINK
|
||
Pascal or THINK C on the Mac, even though MPW is unquestionably more
|
||
powerful, because the compilation speed is more important to them than all
|
||
of the features. The ORCA languages have a nice, simple environment in
|
||
PRIZM that gives even the least experienced programmer a quick and easy
|
||
start, so they don't have to worry about spending hours of time learning
|
||
the environment.
|
||
|
||
It's also pretty unusual to be able to tie these two environments
|
||
together. MPW is the only other system I know of that fully integrates a
|
||
shell with a graphical environment, so you can mix window/menu based work
|
||
with typing shell commands. MPW does a better job than ORCA in this area,
|
||
mostly because you can script the menu commands and even add new menu
|
||
commands to run scripts. The ORCA environment, though, beats MPW when it
|
||
comes to debugging a program. The ORCA debugger is faster, and it's
|
||
integrated with the environment. The MPW debugger has a lot more features,
|
||
but for the hobbyist or student that makes up the bulk of our customers,
|
||
the ORCA debugger works a lot better, simply because of the smooth
|
||
integration with the environment.
|
||
|
||
On the Macintosh and IBM computers, the market is big enough to
|
||
support more than one version of each language, so you have systems
|
||
specialized for different needs. The specialized systems are certainly
|
||
better at what they do than ORCA. I can't think of a single system that
|
||
serves as diverse a market, from rank beginners through professional
|
||
developers, as well as the ORCA system does, though. And, while there are
|
||
better systems than ORCA, ORCA still stacks up pretty well. Outside of
|
||
mainframes and the Mac and PC worlds, we have some of the best tools
|
||
anywhere, and our tools are by no means outclassed.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> What languages are available for the Apple II from Byte Works?
|
||
"""""""""
|
||
Westerfield> We currently have four languages on the Apple IIGS and one
|
||
""""""""""" for the 8 bit Apple II family. The ORCA/M macro assembler
|
||
is available for both the Apple II and the Apple IIGS. On the Apple IIGS,
|
||
we also have ORCA/Pascal, ORCA/C, and ORCA/Integer BASIC.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> What other products are available from your company?
|
||
"""""""""
|
||
Westerfield> I think the best way to answer that is with a complete list
|
||
""""""""""" of the products and prices. (The ByteWorks product list
|
||
follows this interview text.)
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> With all of these wonderful products that you have created
|
||
""""""""" for the Apple II, which is your favorite, and why?
|
||
|
||
Westerfield> A lot of people may think this is strange, but I don't have
|
||
""""""""""" one. I also don't have a favorite language. What I have
|
||
is a favorite activity -- creating programs. Each of our products is a
|
||
different tool, with one begin better for one task, and some other product
|
||
being better for a different task.
|
||
|
||
And, contrary to a very widely held opinion, I don't think Pascal is
|
||
a better language than C. I just think Pascal is a more appropriate choice
|
||
for most of the kinds of programs people actually write than C. I react
|
||
very quickly when I see some guy trying to use C, and getting himself in
|
||
trouble, when Pascal would do the job as well or better and not get him in
|
||
trouble. C is a great language for some kinds of jobs, though, and I use
|
||
it myself.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> With the recent decision by Apple to finally drop the IIgs
|
||
""""""""" from their price lists, many Apple II users are feeling
|
||
somewhat frustrated. What do you see as the future for the Apple II and
|
||
its owners?
|
||
|
||
Westerfield> The Apple II is clearly not a big factor in new computer
|
||
""""""""""" sales, due mostly to the way Apple handled the machine. I
|
||
was very frustrated at that, too. Still, removing the Apple IIGS from the
|
||
price lists isn't that big of a deal. Apple stopped selling the machine
|
||
two years ago, they just didn't make it official until the last price list.
|
||
|
||
Like all computers that are no longer sold, the Apple II will slowly
|
||
fade away. I think that, five or six years from now, there won't be many
|
||
people still using Apple II computers. The ones that are left will
|
||
probably be in schools or charitable organizations, with a few people still
|
||
using the computer in their home.
|
||
|
||
On the other hand, there is still a very viable market for software
|
||
on the Apple IIGS. The publishers that have stuck with the machine and
|
||
been flexible enough to change with the changing market have done pretty
|
||
well. I expect you will see major new software packages released for the
|
||
Apple IIGS for two or three years, at least.
|
||
|
||
Look at it this way: All of the big companies are experimenting with
|
||
entrepreneurial units, trying to find and serve the small, profitable niche
|
||
markets that they have seen make so much money when they are tapped
|
||
properly. The Apple II and Apple IIGS are perfect niche markets. There
|
||
are still a lot of people using the machine. In fact, our active customer
|
||
list is still _growing_, not shrinking. Publishers have left the Apple
|
||
IIGS a lot faster than the people who own the machine, which has helped
|
||
those of us who stayed around. A few companies have even started to
|
||
discover that the products they release on the Apple II do pretty well.
|
||
They seem surprised, but the only thing that surprised me was that they
|
||
were surprised!
|
||
|
||
I still use and enjoy my Apple IIGS, and I know a lot of other people
|
||
do, too. As long as there are a lot of us around, and as long as we keep
|
||
buying new hardware and software for our computers, there will be
|
||
publishers and manufacturers who will give us the hardware and software we
|
||
want.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> Do you still have a good relationship with Apple Computer?
|
||
"""""""""
|
||
Westerfield> Yes. I certainly don't have as much contact with Apple
|
||
""""""""""" anymore, but on a personal level, the ones I do have are a
|
||
lot closer than they ever have been. On a business plane, I still do a lot
|
||
with Apple, when you consider how much emphasis Apple puts on the Apple
|
||
IIGS. Publishing "Programmer's Reference for System 6.0" is the latest in
|
||
a long line of collaborations.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> How long does the Byte Works plan on supporting the Apple II
|
||
""""""""" computer?
|
||
|
||
Westerfield> Tim Swihart, when asked when System 6.0.1 would ship, gave
|
||
""""""""""" the only honest answer anyone could: "When it's ready." I
|
||
liked that, so I'll follow his lead.
|
||
|
||
I intend to continue producing and supporting Apple IIGS programs for
|
||
as long as people keep buying enough of them to pay the bills.
|
||
|
||
I can't tell you how long that will be. I can tell you that we have
|
||
definite plans to release several new products this year, though. In fact,
|
||
the Apple IIGS is a part of our plans for as far in the future as we make
|
||
plans.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> Did you ever have an urge to create software for any of the
|
||
""""""""" Macintosh computers?
|
||
|
||
Westerfield> Yes. Someday I'll probably do something about that urge,
|
||
""""""""""" but I'm sort of busy with the Apple IIGS at the moment.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> We understand that ORCA/C version 2.0 is ready for release.
|
||
""""""""" Can you tell us what improvements are available over older
|
||
versions of the package?
|
||
|
||
Westerfield> Not in the space I expect you would allow me. :) I'll hit
|
||
""""""""""" some of the high points, though.
|
||
|
||
First, ORCA/C ships with the 2.0 environment that you've seen with
|
||
ORCA/M 2.0. This includes a new shell that takes advantage of System 6.0
|
||
and has a lot of new features; a new editor that supports editing multiple
|
||
files, editing files up to the size of available memory, and a new dialogue
|
||
based interface; and it comes bundled with Rez and DeRez.
|
||
|
||
You also get PRIZM 2.0. This is the first version of PRIZM that
|
||
works with the 2.0 shell. Besides the obligatory changes, though, PRIZM
|
||
has been reworked to take advantage of System 6.0, using all of the new
|
||
dialogues features and disk handling procedures. But the biggest change is
|
||
in the debugger: it supports structures, and does a mot better job with
|
||
pointers. You can look at some pretty complex values, like this one, for
|
||
example:
|
||
|
||
document->points[5].theRect.h1
|
||
|
||
The major changes to the compiler are internal, but they really are
|
||
major! The code generator got a complete overhaul, with the addition of
|
||
loop invariant removal and common subexpression elimination, plus major
|
||
changes to the existing optimizers. Most programs are about 15% smaller
|
||
and faster with the new compiler, although I've seen some programs that
|
||
don't change much at all, and some that run in well under 10% of the time
|
||
it takes with any other Apple IIGS compiler.
|
||
|
||
The other major internal change is the addition of precompiled
|
||
headers. With precompiled headers, the compiler remembers some of the
|
||
things it figured out on a compile, saving the results in a special file
|
||
that is read the next time the program is compiled. The result is that
|
||
programs that use a lot if header files -- like just about any toolbox
|
||
program does -- compile about twice as fast as they did with ORCA/C 1.3.
|
||
|
||
There are several small enhancements, too. Just to name a few, there
|
||
is direct support for HyperStudio NBAs and HyperCard XCMDs, several new
|
||
pragmas to control the compilation process, new library calls, and new
|
||
command line options for those people who use shell scripts.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> Do you have any new products under development with which you
|
||
""""""""" can whet our appetites?
|
||
|
||
Westerfield> Sure. The obvious product for us to do next is ORCA/Pascal
|
||
""""""""""" 2.0; stay tuned, it will be here sooner than you think.
|
||
We're also working with Peter Easdown, an Australian, who is in the final
|
||
stages of developing a Modula 2 compiler for the Apple IIGS.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> The Byte Works is located in sunny Albuquerque, New Mexico.
|
||
""""""""" Is New Mexico weather conducive to software development?
|
||
|
||
It's not the weather that's conducive to programming -- it's the
|
||
surroundings. Looking out across the mesa, you see sand, tumbleweeds,
|
||
rocks, and for variety, more sand. Heck, what else is there to do but
|
||
program? :)
|
||
|
||
Seriously, it's a great place to live, and I like it a lot. People
|
||
talk about cultural diversity, but we live it, here. People are friendly,
|
||
curious, and neighborly -- a great example of what I hope the whole country
|
||
is growing towards.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> Do you have any favorite programs (other than your own) that
|
||
""""""""" you have spent significant time using or playing?
|
||
|
||
Westerfield> I used to, but I've been working too much lately! I still
|
||
""""""""""" like the old classics, myself. Space Eggs, Alien Rain,
|
||
Alien Invader -- they are great, timeless programs. I still think Pinball
|
||
Construction Set is one of the best programs ever written, especially when
|
||
you consider the state of human interfaces when it was designed. And, of
|
||
course, Battle Chess is a must. I don't use my GS for desktop publishing,
|
||
but I've seen some great looking software for the GS. I use ShrinkIt a
|
||
lot, and I think it's a great program. SuperConvert is very nice, too, and
|
||
it's been very handy for moving screen dumps to the Macintosh for manuals.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> Do you spend much time using GEnie or any of the other major
|
||
""""""""" computer information services?
|
||
|
||
Westerfield> I spend about equal time on GEnie and America Online, and
|
||
""""""""""" spend a little time on AppleLink. All total, I guess I
|
||
spend about 10 hours a week either online or doing offline processing to
|
||
support the online time. Almost all of that time is spent doing customer
|
||
service, although I do occasionally prowl around the libraries.
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp> Any words of wisdom for the hordes of people still happily
|
||
""""""""" sitting down to use their Apple II computers?
|
||
|
||
Westerfield> Keep with it. If you like it, and if it is doing what you
|
||
""""""""""" want, it's still the perfect computer for you. And, of
|
||
course, you're in good company!
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> ByteWorks Apple IIGS Programming Products <<<
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
ORCA/M Macro Assembler $125
|
||
ORCA/Pascal Compiler $150
|
||
Learn to Program Pascal Self-study Course $50
|
||
Toolbox Programming in Pascal Self-study Course $75
|
||
ORCA/C Compiler $150
|
||
Learn to Program C Self-study Course $50
|
||
Toolbox Programming in C Self-study Course $75
|
||
Design Master $95
|
||
ORCA/Disassembler $50
|
||
ORCA/Debugger $50
|
||
ORCA/Integer BASIC Compiler & Source $40
|
||
Talking Tools $60
|
||
ORCA/Subroutine Library Source $40
|
||
Merlin to ORCA Translator $40
|
||
Utility Pack #1 $40
|
||
System 6.0 with Release Notes, Interfaces $40
|
||
Programmer's Reference for System 6.0 $45
|
||
|
||
Other Apple IIGS Products
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
Ugly Duckling Talking Storybook $50
|
||
|
||
Apple II Programming Products
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
ORCA/M Macro Assembler $95
|
||
MON+ Symbolic Debugger $30
|
||
ORCA/M O/S Source $40
|
||
Floating Point Libraries $40
|
||
|
||
Other Apple II Products
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
Crypto File Encryption Program $30
|
||
Byte Paint Double-Hi-Res Amper and Draw Program $30
|
||
|
||
|
||
/////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ "And be careful! Wear rubber gloves! Stand on a rubber mat! /
|
||
/ Call 911 _before_ you open the case. ;-)" /
|
||
///////////////////////////////////////////// D.A.BRUMLEVE ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[QUI]//////////////////////////////
|
||
THE MIGHTY QUINN /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
Random Access
|
||
"""""""""""""
|
||
By Mark Quinn
|
||
[NEWSIE]
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
"A Whole Buncha Milliseconds with Mark"
|
||
by Mark Quinn, DOA
|
||
GEnie address: NEWSIE
|
||
|
||
|
||
VIRTUAL REALITY CHECK Most of us have heard about, seen, or even
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""" partaken of today's crude "goggles and gloves"
|
||
brand of virtual reality. The attraction and benefits of the
|
||
many-generations-removed grandson of such a technology are obvious,
|
||
especially at a time when ads for laser disc players proclaim that the
|
||
medium is "60% closer to reality", and during the year that Congress is due
|
||
to make a decision on which brand of HDTV (High Definition Television)
|
||
we'll all be drooling over in the closing years of this century.
|
||
|
||
The "goggles and gloves" forays into VR seem almost laughable when
|
||
compared to visions concocted by futurists and science fiction writers. No
|
||
one knows what shape tomorrow's VR will take. Speculations of VR couches
|
||
complete with Medusa-like helmets, or biochip interfaces, or simple
|
||
headsets are nice, but are merely icing on the VR cake: the importance of
|
||
VR lies in its applications.
|
||
|
||
So here are some of the obvious and the not-so-obvious applications
|
||
for virtual reality that occur to this tech-crazed modem monkey.
|
||
|
||
1) Medicine. How about training interns on virtual
|
||
patients instead of real ones? Or teaching someone who
|
||
has recently broken a leg how to walk on crutches? Or
|
||
spurring the memories of an amnesiac? Or bringing out
|
||
the true personality of someone with split
|
||
personalities? Listening to white noise in the
|
||
background is comforting, but how about _actually
|
||
being_ in a picturesque setting for as many hours as it
|
||
takes the hurt to disappear? How about letting a
|
||
paraplegic have the experience of climbing a virtual
|
||
Mount Everest? Letting a (however base and hackneyed
|
||
it sounds) neutered person have a universe-shattering
|
||
orgasm? How about having people relive experiences in
|
||
their lives in a _positive_ way -- actually going back
|
||
to childhood and stifling that mouthy person or bully?
|
||
|
||
2) Education. It is said that experience is the best
|
||
teacher, and virtual reality ought to be at least
|
||
second best. Virtual reality field trips could range
|
||
farther afield than any mundane one. Students could
|
||
descend miles into the earth, and leap light years into
|
||
space while in the comfort of a virtual reality
|
||
classroom. Students flying in a VR spaceship could see
|
||
relativistic physics at work, witness the birth of our
|
||
galaxy, and preview its eventual demise. Or they could
|
||
wing above a Jurassic landscape on the backs of
|
||
pterodactyls, phone home on a re-creation of the set
|
||
of _E.T._ to see how movies of our time were made, or
|
||
peek over Segovia's sheet music as he sight-reads
|
||
_Estudio Sin Luz_.
|
||
|
||
3) Military. Entire battles could be planned in virtual
|
||
reality. It's raining brickbats, the terrain is
|
||
muddy/rocky, the enemy is approaching from the east,
|
||
your men are fatigued -- don't kiss your corporal
|
||
goodbye, mister, DO something!
|
||
|
||
I might as well stop here. What I'd like to leave you with as you're
|
||
reading this on your screen or from a printout is that the idea is the
|
||
important thing. First comes the idea, then the hardware, then the
|
||
applications for that hardware. (So we're leap-frogging the middle step?
|
||
Who knew?) You've undoubtedly thought of other uses for virtual reality,
|
||
too. Uses which are as varied as virtual reality promises to be. And I
|
||
hope I've (very quickly) outlined some you haven't thought of.
|
||
|
||
What intrigues me so much about cyberspace/virtual reality is not how
|
||
it will take us where we will go, but what we will do when we get there.
|
||
|
||
/////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ ">(Have anything against being quoted in print?) ;)" /
|
||
/ "Nah, anything I say is PD. :)" /
|
||
//////////////////////////////////////// G.FUHRMAN ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[A2P]//////////////////////////////
|
||
A2/PRO_ductivity /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
Calling All Beginners!
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> A2 UNIVERSITY STARTS SPRING TERM WITH RESOURCES FOR BEGINNERS! <<<
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
JUST FOR BEGINNERS! A2Pro, the Apple II Programmers and Developers
|
||
""""""""""""""""""" forum, is pleased to announce the start of the
|
||
spring term of A2 University (A2U) with a class on resources just for
|
||
beginners!
|
||
|
||
A2U is the educational arm of A2 and A2Pro -- A2U presents courses of
|
||
interest to those wanting to learn in-depth material about their Apple II
|
||
computers. All courses are free -- no charge other than normal GEnie
|
||
connect charges!
|
||
|
||
A2U's fall term is winding down -- Certified Macro Whiz Will Nelken
|
||
has just completed his A2U course "Ultra 4 -- to the MAX!" detailing how to
|
||
squeeze every ounce of power out of AppleWorks and Ultra 4.1 that you could
|
||
possibly want. If you missed the course, don't worry! The entire course
|
||
and all the messages are available in the A2Pro libraries for you to
|
||
download and study at your own pace, at any time. Andy McFadden's course
|
||
on "Hacking Data Compression" has only one remaining lesson -- how to write
|
||
modules for Westcode's upcoming HardPressed transparent disk-compression
|
||
program. Since McFadden is the author of HardPressed, you can be sure to
|
||
get all the details this way when HardPressed is released. The other 11
|
||
lessons takes students through explanations of data compression algorithms
|
||
from the simplest to the powerful LZW and LZSS algorithms used in today's
|
||
best commercial programs.
|
||
|
||
Now the spring term is starting with a course any Apple IIgs owner
|
||
can find an interest in -- resources!
|
||
|
||
You've heard about them, you know they're there in some kind of "fork"
|
||
thing, and you know you can edit them if you have a resource editor,
|
||
whatever that is. But what are they _really?_ How do they work? Who put
|
||
them there? Do they ever get lonely? Why doesn't ProDOS 8 like them?
|
||
What is the "Resource Manager," and who appointed it manager? Do resources
|
||
have collective bargaining or is their manager a tyrant?
|
||
|
||
Wonder no more -- A2U's has a new short course on resources starting
|
||
FEBRUARY 15TH that will answer all of these questions in six easy lessons!
|
||
|
||
You'll learn what a resource is, and how a resource fork makes a file
|
||
different from a file without a resource fork, including why ProDOS 8
|
||
doesn't like resource forks. You'll learn why resource forks are mostly
|
||
like completely separate files, and the later lessons will cap off with an
|
||
explanation of the Apple IIgs Resource Manager and how programmers use it
|
||
in simple ways to create and retrieve resources.
|
||
|
||
Sound educational? It is! And it's going to be followed later this
|
||
spring with another course that extends this knowledge for people who have
|
||
some programming skills to becoming a full-fledged resource expert -- using
|
||
tools like Rez or Foundation, managing multiple resource files opened at
|
||
once, how the Resource Manager works, what common resource formats are like
|
||
and why they work, and more besides!
|
||
|
||
Our distinguished professor for this journey into resource land is
|
||
Marc Wolfgram of Lunar Productions. Marc is the co-author of the
|
||
Foundation resource editor, and in previous lives has worked on other Apple
|
||
IIgs resource editing products like Genesys. There are few people out
|
||
there who know more about resources than Marc, and we're pleased to welcome
|
||
him to the A2U faculty for this special set of courses.
|
||
|
||
It all kicks off February 15th in A2Pro -- you can get to A2Pro by
|
||
moving to page 530, or by typing "A2PRO" at any main GEnie prompt, or by
|
||
picking the menu option from A2's main menu. The discussion is in A2Pro's
|
||
bulletin board -- you'll find all of A2U, including past courses, in
|
||
category 22 of the bulletin board, and the lessons in A2Pro's Library 16.
|
||
|
||
Registering is as easy as posting a message saying "I'm here!", so
|
||
drop by A2Pro and learn something useful!
|
||
|
||
|
||
////////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ "We have to do something to be trendy. How about we all decorate /
|
||
/ our computers and hard drives with anchovies, wrap small wood- /
|
||
/ land animals around our necks, and chant Mexican operas while /
|
||
/ we embroider "Censorship is for the *" on our underwear. /
|
||
/ Either that, or we can go out for pizza." /
|
||
////////////////////////////////////////////////// R.MARTIN22 ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[LIB]//////////////////////////////
|
||
THE ONLINE LIBRARY /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
Yours For The Downloading
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
By Mel Fowler
|
||
[MELSOFT]
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> GOLDEN OLDIES <<<
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
~ Apple IIGS Games That Have Stood the Test of Time ~
|
||
|
||
WONDERFUL WORLD OF APPLE IIGS! This months review is going back to visit
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" some "Golden Oldies" in the wonderful
|
||
world of Apple IIGS games. In order for a game to be considered a Classic
|
||
it must stand the test of time. All of the following have become Classics
|
||
and have stood the test of time.
|
||
|
||
|
||
BOUNCEIT GS The first of these "Golden Oldies" is BounceIt GS which has
|
||
""""""""""" become a Classic in Shareware gaming. BounceIt GS is an
|
||
updated, super HiRes version of "BrickOut" or "BreakOut" that was part of
|
||
the original DOS 3.3 System disk. BounceIt GS has wonderful stereo sound
|
||
effects for those who have a stereo card. The ball moves faster and the
|
||
paddle gets smaller as you move up in levels. The colors are dazzling as
|
||
well as the sound effects. This game is designed to run at the normal
|
||
Apple IIGS speed so if you have an accelerator card, turn it off before
|
||
starting the game. With your accelerator card on that ball moves mighty
|
||
fast. If you want to really slow the ball down you can switch to the Apple
|
||
II 1 Mhz speed.
|
||
|
||
There are three games from the Ken Franklin's Reliefware series that
|
||
must be included if you are to talk about "Golden Oldies", Plunder, One Arm
|
||
Battle, and MileStones 2000. All three games have great graphics. However,
|
||
it is the sound effects and dialogue that really set these games apart.
|
||
You will hear the "Fat Lady Sing" when the game is over in Plunder, Jack
|
||
Bennys' Maxwell, (if your old enough to remember), when you use a 50 mile
|
||
card in MileStones, and "Honey are you through with the computer?" said by
|
||
an anxious wife when you quit the game. All three have been updated to
|
||
version 1.5 which fixed some problems and added new features like on screen
|
||
help.
|
||
|
||
|
||
PLUNDER Plunder gives you and your opponent(s) a room full of packages to
|
||
""""""" choose from, open your selection and get a treasure or a big
|
||
Ka-Boommmmm! You set the goal and who ever gets there first wins the game.
|
||
The game can be set up for you and three friends to play or play against
|
||
the computer. The treasure builds up as you play and you must choose when
|
||
to exit the room before someone selects the bomb.
|
||
|
||
|
||
ONE ARM BATTLE One Arm Battle is the ultimate in slot machines with,
|
||
"""""""""""""" count'm, six windows. You can play against the computer
|
||
or three of your friends. You can gain bonus points by fulfilling a task
|
||
set by the game. Again there are great amusing sound affects. Start
|
||
playing this game and you will never get your friends to go home. Better
|
||
have a good stock of refreshments on hand.
|
||
|
||
|
||
MILESTONES 2000 MileStones 2000 is the gem of the three in my opinion.
|
||
""""""""""""""" It's you against the computer in a mad cap car race.
|
||
You are both dealt cards which may have miles on them from 50 to 400. They
|
||
maybe good cards like get gas, repair a wreck, fix a flat, and GO which
|
||
turns the traffic light green or bad cards you give your opponent like run
|
||
out of gas, give a flat, crash the car, and stop which turns the light red.
|
||
There are also bonus cards like unlimited gas, super driver, super tires,
|
||
and emergency run. If the computer gives you a flat and you play the super
|
||
tire card, you get a "Gotcha" and bonus points. On screen help is
|
||
available under the "Apple Menu" if you need it.
|
||
|
||
|
||
ADDICTIVE! All these games are easy to play and most addictive. You will
|
||
"""""""""" be up all night saying "Well just one more game". Plunder
|
||
and Milestones 2000 have a $15.00 shareware fee, One Arm Battle is $10.00.
|
||
Be sure to send in your shareware fees. Wacky, inspired minds like Ken
|
||
Franklins' must be encouraged to develop more Apple IIGS games. There have
|
||
been rumors for months on GEnie that Ken is coming out with a new game.
|
||
All we can do is hope the rumors are true.
|
||
|
||
[*][*][*]
|
||
|
||
|
||
These four games can be found in the GEnie A2 Library as follows:
|
||
|
||
Number: 16464 Filename: BOUNCEIT.GS.BXY
|
||
Address: A2.DEAN Date: 910826
|
||
Approximate number of bytes: 47488
|
||
Number of Accesses: 163 Library: 21
|
||
|
||
|
||
Number: 17898 Filename: OAB.15.BXY
|
||
Address: A2.DEAN Date: 920302
|
||
Approximate number of bytes: 189184
|
||
Number of Accesses: 105 Library: 21
|
||
|
||
Number: 17899 Filename: PLUNDER.15.BXY
|
||
Address: A2.DEAN Date: 920302
|
||
Approximate number of bytes: 313856
|
||
Number of Accesses: 116 Library: 21
|
||
|
||
|
||
Number: 17905 Filename: MS2000.15.BXY
|
||
Address: A2.DEAN Date: 920302
|
||
Approximate of bytes: 289152
|
||
Number of Accesses: 335 Library: 21
|
||
|
||
[*][*][*]
|
||
|
||
|
||
Note: You can move directly to the A2 Roundtable library by
|
||
typing the command: "M645;3" at any of the standard
|
||
GEnie prompts. Be sure to have one or more ProDOS
|
||
formatted disks ready before doing any downloads.
|
||
(That is to say, you'll need the formatted floppy
|
||
disks if you are not downloading to a hard disk drive.)
|
||
|
||
There are many other "Golden Oldies" that we will be visiting in
|
||
future articles such as Senseless Violence I, Classic Star Trek, and
|
||
Columns GS.
|
||
|
||
|
||
//////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ "That's "Voila!", not viola. <grin> Your fans are going to /
|
||
/ wonder how to fiddle (uh, viola) with their cash flow." /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////////////// K.VANDELLEN ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[TEC]//////////////////////////////
|
||
TECH_TALK /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
A Hard Look At Hardware
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
By Darrel Raines
|
||
[D.RAINES]
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> THE SYQUEST 88 REMOVABLE HARD DRIVE <<<
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
In late November I faced a major crisis. My hard drive was dying a
|
||
slow and painful death. I certainly was upset that my drive was going out,
|
||
but the good part about the situation was that I knew what was happening.
|
||
And I knew early enough to do something about it. I even managed to work a
|
||
review on removable hard drives into the process. Perhaps I should start
|
||
at the beginning.
|
||
|
||
The way that this saga started was innocuous enough. I had been
|
||
noticing a longer than usual delay in the boot process for my hard drive.
|
||
I own a Ramfast SCSI card and an external 105 Meg hard drive with a Rodime
|
||
mechanism. At times the drive would take about 10 seconds longer than
|
||
usual to boot into GS/OS. In mid-November, this occasional delay took on a
|
||
more ominous note. There were times that the software would stop at
|
||
mid-boot and indicate that one or other of the system files was unable to
|
||
load properly.
|
||
|
||
What I was soon to discover was that the media on my hard drive was
|
||
slowly going bad. The intelligent controller on the drive was doing its
|
||
best to read the data, but would eventually give up and indicate an error
|
||
condition. The data fading process was slow enough that even after I
|
||
figured out what was going wrong, I was still able to recover most of the
|
||
data on the drive before it disappeared into the bit bucket. The first
|
||
order of business was to find a new and reliable drive to replace my
|
||
declining Rodime.
|
||
|
||
I searched the marketplace with great enthusiasm since the price of
|
||
mass storage devices have been dropping quite a bit in the last few months.
|
||
I also spent some time looking at removable media since there has been some
|
||
activity by various manufacturers to draw attention to their products. The
|
||
two most interesting devices that I saw were the SyQuest Removable Hard
|
||
Drive and the Floptical Removable Drive. Both offer removable media and
|
||
are priced about the same for the drive itself. I decided that removable
|
||
media was the way to go since I wanted to avoid running out of disk space
|
||
again anytime soon. (If you spend much time on GEnie, you know what kind
|
||
of disk space problems you can run into.)
|
||
|
||
Having decided to go with a removable device, I went into a product
|
||
comparison mode. Since the drives themselves were similar in price, I
|
||
compared the price of media also. The floptical disks are a special 3 1/2
|
||
in. floppy with an optical tracking guide. They run about $30 in medium
|
||
quantity from my usual sources. The Syquest is a Winchester technology, 5
|
||
1/4 in. hard disk platter. It costs about $110 in quantities of one from
|
||
the same sources. A comparison of media costs for approximately 80 Meg of
|
||
storage is compared below:
|
||
|
||
SyQuest Floptical
|
||
"""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""
|
||
Capacity 88 Meg formated 84 Meg formated
|
||
No. Disks 1 x 88 Meg 4 x 21 Meg
|
||
Disk Cost $110 + tax $120 + tax
|
||
Drive Cost $450 + tax $499 + tax
|
||
Online Storage 88 Meg 21 Meg
|
||
Real No Yes*
|
||
* but not SuperDrive format
|
||
|
||
The comparison above shows that the two choices are almost identical
|
||
in every way except for the last two items. With the SyQuest, I get 4
|
||
times as much storage online at once. This turned out to be crucial
|
||
factor. I thought that the standard floppy capability of the Floptical
|
||
drive would be an important benefit. However, what I discovered was that
|
||
the 3 1/2 in. floppy ability is limited to disks that are created with the
|
||
Floptical Drive. I would not be able to read disks formatted with the
|
||
Apple SuperDrive. Therefore, I would not be able to use the drive for
|
||
disk-to-disk copies of standard 3 1/2 in. floppies.
|
||
|
||
With these ideas in mind, I bit the bullet and purchased the SyQuest
|
||
removable drive. This decision has proven itself to be a satisfying
|
||
approach that I have not regretted. The drive housing is a standard
|
||
metal/plastic case that can hold a variety of different hard drives. The
|
||
power switch is in the back along with two switched outlets and the
|
||
standard pair of SCSI connectors. The front panel has a power indicator
|
||
LED, an opening for the drive cartridge, two drive status LED's, and the
|
||
ejection/lock buttons.
|
||
|
||
Installation was a breeze. Like any other external SCSI drive, all I
|
||
had to do was plug and play. The initial cartridge was inserted without
|
||
problem and I soon had my RAMfast interface busy formatting the virgin
|
||
media. I decided to use standard names and partition sizes for all of my
|
||
removable cartridges. With this thought in mind, I partitioned the drive
|
||
and named the individual partitions. Mission accomplished: The first
|
||
SyQuest cartridge was ready to go. I repeated the process with the second
|
||
cartridge that I had purchased. A price of $1.22 per Meg makes the
|
||
addition of cartridges relatively painless.
|
||
|
||
With my new drive in place, I was able to copy all but about 10 files
|
||
from my old hard drive over to the new SyQuest drive. I then did a low
|
||
level format on my old hard drive to see if that would help the drive
|
||
retain data. The bad news was that the low level format caused even more
|
||
problems with read operations. Therefore, I concluded that the hard disk
|
||
media was slowly loosing the ability to retain data. With my data safely
|
||
tucked away on one of the new SyQuest cartridges, I felt comfortable enough
|
||
to take apart my old hard drive and replace the drive mechanism. I put a
|
||
new Seagate 180 Meg drive in the old case and now have a huge online
|
||
storage capacity of about 270 Meg.
|
||
|
||
Whenever I want to change drive cartridges, all that I have to do is
|
||
take the current cartridge offline by hitting the lock button and ejecting
|
||
the disk after it has spun down. The partitions on the disk become
|
||
unavailable just as if I had ejected each of them from a floppy drive. The
|
||
new disk cartridge is then inserted into the SyQuest drive. The disk will
|
||
automatically engage, lock, and spin up. After the front panel LED's show
|
||
that spin up is complete, the new partitions are immediately available.
|
||
|
||
The SyQuest cartridges and drive have proven to be reliable and are
|
||
slightly faster than the standard hard drive that sits under it. Along
|
||
with that fact, the removable media was purchased from SyDos and has an
|
||
extended warranty of 5 years. This guarantee is 3 years longer than the
|
||
warranty on my standard hard drive.
|
||
|
||
I could not conclude this review without discussing the possibility of
|
||
backups using the SyQuest device. "Backups with an 88 Meg drive, you may
|
||
ask?" It may seem like over-kill, but the issue of backups was clearly a
|
||
pertinent issue when I purchased the drive. The beauty of having such a
|
||
large capacity drive is that a person can handle backups any way they want
|
||
to. They can make exact copies of the Seagate partitions using standard
|
||
copy and verify programs. Alternately, they can store compressed images
|
||
using ShrinkIt or an equivalent utility. They can store compressed,
|
||
incremental backups with a utility such as ProSel. The possibilities are
|
||
endless with this much storage capacity.
|
||
|
||
Before anyone asks the question I will give the answer that yes,
|
||
floppy backups are cheaper than using a SyQuest cartridge. However, the
|
||
difference in price per Meg between 3 1/2 in. floppies and a removable
|
||
cartridge is not all that great. With the removable hard drive, the user
|
||
has the peace of mind that comes with being able to say the following:
|
||
"Hmmm, my hard drive is acting up. No problem. I'll just stuff in my
|
||
backup SyQuest cartridge and away we go. No further work required."
|
||
|
||
In summary, the SyQuest drive performs reliably and provides a very
|
||
large amount of online storage (88 Meg) for the price. With drive and
|
||
media costs in the same ball-park as a Floptical drive, I recommend that
|
||
potential buyers consider the SyQuest as proven hard drive technology, with
|
||
a twist (its removable). The final good news for me was the fact that I am
|
||
back up and running with my two drives. Computing has never been better.
|
||
|
||
[*][*][*]
|
||
|
||
|
||
Author and editor Darrel Raines (D.Raines) welcomes any feedback or
|
||
""""""""""""""""" comments via electronic mail to the listed user name.
|
||
|
||
|
||
////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ "It's "funny" we've generated MUCH more message traffic here /
|
||
/ talking abut the pros and cons of such a topic than many /
|
||
/ such messages would have otherwise :-)" /
|
||
//////////////////////////////////////////// JOHN.DENNING ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EAO]
|
||
[FUN]//////////////////////////////
|
||
ONLINE FUN /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
Search-ME!
|
||
""""""""""
|
||
By Scott Garrigus
|
||
[S.GARRIGUS]
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
THE PHOTO RT Hi everybody! Yep, it's February already. Can you believe
|
||
"""""""""""" it? Boy, I wish I could build myself a time machine and
|
||
relive some of those great moments. Though I'm not too sure if there were
|
||
really _that_ many great moments to relive but it would still be nice. :-)
|
||
We _do_ have the next best thing. Photographs. Yes, everyone's talking
|
||
about photographs these days, especially since Kodak's unveiling of that
|
||
new CD photo stuff.
|
||
|
||
Well, guess where I visited this month... Yes, you guessed it. The
|
||
Photo RT! And what a great place it is! Some of the best photographs
|
||
you'll ever see in your life are in the libraries there. There are
|
||
pictures in all the standard formats available for downloading and viewing
|
||
on your computer. You can also contribute your own pictures to the library
|
||
too! You send your pictures through the mail to the sysop and he'll scan
|
||
your photos and put them in the library for free! Neat, huh? And if your
|
||
into picture taking at all, the Photo BBS is a great place to talk to other
|
||
people just like you! To get there, type PHOTO at any prompt.
|
||
|
||
So visit the Photo RT this month and have some fun with pictures! But
|
||
before you do, be sure and solve this month's puzzle. You want to be hip
|
||
by showing everyone you know all the latest buzzwords right? :-) Have fun!
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
PHOTO & VIDEO ROUNDTABLE
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
~ PHOTO PAGE 660 ~
|
||
|
||
X N K E D X B I G N Z C Z J Z M N A C U Y D X
|
||
D S M G N X N O H P I T E L U L A H Y S Q Y D
|
||
T I Y I G V A X B Y I K Y J Y U I U K N Z D N
|
||
Y W G F N S W A R C B H O A U D N W D Q D D V
|
||
K I I I Q O K G U A D Z F N L G O Q R E P L G
|
||
F D G C T G L Y Z N X K Q M E B S C M P H V E
|
||
N F G R T I D T Q A N Z C P C O H S O P B R W
|
||
D P B Y N X Z X A C V K J P X Z T K C G U L O
|
||
C J O O I M K E O I L I I S F T I T C T T G X
|
||
H O E M R W N F H N Y U E R T Q M B C Y B V G
|
||
A T N Q P O J S F O Z P O W L J S I R K N J N
|
||
S T E V N V P O O R F P T W E L P E K H Y X W
|
||
C Q P A E C L E U B T G Q G L R L B N A S M C
|
||
I E C D A R K R O O M K P O U L Q E A N D U Y
|
||
H O S T J W S M B F X P M E A U G R X S G O C
|
||
P T O R S W D I S S K D F G W A T O X X M Q K
|
||
A O L E C E G B O B F F M V M N K B O T R S K
|
||
R H V P D N W I E N V D U I D A H S X T Z Z Y
|
||
G P S I Z I C A J I G I J C F C K Q Z E R E M
|
||
Y Q G S J G V W X H E X T V D S P K M F L F X
|
||
|
||
|
||
ART BRONICA CANON
|
||
CONVERSION DARKROOM DIGITIZE
|
||
GALLERY GIF GRAPHIC
|
||
IMAGE JPEG KODAK
|
||
MINOLTA NIKON PHOTO
|
||
PICTURE PRINT SCAN
|
||
SMITHSONIAN VIDEO VIEWER
|
||
|
||
[*][*][*]
|
||
|
||
|
||
GIVE UP? You will find the answers in the LOG OFF column at the end of
|
||
"""""""" the magazine.
|
||
|
||
This column was created with a program called SEARCH ME,
|
||
an Atari ST program by David Becker.
|
||
|
||
|
||
////////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ "...honor and morals _do_ help when you don't have X$...In fact, /
|
||
/ it's when you can't pay that honor and morality will most often /
|
||
/ be brought into play." /
|
||
//////////////////////////////////////////////// D.A.BRUMLEVE ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[AII]//////////////////////////////
|
||
APPLE II /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
Apple II History, Part 9
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
By Steven Weyhrich
|
||
[S.WEYHRICH]
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> APPLE II HISTORY <<<
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
Compiled and written by Steven Weyhrich
|
||
(C) Copyright 1992, Zonker Software
|
||
(PART 9 -- DISK EVOLUTION / THE APPLE IIC PLUS)
|
||
[v1.3 :: 12 Nov 92]
|
||
|
||
|
||
INTRODUCTION This part of the History describes the advancements in disk
|
||
"""""""""""" technology that have been available over the years for the
|
||
Apple II series, and then examines the last 8-bit computer made by Apple,
|
||
the IIc Plus.
|
||
|
||
[*][*][*]
|
||
|
||
|
||
ADVANCES IN APPLE II DISK STORAGE Since Steve Wozniak's Disk II floppy
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" drive changed the Apple II from a
|
||
hobbyist toy to a serious home and business computer in the late 1970's,
|
||
the progress of disk storage has been slow for the Apple II series. In
|
||
1978, the year the Disk II was released, Mike Scott (Apple's president) and
|
||
Randy Wigginton were asked at a user group meeting whether they were going
|
||
to go to the larger capacity eight-inch floppy drives (which had been
|
||
around before the 5.25 floppy drives). They answered that no, the Apple II
|
||
was not going in that direction, but felt it might get a hard disk by 1979
|
||
or 1980, and possibly earlier than that a double sided, double density 5.25
|
||
disk with 500K per disk.<1> Of course, this never did happen; as we saw in
|
||
part 7 of this historical overview, the Apple III project began to overtake
|
||
the hearts and minds of Apple executives by 1979, and anything newer,
|
||
bigger, or better was reserved for that machine. As a result, DOS 3.2 and
|
||
3.3 was hard-coded to work specifically with the Disk II and its 143K of
|
||
available storage, and never enhanced to easily access larger capacity
|
||
drives. (Later, when we examine the evolution of Apple II DOS, we will see
|
||
that it was possible from the beginning for DOS 3.2 and 3.3 to access up to
|
||
400K per disk in its catalog structure; however, the low-level disk access
|
||
routines built-in to DOS were ONLY for the Disk II).
|
||
|
||
So what changes DID occur in Apple II disk storage? Between 1978,
|
||
when Apple released their original Shugart 5.25 inch floppy drives, and
|
||
1984, nothing much changed. Third party company produced patches that
|
||
modified DOS 3.2 (and later DOS 3.3) to work with larger drives; from
|
||
eight-inch floppy drives to hard disks (a whole 10 megabytes for only
|
||
$5,350 from Corvus!<2>) to other various short-lived innovations, all made
|
||
to try to end the "floppy shuffle". (One of the more interesting ones put
|
||
five floppy disks into a cartridge, and through software made them appear
|
||
to the computer as one large disk drive). Eventually Apple decided that
|
||
the aging Disk II mechanism needed a face lift, and they introduced in the
|
||
DuoDisk in May of 1984. This was essentially two Disk II drives in a
|
||
single cabinet, with a special controller card. The drive mechanism was
|
||
improved to better read half-tracks on disks (which some copy-protected
|
||
software used), and at $795 was priced to be less expensive than buying two
|
||
of the older Disk II drives with a controller card.<3> The most important
|
||
advantage of this new design was an elimination of the "fried disk drive"
|
||
problem that happened constantly with the older design. The old Disk II
|
||
controller had two connectors, one for each Disk II drive that could be
|
||
connected. The problem was the in the design of the connector; like the
|
||
game paddle plugs for the original Apple II and II Plus, the plugs for the
|
||
Disk II drives were simply a series of pins that had to be properly aligned
|
||
for the drive to function (similar to the delicate pins on a computer
|
||
chip). If you tried to attach the plug in such a way as to accidentally
|
||
shift the pins over by one, it would burn out the motor on the disk drive,
|
||
requiring a trip for repairs to the local Apple dealer. The new DuoDisk
|
||
design made connection of the disk mechanism to the controller fool-proof.
|
||
|
||
With the release of the Apple IIc in April 1984 came an external Disk
|
||
II drive that was designed to plug into the new disk port in the back of
|
||
the IIc, and was the same color and design as the IIc case. The Disk IIc
|
||
was specific to the Apple IIc and could not be used with any older version
|
||
Apple II, since it used a new, unique connector. However, since it was
|
||
more expensive than a used Disk II drive, many users found out how to make
|
||
a conversion cable to connect the older drive to the disk port; some even
|
||
went the other direction and found ways to connect the new drive to the
|
||
older Disk II controller cards for the II Plus and IIe.
|
||
|
||
The next small evolutionary step in disk storage technology for the
|
||
Apple II was introduced in June 1985, with the release of the UniDisk 5.25.
|
||
This drive was designed with the same appearance as the DuoDisk, but was a
|
||
single 5.25 drive. It was also designed to allow one drive to be
|
||
"daisy-chained" to another (one disk could plug into the back of another,
|
||
forming a "chain"), instead of the older method of connecting each drive
|
||
separately to the disk controller card. Its beige color was designed to
|
||
match the original Apple IIe.<4>,<5>
|
||
|
||
The last version of the Disk II was called the Apple 5.25 drive. It
|
||
was identical to the UniDisk 5.25 drive, except for its case, which was
|
||
designed in the platinum color to match the Apple IIGS and the platinum
|
||
IIe. The connector it used allowed it to also be connected in a
|
||
daisy-chain fashion.<5>
|
||
|
||
|
||
NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: BASICS OF DISK STORAGE Let's digress for a
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" moment from
|
||
discussing specific Apple disk products and turn to a description on how
|
||
the data are stored on a disk. There are two important concepts that you
|
||
need to understand to see why some methods of data storage are "faster"
|
||
than other methods. The first concept is the physical data layout on the
|
||
disk, and the second concept is the "logical" data layout.
|
||
|
||
The physical layout of data on a disk is important to the hardware of
|
||
the disk drive. If the computer tells the disk drive to retrieve data from
|
||
the disk, it has to be able to tell the drive exactly WHERE on the disk
|
||
surface that data are stored. Most disk drives in use today (and when
|
||
Steve Wozniak designed the original Disk II) store data on disks that are
|
||
round, magnetically coated pieces of plastic that spin within a protective
|
||
sleeve. The older 5.25 inch and 8 inch disks were "floppy" disks because
|
||
they used a flexible protective sleeve (unlike the older yet but larger
|
||
capacity "hard" or fixed disks, which usually could not be removed). The
|
||
newer 3.5 inch disks are also made of the same magnetically coated plastic,
|
||
but their protective sleeve is a hard shell. Within its sleeve the thin
|
||
plastic disk spins around rapidly while the disk drive motor is on.
|
||
|
||
When a disk is formatted, certain addresses are written to the disk
|
||
surface in a pattern that is known to the program (the disk operating
|
||
system) used by the computer controlling the disk drive. Most computers
|
||
divide the disk surface up into concentric rings (called "tracks"), and
|
||
each track is divided up into segments called sectors or blocks. Each
|
||
segment holds a specific number of bytes of data; for the Apple II, this
|
||
has been either 256 bytes (sectors on 5.25 disks) or 512 bytes (blocks on
|
||
newer disk devices). The number of sectors or blocks per track differs,
|
||
depending on the device in question; what is important is that the disk
|
||
operating system knows how to get to the right block when a request is made
|
||
of it.
|
||
|
||
The second concept, that of the "logical" layout of the disk, has to
|
||
do with the way in which the disk operating system organizes the physical
|
||
blocks on each track. Imagine a phonograph record on a turntable (some of
|
||
you still own those, don't you?) It physically resembles a floppy disk; it
|
||
is just larger in size and is not "floppy". Mentally take a white marking
|
||
pen and draw lines through the center of the record, across the entire
|
||
surface from side to side, making the record resemble a pizza that has been
|
||
cut up into wedges.
|
||
|
||
Now draw a series of concentric circles, from the outside of the
|
||
record down to the center. Each ring will, of course, be smaller than the
|
||
previous ring. The rings you have drawn represent "tracks" on our
|
||
simulated floppy disk, and the lines running through the center of the
|
||
record represent the division of each track into blocks. Suppose we drew
|
||
enough lines to divide the record up into twelve "pieces" (of pizza). That
|
||
means that each "track" has twelve "blocks".
|
||
|
||
Now that you have your disk divided up (you just "formatted" it!),
|
||
let's store some data on it. Numbering each "block" from one to twelve
|
||
(like the numbers on a clock), let's put a checker into each block on the
|
||
first (outermost) "track" (yes, a checker. You know--from the game?)
|
||
Repeat the process on the second track, then the third, and so on, as far
|
||
as you can go. Eventually you won't be able to fit checkers into the
|
||
blocks, because they will get too small. (This points out one of the
|
||
limits of floppy disks; at some point the available space on the disk
|
||
becomes so small it is unusable. A standard 5.25 disk for the Apple II can
|
||
have anywhere from 35 to 40 tracks (Apple has always supported only 35
|
||
tracks), while the 3.5 disk has 80 tracks. The checkers we have put in the
|
||
"blocks" on this disk have also been labelled, but with the letters "A"
|
||
through "L" for the first track, and "M" through "X" for the second track,
|
||
and so on.
|
||
|
||
Turn on the record player. If you hold your hand over one spot on the
|
||
first track on the record, you can see the lettered checkers as they move
|
||
past. As it goes by, grab the "A" checker, then the "B" checker, and so
|
||
on. Likely, after picking up checker "A" (on block 1), you had to wait for
|
||
an entire rotation of the record before "B" comes by on block 2. The same
|
||
goes for "C", "D", and so on. In computer terms, the "interleave" on this
|
||
disk is 1 to 1 (written as 1:1). If you were EXTREMELY fast, you could
|
||
pick up "A", "B", "C", etc. as quickly as they went by, without having to
|
||
wait for the next revolution of the record. While few of us would be that
|
||
fast, many of us could pick up a checker after about four went by that we
|
||
didn't need. "Reload" your data on this disk, this time putting checker
|
||
"A" on block 1, then checker "B" on block 5, checker "C" on block 9,
|
||
checker "D" on block 2, check "E" on block 6, and so on. Now, as the
|
||
record spins, you might be able to pick up "A", "B", "C", and so on without
|
||
having to wait for the next revolution of the record. This would be
|
||
(approximately) a 4:1 interleave. With this "logical" layout, you can
|
||
pickup (load) checkers from the disk, and replace (store) checkers on the
|
||
disk more efficiently. If your hands are still not fast enough, you may
|
||
need to increase the interleave to 6:1 or even 8:1. If your hands are
|
||
faster, you could possibly use a 3:1 or 2:1 interleave.
|
||
|
||
This is roughly what happens with disk access. A disk device and
|
||
operating system that is extremely quick about processing the data it reads
|
||
off a disk can have a short interleave (1:1 or 2:1). A slower disk device
|
||
or operating system may need to use a 4:1 or higher interleave to work most
|
||
efficiently.
|
||
|
||
One last note: Because a track on a disk contains a continuous stream
|
||
of data bits, Apple drives were designed from the beginning to use
|
||
"self-synchronization" to be able to tell one byte from the next. This
|
||
continuous series of bits would be similar to having a paragraph of text
|
||
with no spaces between words. If a sentence read "GODISNOWHERE", does it
|
||
mean "GOD IS NOWHERE" or "GOD IS NOW HERE"? Some method is needed to let
|
||
the computer doing the reading know where the "spaces" between bytes
|
||
exists. I won't go into detail on exactly how this is carried out, but
|
||
suffice it to say that some bytes on the disk are reserved for this
|
||
decoding process, and so the true data bytes are specially encoded to not
|
||
be mistaken for the self-sync bytes. The process of decoding these "raw"
|
||
data bytes is called de-nibblization, and translates about 700 of the raw
|
||
bytes read directly from the disk into 512 true data bytes. This is
|
||
another part of the overhead necessary when reading from or writing to the
|
||
disk; it would be similar to having to draw something on each checker with
|
||
a marker as it was removed from the spinning record described above.
|
||
|
||
|
||
THE UNIDISK 3.5 AND APPLE 3.5 The first new disk drive that Apple
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" released after the original Disk II was a
|
||
400K, single-sided 3.5 inch drive for the original Macintosh. Then, in
|
||
September 1985 Apple finally released a similar drive for the Apple II
|
||
series, one that was not simply a cosmetic improvement of the original Disk
|
||
II drive. The UniDisk 3.5 drive was a double-sided version of the Mac
|
||
drive, and could hold 800K of data. The only connection that this new
|
||
drive had with the original 5.25 drives was a chip used on its controller
|
||
card; this IWM chip (for "Integrated Woz Machine") put the function of the
|
||
original Disk II controller onto a single chip, plus the enhancements
|
||
needed to operate this higher density drive.<4> Apple's design for the
|
||
UniDisk 3.5 was unique, in that it used a modification to Sony's design
|
||
that varied the speed of disk rotation, depending on which concentric track
|
||
was being accessed. This change made it possible for data to be packed
|
||
compactly enough in the smaller inner tracks to gain an extra 80K beyond
|
||
the 720K that was originally possible.
|
||
|
||
The UniDisk was directly supported by the newer Apple IIc motherboards
|
||
(as mentioned in the previous part of this History), but for the older
|
||
Apple II's a special controller card was required. The UniDisk 3.5 was
|
||
designed as an "intelligent" drive, and had a self-contained 65c02
|
||
processor and memory to temporarily store ("buffer") data being read from
|
||
or written to the disk. This was necessary because of the slow 1 MHz speed
|
||
of the 6502 processors in the Apple II; they could not keep up with the
|
||
faster data transfer rates possible with the 3.5 disk mechanism, plus the
|
||
overhead of de-nibblization. This extra processing did cut down the speed
|
||
in the UniDisk data transfer rate, but compared to the older Disk II drives
|
||
it seemed MUCH faster.
|
||
|
||
With the release of the Apple IIGS in September 1986 came a new
|
||
version of the 800K 3.5 drive called the Apple 3.5. This mechanism could
|
||
be used on either a Mac or Apple II, fitting into the trend at Apple at
|
||
making peripherals compatible between the two computers. The major
|
||
difference between this drive and the original UniDisk 3.5 was that it had
|
||
been lobotomized to be a "dumb" drive. Gone was the internal 65c02
|
||
processor chip used in the UniDisk 3.5 (which made it an "intelligent"
|
||
drive) and the ability of the drive to buffer its own read and write
|
||
operations. The newer Apple 3.5 drive did away with the extra circuitry,
|
||
leaving it to the computer to handle direct control of the drive. This
|
||
could be done in the IIGS because of its faster 65816 microprocessor, which
|
||
could keep up with the higher rate of data transfer. Recall the above
|
||
discussion of interleave? The original UniDisk 3.5 worked best with an
|
||
interleave of 4:1, but the Apple 3.5 used 2:1 interleave and could do disk
|
||
reads and writes faster. Disks formatted with either drive were usable
|
||
with the other one, but would be slower on the "foreign" drive.<5>
|
||
|
||
Overall, Apple released four versions of 3.5 drives between 1984 and
|
||
1986. First was the 400K drive used on the original Macintosh, then the
|
||
800K UniDisk 3.5 (which wouldn't work on the Mac), then an 800K drive for
|
||
the Mac (which wouldn't work on the Apple II), and finally the Apple 3.5
|
||
drive, which worked on the Apple IIGS and the Mac, but not the IIe and
|
||
original IIc.<5>
|
||
|
||
|
||
THE APPLE IIC PLUS: HARDWARE Recalibrating our special time-travel card
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" to focus on the final 8-bit version of the
|
||
Apple II, let's travel to mid-1987. It was at this time that someone at
|
||
Apple decided that the IIc needed to be upgraded. Shortly before July,
|
||
three years after its original 1984 introduction, it was felt that the
|
||
Apple IIc would benefit from the larger capacity Apple 3.5 drive as its
|
||
internal drive. The primary intent was to make only this change, while
|
||
leaving the rest of the IIc as it was. As with most other Apple projects,
|
||
this went by various internal code names during its development, including
|
||
Pizza, Raisin, and Adam Ant.<11>
|
||
|
||
Trying to use the Apple 3.5 drive in the Apple IIc was certainly an
|
||
engineering problem. As mentioned above, the 1 MHz 65c02 was simply not
|
||
fast enough to take raw data off the Apple 3.5 drive, de-nibblize it into
|
||
usable data, and pass it to the operating system. The "intelligent" 3.5
|
||
drive was designed in the first place for that very reason. To solve the
|
||
problem, Apple contracted with an outside firm to design a special digital
|
||
gate array that made it possible for the 1 MHz 65c02 to just barely keep up
|
||
with the data transfer rate from the Apple 3.5 drive. In accomplishing
|
||
this, it needed an extra 2K of static RAM space to de-nibblize the raw data
|
||
from the 3.5 drive. This extra memory had to be available OUTSIDE the
|
||
standard Apple IIe/IIc 128K RAM space, since there was simply not enough
|
||
free memory available to spare even that little bit of space. The code
|
||
Apple engineers wrote to use the drive was SO tight that there were EXACTLY
|
||
enough clock cycles to properly time things while controlling the drive.
|
||
(Each assembly language instruction takes a certain number of clock cycles;
|
||
these cycles have to be taken into account for timing-sensitive operations
|
||
such as disk and serial port drivers).
|
||
|
||
To support older Apple II software that came only on 5.25 disks, the
|
||
disk port on the back was now changed to handle not only external 3.5
|
||
drives (either UniDisk 3.5 or Apple 3.5), but also up to TWO Apple 5.25
|
||
drives which could be chained together (the same drives used with the Apple
|
||
IIGS). These could be chained together as could the 3.5 drives. The IIc
|
||
Plus, then, could have three additional drives attached, in any mixture of
|
||
Apple 3.5, UniDisk 3.5, or Apple 5.25 drives.<6>
|
||
|
||
The IIc Plus design was not thought out completely from start to
|
||
finish, however. After they did the work with the special gate array to
|
||
make the original IIc architecture work properly, someone decided that it
|
||
was not a good idea to release a 1 MHz computer in 1987. People want
|
||
speed, they reasoned; look at the world of the IBM PC and its clones, where
|
||
each year faster and faster models are released. They decided then to
|
||
retrofit the new IIc with a faster 4 MHz version of the 65c02. That
|
||
change, had it been done from the start, would have made engineering the
|
||
internal 3.5 drive simpler; they could have just used the processor at 4
|
||
MHz for 3.5 drive access, and then used the true system speed (as selected
|
||
by the user) for all other functions. The complicated gate array would not
|
||
have been necessary. But, since the faster speed was added as an
|
||
afterthought, and the project was under a tight schedule, the gate array
|
||
design was not changed.
|
||
|
||
To accomplish the faster processor speed for the IIc Plus, Apple went
|
||
to another outside firm, Zip Technologies. This company had already
|
||
marketed an accelerator, the Zip Chip, that was popular as an add-on
|
||
product for existing Apple II computers. Users could simply remove the
|
||
6502 or 65c02 chip in their computer, replace it with the special Zip Chip,
|
||
and suddenly they had a computer that ran up to four times as fast. Apple
|
||
licensed this technology from Zip, but engineers balked at actually using
|
||
the Zip Chip itself for the IIc Plus. Part of this was because of the size
|
||
of the Zip Chip. The chip was shaped like a standard integrated circuit,
|
||
but was thicker vertically than a basic 65c02. Inside the extra space was
|
||
a fast 65c02 processor, plus some caching RAM, all squeezed into a space
|
||
that would fit even into the original Apple IIc (where space was at a
|
||
premium). (The Zip Chip "cache" is a piece of RAM memory that is used to
|
||
hold copies of system memory that the processor is frequently accessing.
|
||
For instance, if a lot of graphics manipulation is being done by a program,
|
||
the caching RAM would hold a copy of part of the graphics RAM, and could
|
||
access it much faster than the standard RAM. This is part of what makes an
|
||
after-market accelerator work).
|
||
|
||
Zip had wanted Apple to buy their Zip Chip and simply use that product
|
||
in the IIc Plus. Obviously, this would have been to Zip's advantage
|
||
financially. However, the thicker vertical size of the Chip made testing
|
||
the completed computer more difficult, and it would be a problem to isolate
|
||
product failures to the Zip Chip, instead of something else on the
|
||
motherboard. By using a 4 MHz 65c02 and two 8K static RAM chips as
|
||
separate components in the IIc Plus, Apple engineers could ensure that it
|
||
would work and be available in a large enough volume for production. When
|
||
they were designing the IIc Plus, Zip Technologies could not guarantee they
|
||
could provide reliable products in the volume Apple needed.
|
||
|
||
The IIc Plus did not have the 12 VDC input on the back panel as did
|
||
the earlier IIc's; instead, the power supply was built-in. This was not
|
||
because it was necessarily a better design, as an internal power supply was
|
||
actually less reliable ultimately than the external power supply. (It
|
||
exposes the internal components to higher levels of heat over the lifetime
|
||
of the product). But because many people had criticized Apple about the
|
||
IIc external power supply (called a "brick on a leash" at Apple), that they
|
||
had decided to make it internal on the IIc Plus as it was on all their
|
||
other products. This change apparently did not cause any significant
|
||
problems, as few people were actually trying to use the IIc as a "portable"
|
||
computer (with a battery pack).
|
||
|
||
The memory expansion slot on the IIc Plus was not compatible with the
|
||
memory cards that Apple had produced for the older IIc. This was primarily
|
||
a timing problem; it was not because the RAM chips in the memory card were
|
||
not fast enough to keep up with the 4 MHz speed of the IIc Plus. (Older
|
||
IIc users can use an Apple Memory Expansion card with an 8 MHz Zip Chip
|
||
with no problems). The IIc Plus also had an additional connector at the
|
||
opposite end of a memory card plugged into the expansion slot. Signals
|
||
from port 2 were made available at that end, so third party companies could
|
||
make a card that was a combination RAM card and internal modem. However,
|
||
this never did come about (see below).
|
||
|
||
Other changes in the IIc Plus included a slightly redesigned keyboard
|
||
and mini-DIN-8 connectors on the back panel for its serial ports (to be
|
||
more compatible with Apple's new Macintosh and IIGS keyboards).
|
||
|
||
One interesting note: John Arkley, one of the engineers working on
|
||
the project and a long-time Apple employee, campaigned long and hard to
|
||
take things a step further. He wanted them to take an Apple IIGS
|
||
motherboard, remove the slots, change the ROM to support only the internal
|
||
"slots", and release a IIGS in a IIc case. He felt it would have made a
|
||
great portable, non-expandable IIGS, but could not get anyone who could
|
||
approve the plan to get interested in the idea.
|
||
|
||
|
||
THE APPLE IIC PLUS: FIRMWARE The IIc Plus ROM was called revision 5 (the
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" previous Revised Memory Expansion IIc was
|
||
labelled as revision 4). The main changes present were the ones that
|
||
supported the internal Apple 3.5 drive. Firmware on the new IIc was not
|
||
any larger than the 32K on the previous models, but it did use the entire
|
||
space (the previous IIc didn't use the last 8K available in the ROM).
|
||
|
||
One minor bug that slipped by in the IIc Plus firmware was an
|
||
inability to deal with 400K (single-sided) 3.5 disks. There were few
|
||
commercial software packages that came on such disks, however.<7>,<8>
|
||
|
||
|
||
THE APPLE IIC PLUS: INTRODUCTION In September 1988 the Apple IIc Plus was
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" introduced to considerably less fanfare
|
||
than the original IIc was in April 1984. There were no promises of "Apple
|
||
II Forever" this time; instead, it warranted little more than a press
|
||
release in various Apple II magazines of the time. Its selling price was
|
||
$675 (or $1,099 with a color monitor). This was remarkable, considering
|
||
that the original Apple IIc WITHOUT a monitor sold for nearly double the
|
||
price ($1,295) and had far less capacity and power than this new version.
|
||
Some models of the IIc Plus were even shipped with 256K of extra memory
|
||
already added. It was faster than any other Apple II ever produced
|
||
(including the 2.8 MHz IIGS), and was probably the finest 8-bit computer
|
||
Apple ever produced.
|
||
|
||
|
||
THE APPLE IIC PLUS: LESS THAN A SUCCESS Early on, the Apple IIc Plus was
|
||
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" a big seller, and by January 1989
|
||
it was above forecasted sales levels. However, the biggest hurdle that the
|
||
IIc Plus had to overcome was not the external marketplace, but rather the
|
||
internal market opinions at Apple Computer, Inc. Since Macintosh-mania was
|
||
still in full swing at Apple, and that younger brother of the Apple II was
|
||
getting most of the attention from management, the IIc Plus (as well as the
|
||
IIGS) suffered. It was not because of a lack of capability, but primarily
|
||
from failure to thrive due to inadequate home nutrition, so to speak.
|
||
Also, the IIc Plus had the same problem as the original Apple IIc;
|
||
customers seemed to want the IIe with its slots, or the greater power of
|
||
the IIGS.
|
||
|
||
There were some products that were designed by third-party developers
|
||
for both the IIc and IIc Plus that never made it to the market for various
|
||
reasons. Applied Ingenuity (later known as Ingenuity, Inc) had two
|
||
products that would have markedly increased the portability of the IIc/IIc
|
||
Plus. One was an internal hard disk they called "CDrive", which would have
|
||
replaced the Apple IIc or IIc Plus internal floppy disk drive (converting
|
||
it into an external floppy drive). Even more unique was "CKeeper", which
|
||
was a multi-function card with many features. It could hold up to 1.25 MB
|
||
of extra RAM; it had a clock/calendar chip that was ProDOS compatible; it
|
||
had firmware routines to support dumping text or graphics screens to the
|
||
printer; it could function as a built-in assembly language program
|
||
debugger; and best of all, a feature called RAMSaver, which maintained
|
||
power to the RAM chips during a power failure or if the power switch was
|
||
turned off. Both of these products never saw the light of day, primarily
|
||
because the company went out of business before they could be finished.<9>
|
||
|
||
Chinook Technologies actually finished design on an internal modem for
|
||
the IIc Plus, but never released it. This card, 1.5 by 6 inches in size,
|
||
would have mounted inside the disk drive shield. It connected to a small
|
||
box attached to the outside of the IIc case, where there were cut-outs
|
||
provided by Apple for connection of an "anti-theft" cable. This external
|
||
box had phone jacks for the phone line and a telephone, just like most
|
||
external modems. Undoubtedly it never was released because of Apple's
|
||
indifference towards the IIc Plus.<10>
|
||
|
||
With inadequate support by Apple marketing, third-party hardware and
|
||
software developers had little motivation in designing any new products for
|
||
the IIc Plus. Therefore, no unique products ever emerged on the market to
|
||
take advantage of its features. Finally, in September of 1990 the IIc Plus
|
||
was discontinued by Apple, leaving the platinum Apple IIe and the Apple
|
||
IIGS as the remaining bearers of Wozniak's legacy.
|
||
|
||
[*][*][*]
|
||
|
||
|
||
NEXT INSTALLMENT The Apple IIGS
|
||
""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
NOTES
|
||
"""""
|
||
<1> Thyng, Mike. "Apple Source", PEEKING AT CALL-A.P.P.L.E., VOL. 1,
|
||
1978, pp. 7-8.
|
||
|
||
<2> -----. -----, APPLE ORCHARD, VOL. 1, NO. 1., Mar-Apr 1980,
|
||
various.
|
||
|
||
<3> -----. "Tomorrow's Apples Today", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., May 1984, p.
|
||
78.
|
||
|
||
<4> -----. "The Marketplace", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Jul 1985, p. 49.
|
||
|
||
<5> Baum, Peter and Allen. "Speaking Of Hardware", CALL-A.P.P.L.E.,
|
||
Oct 1987, pp. 30-34, 51.
|
||
|
||
<6> Weishaar, Tom. "Apple rediscovers the Apple II", OPEN-APPLE, Nov
|
||
1988, p. 4.73.
|
||
|
||
<7> Weishaar, Tom. "Ask Uncle DOS", OPEN-APPLE, Jan 1989, p. 4.91.
|
||
|
||
<8> Weishaar, Tom. "Miscellanea", OPEN-APPLE, May 1989, p. 5.27.
|
||
|
||
<9> -----. "Ingenuity News", II AT WORK, Vol. 2, No. 1, Spring 1990,
|
||
p. 30.
|
||
|
||
<10> Hoover, Tom. (personal mail), GEnie, E-MAIL, Nov 1991.
|
||
|
||
<11> A+ Staff. "NewsPlus", A+ MAGAZINE, Oct 1989, p. 18.
|
||
|
||
|
||
//////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
|
||
/ "The best way to sum it up would be: /
|
||
/ $1CFA,$1C5A,$4310,$717E,$19FA,$09D2,$4620,$61F6 /
|
||
/ $12FA,$10D2,$4D20,$61F6,$0772,$105A,$58A8,$60F6 /
|
||
/ $9019,$7FF7,$7FF7,$0010,$71F7,$F22F,$4FF2,$1301 /
|
||
/ $A245,$54FB,$7DFB,$7DFB,$0FF0,$5300,$0630,$0110 /
|
||
/ $2FEE,$258E,$7F74,$40F2,$31EE,$2086,$7F74,$43F2 /
|
||
/ $3EEE,$2086,$7F74,$4012,$3DEE,$218E,$7E74,$40FA /
|
||
/ $3BE6,$2206,$7C7C,$40FA,$36EE,$2686,$7974,$43F2 /
|
||
/ $2F0E,$2916,$7074,$41F2,$31EE,$388E,$6074,$48FA" /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////////////////// D.ENGEL ////
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
[EOA]
|
||
[LOG]//////////////////////////////
|
||
LOG OFF /
|
||
/////////////////////////////////
|
||
GEnieLamp Information
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
o COMMENTS: Contacting GEnieLamp
|
||
|
||
o GEnieLamp STAFF: Who Are We?
|
||
|
||
o GET_THE_LAMP Scripts & Macros
|
||
|
||
o SEARCH-ME! Answers
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp GEnieLamp is monthly online magazine published in the
|
||
""""""""" GEnieLamp RoundTable on page 515. You can also find
|
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GEnieLamp in the ST (475), the Macintosh (605), the IBM (615) Apple II
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(645), A2Pro (530), Unix (160), Mac Pro (480), Geoworks (1050), BBS
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|
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GEnieLamp can also be found on CrossNet, Internet, America Online and
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|
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|
||
We welcome and respond to all GEmail.To leave messages, suggestions
|
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or just to say hi, you can contact us in the GEnieLamp RoundTable (515)
|
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or send GE Mail to John Peters at [GENIELAMP] on page 200.
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||
|
||
|
||
U.S. MAIL
|
||
"""""""""
|
||
GEnieLamp Online Magazine
|
||
Atten: John Peters
|
||
5102 Galley Rd. Suite 115/B
|
||
Colorado Springs, CO 80915
|
||
|
||
|
||
>>> GEnieLamp STAFF <<<
|
||
"""""""""""""""""""""""
|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp o John Peters [GENIELAMP] Editor-In-Chief
|
||
"""""""""
|
||
|
||
ATARI ST o John Gniewkowski [J.GNIEWKOWSK] Editor
|
||
"""""""" o Mel Motogawa [M.MOTOGAWA] ST Staff Writer
|
||
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|
||
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|
||
o Richard Brown [R.BROWN30] ST Staff Writer
|
||
o John Hoffman [JLHOFFMAN] ST Staff Writer
|
||
|
||
ATARI TX2 o David Holmes [D.HOLMES14] TX2 Editor
|
||
"""""""""
|
||
ATARI [PR] o Fred Koch [F.KOCH] Editor
|
||
""""""""""
|
||
IBM o Robert M. Connors [R.CONNORS2] Editor
|
||
""" o Peter Bogert [P.BOGERT1] IBM Staff Writer
|
||
o Brad Biondo [B.BIONDO] IBM Staff Writer
|
||
o Tippy Martinez [TIPPY.ONE] IBM Staff Writer
|
||
|
||
MACINTOSH o James Flanagan [JFLANAGAN] Editor
|
||
""""""""" o Richard Vega [R.VEGA] Mac Co-Editor
|
||
o Tom Trinko [T.TRINKO] Mac Staff Writer
|
||
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|
||
o Bill Garrett [BILL.GARRETT] Mac Staff Writer
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|
||
MacPRO o James Flanagan [JFLANAGAN] Editor
|
||
"""""" o Erik C. Thauvin [MACSPECT] Supervising Editor
|
||
o Chris Innanen [C.INNANEN] MacPRO Staff Writer
|
||
o Paul Collins [P.COLLINS] MacPRO Staff Writer
|
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|
||
APPLE II o Darrel Raines [D.RAINES] Editor
|
||
"""""""" o Phil Shapiro [P.SHAPIRO1] A2 Co-Editor
|
||
o Mel Fowler [MELSOFT] A2 Staff Writer
|
||
|
||
A2Pro o Jim B. Couch [J.COUCH2] Editor
|
||
"""""
|
||
|
||
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|
||
""""""""
|
||
|
||
ETC. o Jim Lubin [JIM.LUBIN] Add Aladdin
|
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"""" o Scott Garrigus [S.GARRIGUS] Search-ME!
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o Bruce Faulkner [R.FAULKNER4] CrossNET Support
|
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o Mike White [M.WHITE25] Cowlumnist (CowTOONS!)
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|
||
|
||
GEnieLamp CONTRIBUTORS
|
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""""""""""""""""""""""
|
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|
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o Steven Weyhrich [S.WEYHRICH]
|
||
o Dan "Remo" Barter [D.BARTER]
|
||
o Jeffrey O. Panosian, M.D. [J.O.P.]
|
||
o Stephen Litwin [S.LITWIN2]
|
||
|
||
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||
|
||
>>> SEARCH-ME! ANSWERS <<<
|
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""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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Material published in this edition may be reprinted under the
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following terms only. All articles must remain unedited and
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include the issue number and author at the top of each article
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reprinted. Reprint permission granted, unless otherwise noted, to
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registered computer user groups and not for profit publications.
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Opinions present herein are those of the individual authors and
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Include the following at the end of every reprint:
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(c) Copyright 1993 T/TalkNET Online Publishing and GEnie. To join
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[EOF]****
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|