TM formerly Open·Apple
• 1'I0vember 1990 Vol.6. 1'10.10
ISSN 0885-4017 newstand price: $2.50 A journal and exchange of Apple H discoveries photocopy charge per page: $0.15 .--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--0--.--.--. __ .__ doesn't interfere with HyperStudio's continued operation. Miscellanea One of the Xcmd utilities on the Xcmd Library disk is a ' Master Xcmd'. if you copy this file to you r stack's directory and give It the 'An Open Letter from Apple's CWo John Sculley- appears in name ' HS.Xcmd", you can then add many more Xcmd files by naming the October 1990 -issue of inCider (pp. 8·9). Most of the IeUer is them as ' Xcmd: with the filename appended, such as ·Xcmd.Dis, the same 'good' news that we've been hearing, with references to play' . When you define .a button in t1yperStudio as triggering an new products announced for Apple Il systems over the last year and Xcmd, you can use the name of the Xcmd ' sub-file' in the text to be an assurance that ' we value the Apple II product family as an asset, sent to lhe Xcmd to tell the Master Xcmd which feat ure you want to which we will continue to nourish". access. For example, to pass control to the ' Xcmd.Display' file you'd The next line in the article, though, reveals the same callous treat· enter '" Display" as the text to be passed in the Xcmd command line ment of Apple Il users that has becomes Appte's, and Sculley's, trade· (followed by any addltional -parameters that Xcmd.Display might use). mark: ' Beyond that, I am not at liberty to disclose specific product The Master Xcmd also supports a ' Script' command that allows a plans: This in a paragraph following the announcemen t that ' D uri~g series of Xcmd command lines in a text Item (embedded in the stack) t990 and t 99 t , Apple will introduce several new entry·level Macln· to be execu ted . tosh computers .. :. If the CEO of the company talks about unan· . The types of Xcmds included on the disk allow controlling the bor nounced Macintosh products but refuses to discuss Apple II products, der color of the IIgs display, playing music from an Apple CD·ROM what message does that send to Apple II customers? drive, hiding the cursor, displaying Super High-Res graphics (including It is appalling that the CEO of a company cannot find and eliminate 320 mode graphics), generating user prompts in dialog boxes, detect· the duplicity that has ca used the exact problem that he a~pears to be ing events (time delays, keyboard actions, or mouse clicks). fin di~g trying to address. The reason Apple II users are upset With Apple IS text (an enhanced version of the HyperStudJo FIND command that Will that they feel they long had no support, and now seem to receive only search editable and read-only fields, with or without case sensitivity), token support from your company. When offered, nearly every alter· displaying message dialogs, moving cards, communicating with a IIgs native seems to bring the phrase ' Macintosh' out of Apple's mouth. port, generating a random number, setting the key color for an Apple Switching computers isn't the answer, and has no place in discussions Video Overlay Card (VOC), controlling the VOC genlock, and choos ing of the Apple Il user base. Give these customers parity in treatment the use of the VOe. Most of these commands were written by Ken with the CPU line that their dollars financed. The n we 'll talk about llashmarek, with credit for lhe Border Xcmd going to Steve Allen. migration to other Apple ptatforms. II you 'd like to write your own Xcmds and would like some exam Roger Wagner publishing gives away free software. We ll, now ples, there 's also sample source code that you can purchase separate that we've got your attention, we'll clarify that the ' free software' IS ly. th e version 2.1 update to HyperSludio, which includes a runtime If you're wondering what's up Roger's and Ken's sleeve for the next mOdule that can be distributed free with non·commercial applica·. rou nd: at Apple Fiesta in Tempe, Arizona, I saw Roger demonstrating tions. So, if you like. you qlO write a f reeware HyperStudio application an Xcmd that would record through HyperStudio's microphone when and distribute with the runtime module. Com merciat appticatlons triggered and save the recorded sound in a diskfile. Roger suggested require licensing from Roger Wagner Publ ishing. this would be an inleresting way to conduct testing lhal requires an . And next is the real message: if you own HyperStudlo versions oral component, such as pronunciation of foreign wo rd s. The student prior to 2.t , register your copy and get the update. It's free, it's much would execute the stack to take the test. then take the disk with the more powerful, and you 're going to discover th at most HyperStudio recorded responses to the instructor for review.-DJD authors are using the new leatures profusely an d that version 2.0 will not operate th e 2. I stacks. Version 2.1 will load and convert 2.0 stacks automatically; you can save the converted ve rsion if you like. II you have not received an update notice, check to see il you mailed your warranty registration card to Roger so you can get update information. Roger estimates that only 70% of HyperStudio owners I1£S GtTIlNll fIlESI have sent in their warranty cards, and only 50% of those have applie'd li'SGmIl(j f iLLS! for the upgrade. The HyperStudio Xcmd Library Disk. Volume I ($49.95 from ROger Wagner Publishing, 1050 Pioneer Way, Su ite P, EI Cajon, Calif. 92020, 6 19-442-0522), conlains a series of ' extended commands'to enhance Hyper5tudio. By using Xcmds, y~u can make HyperStu dio do anything that a IIgs program can do. . As supplied, HyperStudio only supports one Xcmd file. When you execute a stack, HyperStudio looks in the same -folder (direc tory) as the stack for a me named HS.XCMD. If the file is' found, it is loaded and the program it contains is called whenever you activate a Hyper Studio bullon that has ' Trigger Xcmd" marked as the bullon aClion. There is a prescribed form for the passing of parameters between the Xcmd code and HyperStudio, but the Xcmd itself can do anyt hing that 6.74 A2·Centra/ Vol. 6. 1'10. 10
ProDOS 8. 05/05 and its drivers start up later undetected. in the boot process. All the user has to do is As as/os boots, it first loads and executes change the boot disk in the Control Panel. type the files (in your System/Drivers folder) associ PR#6 from Applesoft BASIC or use a program ated with loaded drivers so that each driver Ask that will boot from the 5.25 drives. can determine jf its device is present. If so, the The polling of the 3.5 UniDisk drive should driver remains 'in memo!}, for as/os to use. (ortell) not cause too much, if any, damage to the Otherwise, the driver is purged and as/os drive. Like you, it has been going on here for a must fall back to see if it can apply a generated number of years withou,t anyapparenl effect on driver. Uncle my UniDisks. The polling and light pulsing Your Central Point Universal Di5k Con~ should not go on for a long- time since if is troller and drive is apparently failing the test DOS expected that the, user will be starting up an . that the UnjDisk 3.5 driver is applying to verify application program. When in an application the presence of a UniDisk, so the driver is program, the polling and pulsing do not occur. 'unloaded". Then as/os's simple test of the If the user wants to leave the Apple IIgs pow interfac'e is confused into thinking that the ered up for a while but not'leave it in an appli device is a UnlDisk, but that you've failed to cation program, going into the Control Panel install the UNIDIS/U.5 driver since the driver is If you've written a letter in the last couple of (Ctrl.(lA-Esc) will also stop the drives from puls no longer resident. There's no easy way to years and haven't received an answer, it's ing. Then from the Control Pane\' pressing Esc solve the problem, though you may want to probably either in a vel}' dog-eared stack of then Return will return the user to the 05/05 write CentraJ Point and express an interest in mail that I'm wrestling with replies to, or it's desktop and pUlsing will resume. the development of a loaded driver for the Uni been lost. I've gotten a few Nwhere's my John R. Majka versal Disk ControJJer (information on writing answer to such-and-such" queries lately, and in Louisville. Ky. loaded drivers is available in the second vol some cases I haven't been able to locate the If you're sure that you'll almost never want ume of the OS/OS Reference, available original questions. to use the 5.25 drives from you can through APDA). Please faJl back to the plan Tom Weishaar as/os, delete the APPLEDISK5.25 driver completely. If Some hard disk interface manufacturers mentioned many issues ago (back in "Don't you think you might want to use the drives have written such drivers for their interface despair... ' in April 1985, p. 29). If you send a occasionally from as/os, then you can open cards and drives. first Class Peripherals (the Jetter, save a copy on disk; if you don't see an the SYSTEM/DRIVERS folder, select the manufacturers of the Sjder) developed drivers answer within a few weeks, try again. In some APPLEDlSK5.25 icon, use 'Icon Info· from the for their newer drives. for the older (models) cases, they've been stashed in a "safe pl?~ "Speciar menu (or open-apple-! from the key drives that boot into DOS 3.3, there is an to be answered when I had more time to puz board) to show the icon's info box, and check upgrade ROM and drivers available from Bob zle them out, only to disappear in black hole a the box labelled "Inactive". When you re-boot, Consorii of On Three at 312-338-2202. The at the office or at home. Occasionally, I find the driver wiJI not be activated, but it wiJ/ still ROM upgrade is necessary to make the Sider a dates on the letters that frighten me. be present on your boot disk to re-activate ProD as device; it eliminates the Sider's "multi Our intent continues to be to tl}' and later without having to re;instalJ it. operating system' (DOS 3.3, ProDOS, Pasca/' respond to all inquiries. Some of the questions If you almost never use the 5.25 drive from CP/M) feature, but makes the device compati may go unanswered, especially questions of any program (as/os or ProDOS 8), you may ble with most current software. If you still need the type Tan you tell me everything about want to change the Control Panel setting for DOS 3.3 partitions, Olen Bredon's DOS.Master zzz? I don't want to buy the manual. H or HI 6 ($25 from Olen at 52 I State Road, Princeton, Slot 6 to "Your Card • f keep a stereo/digitizer have this program xxx and could you modify it card in slot 6 since I very seldom use the 5.25 N.J. 08540) is one way to add them to your to work with Y.W?". If "zzz" is a subject covered drive. I know I won't need the 5.25 drive active hard disk.-DJD in a magazine or a book that I can locate, /'/1 when I am planning on using the digitizing try to point you that direction, but if it takes function (the stereo function works with or 5.25 drive speed more than a few sentences to describe I'll have without the slot set to "Your Card"), so it's a How can I change drive speed on an Apple to pass on paraphrasing. The same goes for relatively painless way to find an "extra" IIgs 5.25 disk drive? questions where a specific program has to be slot.-DJD Dick Penney researched; some of those "triviar AppleWorks Thompson, Conn. patches we used to do could take an hour or Drives and GS/OS for the UnlDisk 5.25 and Apple 5.25 drives, so to find and test. We do want to solve your I am having trouble with the System Disk tum the drive upside down with the disk slot problems, but I'm discovering that we can't included with my copy of Apple Works as recog facing you. find the rubber foot at the left front solve all the problems and have time left at the nizing my Sider hard disk (their controller card, side of the upside-down drive: to the right of end of the day to unwind. Sanity is a fragile slot 7) and Central Point 3.5 disk drive (their the foot, you'll see a small hole. That's the thing ... -DJD controller card, slot 2). If I boot the hard drive it pilot hole to the speed adjustment screw, Hiding Apple 5.25 still goes into DOS 3.3 so I cannot install 05/05 which can be turned with a small Phillips-head on the Sider. If I boot on the Central Point drive screwdriver. In the last issue of A2~Central, Mr. Walter the system will recognize the drive but halfway Copy H Plus contains a 'Verify Disk Speed' Monhof asked why the light on the 3.5 UniDisk into the boot I get the message "Unidisk 3.5 option that can be used to monitor the speed and the 5.25 disk drives keep pulsing and how requires driver" even after Jnstalling the driver as you make the adjustment: "optimaJ" speed to stop it. on the boot disk. 05/05 will not recognize the is 300 revolutions per minute, or 200 millisec As you said, there is no way to stop 05/05 Sider hard disk at all. I have tried installing a onds per revolution. My experience is that it is from po!Iing the UniDisk drive which causes the SCSI driver on the boot disk. better to err on the slightly Nslow" side; that is, light to pulse other than re-writing 05/05. How John C. Wing if the drive speed seems to jump around by ever, unless it is absolutely necessary for the Mechanicsburg, Ohio 0.5 milliseconds, it's better to set it to vary 5.25 drives to be available to there is a 05/05, between 200.0 and 200.5 than to try to center way to stop them from pulsing: remove the as/os uses drivers to communicate with the speed around 200.0.-DJD 5.25 drivers from the SYSTEM/DRIVERS folder. peripheral devices. These drivers can be "load Without the driver, OSjOS cannot recognize ed drivers~ specifically designed for specific 3.5 drive speed the fact that there are 5.25 disk drives devices (such as the UNIDISJ\3.5 driver). If Thank you for continuing the best computer attached. But ProDOS 8 can still recognize as/os finds a device that it can recognize but literature (any format. any computer). I hope them! ProDOS 8 does not use the drivers even does not find that a loaded driver exists for it, it will create a "generated driver" for the you can help me or steer me in the right direc if launched from 05/05. Therefore ProDOS 8 tion with a few 'problems I've been unable to recognizes all attached disk drives and all Pro device. In some cases, loaded drivers are nee· solve. DOS 8 programs such as AppleWorks (ctassic) essary for as/os functions to work safely; for can still use the 5.25 drives. example, the floppy drivers check to ,see if a The user can even boot from the 5.25 disk disk swap has occurred so as/os's caching drives since the initial boot stages are still in scheme won't write to the incorrect volume I'lovember 1990 .Ill-Central _6.75
The fll5t is with an AMR 3.5 you supplied me the problem may be that the Apple drives are situation continued to deteriorate. For a while, I with earlier this year. J have been very happy variable speed; the rate of rotation is varied at could rebuild the disk after a low level format with it (hooked up to a PC Transporter card) different points on the drive so that slightly but the disk would only work for a short period reading and writing 3.5 inch disks in both Pro more data can be stored than on their /'IS-DOS of time. Eventually, even the low level format DOS and MS-DOS fonnats. Thai was until a cou counterparts (BOOK versus 720K for two sided programs couldn't communicate with the disk. ple of weeks ago when I lried 10 read data sent ' double density' diskettes). Debate has raged ProSeI reported an If 0 error on btock $0002. to me from a colleague. The drive refused to over whether this "complication" ;s part of the I sent the Seagate to jb Te chnologies in read the ProD05 disks at any level. giving reaSOn Apple's drives are more expensive than Moorpark, Calif., for repair. Their service people input/ output errors. 1 then tried these same MS·DOS CDunterparts, but since Apple's use of sai d that the disk had lost its selVO track marks disks on another friend's Apple drive and 10 and .3.5 drives on personal computers predates and that the problem stemmed from inferior behold all was OK. IBM 's the argument seems to benefit from media used by Seagate. They replaced the I have since gone through a selection of 3:5 hindsight media and rewrote the servo tracks. The inch disks from different sources and found that Even assuming a utility is found. 1 can't see returned disk formatted and checked out per· roughly 50% are unreadable but still I have any visible speed adjustment screw on the fectly according to SCSI Hacker and the ProSel absolutely no trouble with my own formatted NEe mechanism used in the AMR drive we utilities. But after a month or so, the same prol> ProDOS disks. I should have given more have here. It 100ks as jf repair may be a "facto lems started to crop up again. jb Technologies thought to it but previously the drive had ry only" option. have agreed to fi x the disk again on their repair refused to format about half a batch of disks We have a handful of readers who mention warranty. under MS· DOS though the MS-DOS rejects were consistent problems reading some of the disks My question is this: could the problems result perfectly OK when formalted under ProDOS. I we send out. In most cases, we can read the from external causes like power spikes or .elec· have tested the drive with a number of utilities disks returned to us without errors. There is no tromagnetic interference? I realize the latter which all say the drive is healthy. so I feel that easy Cure that we know of; the fact that thou suggestion is somewhat farfetched but my the speed may be slightly out of tolerance. In sands of disks go out without P!oble",!s makes portable CD player goes bananas when used on the past I have adjusted 5.25 inch drive speeds it unrealistic for us to modify our drives to my computer desk. It occasionally picks up successfully but do not have any utility progT(lm match the few drives that have errors. All we radio stations and mistracks when I put my for 3.5 drives nor have I yet tried to open It up can suggest is that the drives that are having hand close to it. I would appreciate any light to see where adjustment might be made. I don't trouble have somehow found a untque prob· you can shed on this problem. want to send the drive back to the U.S.; do you lem in reading our disks. It's a little like the Incidentally, I don·t mean to knock jb Tech· have any suggestions? man with two watches never knowing the. "cor nologles. They seem to be knowledgeable and The second problem is quite an odd one. I rect" time; a reader who has trouble reading a they actually called me to explain a detay in the have two lIe's linked to a 30 megabyte CMS disk doesn't know if his drive or the disk (and first repair! They were also cooperative about drive, each computer with a CMS SCSI card with the iremote" drive) i5 out of kilter. the warranty work. different IDs. Both work fine as long as I don't There are a few other items that might con Dave Condon try accessing the same information from both lr1bute. If the drives are close to a color mOni· Belmont, Maine computers at once. The peculiar problem is tor, power supply, or other source of interfer· Severa! years ago in graduate school, a with the second (in the SCSI daisy chain) com ence, it could be that the recorded signal on friend used an Apple /l in the proximity of his puter on cold boot. Ihe disk is just barely being masked by the pet project. which used a lot of high-voltage x No maUer what I do it will not acknowledge interference. Moving the drives or interposing a ray equipment. He was confused by seemingly the presence of a disk device in slot 4 (CMS metal 'shleld' between the drives and the pos random characters which appeared in the out· SCSI card) on first cold boot-it's fine on the sible interference may help. put that he sent to his printer. It turned out second cold boot and still OK even if I switch If your system is heavily loaded, the strain that the parallel printer cable made a very this computer orf for a few houl5, but if it is left on the power supply may be effecting the con good antenna for the electromagnetic effluvi· off overnight two cold boots are needed again sistency of its output enough to cause small um from the X-ray equipment. Shielding the the next morning. This computer is set up as changes in the speed of the drive motor, or in cable with some grounded metal foil solved follows: the sensitivity of th e read/write head. Remov~ the problem. Aux Slot FNIforb III 1 .}'te ing as many unnecessary interface C3rds as 50 the moral is, yes, it's possibfe that spikes Slot 1 Parallel printer card possible will Jet you detennine jf this is the or electromagnetic interference is interfering Slot 2 clock CGrd problem; if the disk mysteriously starts to read with the conversation between your hard disk Slot 4 00 SCSI better with less load on the power supply. then and the computer. If your compact disk player the svpply was probably overloaded. There is a Slot 5 PC Transport with two drivel doesn't like the environment. that's another conflict in that your ~dri ve controller'" (lhe PC Slot 6 DuoIlisi with cootroUe.r clue. The question Is, what to do about it? Transporter) ;s probably one of the more Slot 7 vacant Normally. the Apple IIgs shouldn·t emit that power-hungry cards in use, and can't be much noise: it's been certified by the federal f start blowing power supplies with a full removed while checking the 3.5. Communications Corporation to meet or house. The latter problem may also be connected exceed the electromagnetic interference (EMI) This problem is somewhat academic as I Can to the problem in getting the SCSI drive recog emissions requirements for residential use. live with the alternatives-leaving the cOl1)puter nized on power·up. Components aren 't 100% Th e FCC is concerned with such emissions virtually permanently on or double cold boot· identica/. and It's possible that the ' problem' since they can cause intetference with home ing, but I can't figure out about the second boot lIe is having trouble getting itself started in the appliances (pho nes, televisions, and so on) or why it's not random. It always happens the morning. -The test is the same as for the .3.5 and radio communications. same way, first no go. second always OK. Any drive: try re(11 oving some of the high-drain Peripherals -that you add to the 119S can ideas? cards and see if the system will start up more potentially aggravate the problem. Apple Finally-and this is not a problem-I read easily (in this case, you can remove the PC peripherals of recent manufacture a/so have with great interest your May 1990 article on pro· TranspQrter since it isn 't needed to start the been checked with the FCC where appropriate; gram selectors. YOur readers may be unaware system Irom the CMS in/etface).-DJD for example, Apple disk dn'ves come with that Gary Little has a very useful little program shielded cables. If you've attached other starting on p. in Exploring Apple's GS/ OS 107 Drive gone south devices that have cables that extend outside and ProDOS B. This can be used as a stand· 1 have a 1.25 meg Apple llgs running GSf OS the IIgs case, check to see if they are properly alone program to get back into BASIC after a 5.0.2 with a SuperSonic stereo card and a Rev. shielded. If not, they may be serving as anten· short session with Filer, etc., or as the basis for C SCSI card. My hard disk is a Seagate I 38N. nas that broadcast interference. They may also developing your own full·fledged selector. Side 32 megabyte, in a Tulin case. My recent hard be acting as antennas to receive other types of effect: it's possible to get locked into BASIC or disk experience has been nothing but trouble. interference. disconnect other selectors (like ProSen. After working correctly for about a year, I start· Since your CD player seems to make a good John O'Farrell ed getting error messages; for example, the East Brighton. Vic. computer couldn't find the SCSI driver; I used I haven't seen a utility to measure the drive ProSel 16 to lock out bad blocks and do what· speed on Apple-compatible J.5 drives. Part of ever other repairs were available. However, the 6.76 A2·CentraJ Vol. 6. No. 10 indicator, try disconnecting the hard disk and decided against this product since it required I asked Tom Weishaar about SoJf5witcb, see if the CD player starts behaving. II so, the the APWor ORCA environments. Now that it can imd he ' clarified that the problem is that interference is probably coming {rom the hard be run from the Finder, it seems much more So/tSwitch won't allow you to suspend a disk assembly, and il the disk isn't shielded attractive for me. t have the perfect application, 05/05 application to switch to a ProDOS 8 enough to disguise emissions from itself then a mUlti-mOdule system written in Applesoft, program, probably due to the memory contin it may also not be shielded well enough to"pro BeagINompiled, for which I had been using gency mentioned above. teet itself. You can try to shield the drive and the Micol Macro editor under GS/OS. I had sev We've realized the SyQuest mechanism ~able by surrounding them with grounded, eral; common subroutines, which I would might be the perfect solution for a user want conducting metal (we used aluminum foil for merge as text source flies-very slow and ing to share a hard disk unit among several the printer cable in the X-ray room; most hard tedious. The "lnclude N optlon in ND-BASIC systems; the approach would be to buy one drives have metal cases that serve to shield seems perfect. drive mechanism and then as many of the car the Internal electronics). What is needed is a quick way (read '"instan tridges as needed. To ·convert .. the drive, you Power spikes would seem to be Jess of an taneous") to switch from GS/OS to ProDOS 8 "Would disconnect it from the SCSI controller .issue unless you 're also having trouble with and back again. [ have Roger Wagner's on one system, connect it to the next insert other disk devices. SoflSwitch but it does not seem to be the the corlect cartridge, and boot up the system. We've a/50 heard from a few users who had answer. Am I missing something, or are there .ay doing this, you lose the con venience of hav drives that used the Seagate JJ8N mechanism some neat utilities or NDA's or COA's out there ing a dedicated hard disk on each system, but (that size specifically) where the drive would to help me? I have a Itgs with t. 75 megabytes you only have to buy one 01 the relatively have intermittent problems until it finalJy of memory and a 20 megabyte hard disk. Any expensive drive mechanisms. failed. tn a coupJe of cases (one of them a ideas? We don't know all the ins and outs 01 the drive Jay Jennings was using here) the The second reason for this letter is to get configuration of the SyQuest for other systems. read/write head seemed to be bonding to the some further information regarding the SyQ.uest The JIgs was incredibly Iriendly In this regard, hard drive platter until it finally welded itsell in removable media SCSI hard drive aSsembly. we just assembled the drive, connected it to place. II the problem keeps recurring. jb Tech· Coincidentally, I have just written . to Hard an Apple 1/ High-Speed SCSI Interlace inslalled nologies may be able to advise whether the Drives International in Tempe , ArIzona, regard in the IIgs, used fnsta/Jer on the SCSI Ulility drive itself is suspect. We 're glad to hear 01 a ing this mechanism as an additional external disk to add the updated drivers to a 3.5 boot company that does hard disk repairs 01 that hard drive for my MS-DOS based Compaq diSk, booted the floppy and lormatted (with type.-DJD Portable tl. t had seen Ihe drive bolh as a back· finder) and partitioned (with Advanced Disk up device for my internal drives as well as Utility) a cartridge. Then install 05/ 05 and your Terminal emulation unlimited storage for clip art and desktop pub· Dlher software on the drive and go. I am looking for a VT-220 terminal emu;oLlon Iishing packages. Now I am thinking I may be We tried the Nacintosh, but Apple 's SCSI program for the Apple IIgs. VT-220 and higher able to use the same drive at different times utilities for the Mac won 't recpgnlze the drive. does superb international character sets. Maybe (and with different cartridges, of course) . on my We understand you need a different driver for you or your readets know of such a program. Apple Itgs and Compaq. the_SyQuest, but we haven't pursued it. So Urs Brunner On the Compaq side. I realize I will need a one task for you will be to delennine whether Binningen, Switzerland SCSI adapter card, cable and driver software, you will need a software driver for your MS Native 11gs tenninal programs are rare at this along with an external drive, case and power DOS system to deal with the removable-media suppty. On the Apple Itgs, I understand I will stage: the problem being that the current llgs SCSI device. -'-'" modem port driver is designed primarily as a need a new Apple high-speed SCSt card, its About the only variables concerning the printer, not communications, port driver. We software drivers and a cable. can I use the SyQuest are the parity and SCSI device hope there will be a loaded communications same SyQilest drive, with differently formatted jumpers on the drive itself, and device tenni capable driver in some future system software cartridges, for both machines? Will I have to nation. Assuming you can use a mutually release. change switch settings or something whenever I agreeable SCSI device ID on the drive mecha· An 8·bit program ca/led Modem MOR ($50 switch machines? What do you think of the nism, and lhi parily selling you use lor the llgs Irom MOil Soltware, Suite 10 J, 305 S. State idea? works with your MS·DOS syslem, you should College Blvd., Anaheim, Calif. 92806, 714· One' complication .on the Apple IIgs is that be in good shape. 993·0294) has a VT·220 emulation mode, but my locally built hard disk does not use a stan The Apple High-Speed SCSI interface is ter probably lacks the 'international character set dard adapter card. I believe the adapter card minated but expects the drive to supply tenni support you are seeking (Incidentally, this pro emulates a SCSt card but. I am nol sure. The nator power to the bus; this may also be a con gram will even run on a II Plus). There is also a ROM is marked SLS 20 v2.4 and the system sideration in pairing up your MS-DOS system. lIe/ lIc work·in·progress call Agate that will comes up using the Seven League Boot soft The Ramfast SCSI interface has a switch to handle custom character sets on the double ware on ROM. It .works well with IIgs System select whether the card supplies terminator high-resolution graphics screen (one of the Software versions up to 5.0.2 as well as ProDOS power, but with the RamFast you should not author's Intents is to support ANSf graphics 8 and appears to be a well-behaved froDOS try to eject or change the cartridge with the characters in a tenninaJ emulation)_ We 'll see if device. I am told it does not confHct with an system up and operating; the RamFast 's a reader has a suggestion.-DJD Apple SCSI card. The drive ' itself is , a 20 firmware is not currently prepared to deal with megabyte Miniscribe model 8438 in an external removable media, though C. V. Technologies is Missing IcoriS box with power supply and an OMTI 20 con· currently working on a revision to support troller card. I plan to continue to use this. drive removeable media. I have the OIlCAjC, . OIlCA/ M, and as my main Apple Itgs hard drive, with the The Apple Ilevision C SCSI interface had Orca/Desktop (latest updates). The snazzy SyQ.uesl as backup or extra storage from time problems with some SCSI adapters like the ORCA icons you displayed in the June 1990 to time. OMTI and Adaptec controllers (these con· issue are not present on my disks. Did you do . I thank you for any help you might give. . trollers are used to make a non-SCSI mecha them yourselfi' - nism act as SCSI device). We don 't have Nigel Harrison Norman S. Dafoe a a Oltawa, Ontario comprehensive grasp of cCfmpatibility issues, Singapore The word "instantan.eous " is subject to but the Apple l1igh-Speed 'SCSI card was The snazzy ORCA/DIsa_mbler icon was tricky limitations. 05/05 and ProDOS 8 occupy designed in lull compliance with the SCSI supplied with the program. The ' killer whale ' some of the same areas of memory, so'the JIgs specification. If the adapter also is in full com icon came from a freeware file on GEnie: 1 processor has to do some shuffling to SWitch pliance, things should work. Of course, the modified the .icon infonnaUon to display a operating systems, in addition lo .any files it best way to find out is to actually try it.-DJD character indicating the type 01 shell file ('C" has to get from disk. You can speed the .pro for C source, "X" for executeable, and so on) cess up by increasing the speed of the IIgs The New Print Shop for several of the common file types.-llJD (with a Tran.Warp GS or lhe newly I have. a few comments about The New Print MD·BASIC, SyQuest drive announced Zip accelerat.ors lor the JIgs) or Shop which may be of interest 10 you or your using a laster disk and interface (a hard disk With this letter I am ordering MD·BASIC. After with the Hamra.t SCSI. lor example), or both. reading the review in A2-CentraJ on disk, I had November 1990 A2-CentraJ 6,77 readers. The new version requires a lie, lie, or move, flip, or resize graphics, insert new graph and a hard disk will help reduce the time it lie-Pius witlr 128K memory (it also' runs on the ics, or change the style in which a graphic is takes to load the Appte card. The fastest solu· IIgs), runs under ProDOS 8 and is not copy·pro printed, just as text styles can be modified, lion would be the R.amfast SCSI: in timings tected. showing possibly risky but forward New graphics and fonts are, of course, includ on my figs it was close to RAH disk speed. Th e thinktng on the part of BrOderbund. The pro ed. difference between the /!amra.t and the gram and graphics libraries may thus be All in all The New Print Shop is a leap forward Apple card is more apparent in ProDOS 8; install ed on hard disk or memory expansion from the old version. It offers greater versatil ity while GS/ OS uses some extra features of the RAM disk from the Print Shop main menu, mak· and if you have the patience you cao design Apple cand to speed up access, these features ing the program much faster and more conve graphics with a great amount of detail (useful aren't available to the ProD05 8 disk drive nient in execution. Additional new features especially if you like to print large graphics in software. The Ramf'ast implements speed-up include the capability to use: more than one signs, posters, or banners). The ability to install mechanisms in the hardware and finnware on graphic (up to 26) on a page, and to use more the ' program on hard disk or RAM disk is a greal the interface card (hence its higher price) that than one font on a page. Also featured is a boon, a5'lhe program itself occupies both sides ProDOS 8 can use, since it doesn 't have to more refined preview feature, and the program of a 5.25" disk and with a system like mine know anything special about the card Itself. supports color printing. (640K, two 5.25 disks drives) it does away with The data just gets swept into memory quicker, The Graphic Editor is no match for the endless disk swapping. Of course, most people I don't happen to know if the RamWo ..... Graphic EditoH in The Print Shop Companion, in their right minds have 3.5 disks with mega would be that much faster or slower lhan but does offer the ability to design higher·reso· storage capacity while I plod through the Dark Apple's card in loading. I'd assume that the lution medium·size graphics as well as the old· Ages. time required to write to RAM is not the limit· style low·res (small) graphics. Diagonals can be Harry W. Barr III ing factor in the startup time for AppleWorks. drawn using solid-apple and arrow keys. Unfor. St. Louis, Mo. Th e solution with th e UDC is to connect tunately, for ovals and circles and such, you're We've been critical in the past of Br0der both drives to the same connector, J 1. If you on your own . If you have the old Print Shop bun d's copy protection, so the rel'elation that daisy chain the 5.25 drive off the back of the Companion you can have the convenience of theY're trying a release without protection or a .3.5 drive, the .3.5 drive shOUld operate norma/ its (low·resolution) full.featured graphic editor customized operating system ;s welcome Iy. If you boot from a disk in the 3.5 drive, the and convert your creations with The New Print news. Besides AppleWorks, The original Print system starts up with the 3.5 as drive I and 5hop to compatible disks. When I contacted Shop probably influenced more purchases of the 5.25 as drive 2 In the same slot. Br0derbund support they told me that a new Apple 1/ computers than any other program. If you leave the 3.5 drive empty and put a Companion project had been in the works, but We're glad to see the new, improved ver bootable disk in the 5.25 drive, the UDC will was scrapped. A shame , for that graphic editor sion.-DJD skip the empty drive as you boot and start up was and is a pleasure to work with. from the 5.25 disk. In this case. the UDC The New Print·Shop has a Convert routine for Disk interfaces reverses the installation order of the drives: bringing old Print Shop graphics, borders. and I own an Apple lie (enhanced) with a 3.5 the 5.25 becomes drive I and the 3.5 fonts into the ProDOS format. Don 't try to use drive and a one megabyte RAMdisk (Apple becomes drive 2. this routine if you have a Zip Chip installed in brand) in slot 5. To copy (load) AppleWorks into If you have the older Disk fI drive with a 20- your system- you can't, it will crash before you the RAM disk from the 3.5 drive takes about pin connector instead of the D-shaped connec get started- although all other features of the 100 seconds. Would the purchase of a hard tor such as the .3.5 drive uses, you can daisy program seem to work fine with the Zip Chip. If disk that uses the recent Apple High·Speed chain it using an adapter cable. (The newer you tum off the chi p before entering the COn· SCSI Significantly speed up the loading of the UDCs that we have require such an adapter as vert routine, there's no problem. RAM disk? Would loading to a RamWorks /If they now lack the 20-pin connector,)-DJD Also from the Convert menu you may list card in the auxiliary slot (3) work as well as th e files and directories on ProDOS disks, or list Apple card I currently have In slot 57 More on PFS conversions files on a 005 3.3 disk. The drawback here is My 3.5 drive is the AMR variety and the inter· The letter from Donald Lipman ("PF5: that when you convert graphics, the program face card is the Universal Disk Control/er card update". March 1990. p. 6.13) was very helpful keeps asking YOLi if you need to format a new from Laser Computer. I also have an older in converting some of my PFS:file databases to data disk. but the List Files options gives you Apple Disk II plugged into the remaining UDC AppleWorks. However, I found one discrepancy only liIenames, not even a hint of how much card slot. I have discovered the following: with using prs: File, and two omissions: space is leR on a disk. I find myself wishing I the Disk II plugged into the first connector (JI 1. step I, line 6: could open-apple-escape to TimeOut fiJeMas of the UDC)' and the AMR 3.5 plugged into the dwIge (II to (2) ter. the secon d connector (J2), the AMR 3.5 drive 2. Step Ill, at the end: The program also supports the mouse or joy transfer rate is cut by about two thirds (reads ad:j the following: ~enter open-aprle-re\:um III:.en stick. I haven 't used the Joystick but the mouse and writes take three times longer) and the is agonizingly slow in movement and you're told 'Enter print fomat' . ~ push button eject on the 3.5 inch drive is Inop 1. Step fI, 1ill.5, .ft" ' IOOI) FILE (2}.': really better off using the keyboard . I spoke erative. The 5.25 drive works fine. I have con· with Br0derbund and they recommended .tI "tban pick ..tum ..'tel each c:atogo'Y (2).' tac~d Laser Computer and talked with Toddi against using the mouse, acknowledging that Lee. J2 of the UDe does not have a power line Also, a more genera.1 solution to removing others have reported a problem with It. They to drive the electronic eject of the AMR 3.5 the leading blanks using Beagle Bros' Ultra· also recommend against · using their programs macros is the following: drive, and the reason for the'slow data transfer with the Zip Chip. but I have found that If can· rate is unknown. All the advertising says these ~.p>:
intact. If the error recurs freque.nUy, irs lime to neat color graphics wlth ~ graphics interface, I insist that they aren 't going to buy a new com check the hard disk to see if there's a bad could probably pick up a u_sed Commodore 64 puter until Apple gives the 128K Apple II the block cropping up in the Icons folder.-DJD pretty cheap and get GEeS for it. . same capabilities as the Ilgs are going to lose, Since I'm being angry ... one more thought: just as users of the Atari 400/800, Com· Not encouraged have you considered changing the little subtiUe modore 64, CP/M machines, and the 8-bit I just got the September issu e of Al·Cen· to • A journal and exchange of Apple IIgs discov Radio Shack machines have seen themselves ttal and J"m angry. eries~? It would help you play. .even more into crowded out of the m~instream of the market. I just cannot understand why anyone would the hands of Apple. The market is moving to "bigger" CPUs. What is be encouraged by what the Apple people said. Ross Mcintosh unusual Is that Apple did supply a nearly 100% It sounds like the same old stalling line we've Boulder. Colo. compalfble upgrade path in the IIgs. They just been heanng. Maybe you all have more infor I agree that ·Apple hasn't done its part In 10'llot to try and sell it.-DJD mation on the inside that you can't let out, but insuring that good serious applications exist from what I read in A2·Cenual and have read for the Apple II or IIgs. Ask /lamey Stone about Give us our IIgs elsewhere, I feel that Apple is pulling the same the kind of comarkeling support he gets for DB I'm a teacher in a french college, and last stunts (Le" shoveling manure to see if anything Master and I'm sure he'll agree. Many people week I was at a conference where new audiovi· grows). seem to be 100% saliSfied with AppleWorks sual tools were prese nted to math teachers. I might be slightly more aSsured if I had with some enhancements such as TimeOut, At home, for private use, I have a lIgs and I bought a IIgs. Even then, many of the changes and AppfeWorks (as you menUon) can be fitted thought it could be imeresting for other teach seem to be token or appeasement. For those to run on older systems (but it runs better on ers to see HyperStudio working. I said I'd like to who decided not to mortgage all the houses on the lie and IIc and, we think, on the IIgs). The make a very short presentation. their block just to get a computer, and have only cure I can see to alleviate Uris and to gen Our lecturer thought it was a good idea. my something older than the IIgs, I guess Apple erate the kinds of applications that you seem proposal was accepted, and I was given a few believes that nothing is too good for us so to be interested in is to convince a company minutes to do so ... that's what they are giving us. that they will make money if they write them . T.wo hours later all attendees were still To be fair, I have to admit it might be nice to This doesn't seem to be happening with any around my computer. Nobody knew about this have a IIgs, but I don't do much music or graph regularity except for Beagle Bros products and software, nobody knew about this computer; ics and I'm not worried about playing games a variety of curriculum-related educationaJ.soft nobody had ever heard their names, nobody with super neato sounds and stuff, 1 just want ware. Part of that Is due to the success of thought it could exist, Apple France had forgot to do a little number, word , and data crunch AppleWorks; part of it is due to Apple's market· ten to tell teachers they sell a computer nam ed ing-most of which I can do with AppleWorks ing tactics severely hanqicaPRing developers the IIgs. They sell the Mac Plus, Mac SE, or Mac (and AppleWorks even works on a II Plus or who want to seek caplital for Apple II projects 1J,... and so on ... Franklin 1000). I would be a lot more interested ("What? You want money , to write a IIgs But everybody applauded at the end of my in the capabilities of the IIgs if It were about database program? We can't invest in that. If it show: yes, it's the very computer we needed one-third the- cost. But then, if I despeartely were a f1ac program ... "). If you consider laking they said. HyperStudio lived up to our dreams ... wanted a computer that could do music and Apple to task for the latter problem ' playing In our schools we don 't need Macs, they are into their hands", I'm very puzzled as to what too big and too expensive, so we purchase XT direction we could take that would help (writ· or AT clones .... and we don't have HyperStudio. A2-Central '" ing the database ourselves is not an option; it's Here tn France a llgs is not too expensive. We enough of a project putting out a mqnthly get one with 1.2 megabytes of RAM and soft newsletter). ware, and a good PC Xl is sold at a similar This is said in a spirit of trying to point out price. Apple dealers only sell Macs, and discour © Copyright 1990 by that to a large extent we have met the enemy, age the poor guy who wants to get a Ilgs. I saw • in an Apple computer shop a bill on which an A2·Central and they is us. As long as Apple /I users expect Mast nj11s (eSe!Yed. All ~ pu bl istlid fl A2-~ntral ~e p..tIic things to happen out of the good graces of Apple dealer had written: "Th e IIgs is not a good domain ani may 00 copiid and ckstriUOO wi!tlo ut d1arge_ ~ user ~ businessmen, the situation will not improve. choice .. ,~. Apple lie or IIc owner.:; who want a and SI!1"tkam irtJeIs -may obtain permisOOn to rep.1nt arrdes IfOOl rill&'10 lime new computer sometimes purchase a Mac but by speare written request. Businesses are intended to make mon ey, and apparenlly Apple had not been convinced in mu ch more often se lect a PC clone. Edited by: fuzeau Rene Dennis Doms the past that (a) the Apple If is a source of rev enue to be cultivated rather than pruned~ and Chateaunev(, France With Ileltl from: Tom Weistlaar Sally Dwyer Dean Esmay (b) that not supporting the Apple /I is costly to That 's been our experience, too, both local Joyce Hammond Jeff Neuer Jay Jennings them. Ralph Russo did manage to convince me ly and based on our maif. Apple seems to think Tom Vanderpool Jean WeIshaar that. although Apple has not acted accordingly the answer is less expensive f1acs. Readers A2·~nlral. -! i!JeIj Open-Ap~ through.linla!y. 1~ tleen p.b yet. that they do realize that th e Apple II is a seem to feel that the choices allowed by MS i.5hed monthly sn:.e .Iaro:JaIy- I96S. Won:i-wkIe ~ ~ r. u.s. dollars: airrT'o'li share of their market that could come back to DOS machines are more akin to the fleXibility delf.oery ~