Re: The Apple ][ was cool!

[bill@wjv.com (Bill Vermillion)]

In article <9jjtve$rgh$2@bob.news.rcn.net>,
Liam Busey  <buseyl@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Matthew Russotto wrote:

>> In article <3B5B8BAA.54DFE541@krypton.rain.com>,
>> Leonard Erickson  <shadow@krypton.rain.com> wrote:

>> >And a downcheck on the hardware front for *not* using a standard disk
>> >controller chip, which made it's disks and drives incompatible with the
>> >rest of the world.

>> The 1979 (or was it '78?) Disk II was supposed to be compatible
>> with the much later IBM PC? I suppose Apple could have used an
>> MFM controller like those used for 8" floppies, but it was far
>> too expensive at the time, and would have resulted in a much
>> smaller (96K, IIRC) disk capacity.

>Has anyone seen a 'standard' disk controller of that era? Those things
>were enormous! Woz's little GRC wonder was a work of art. A cheap disk
>drive system was one of the Apple II's greatest strengths.

The WD 1777 ?? used in the TRS80 Model I was a single chip device.
That was in use in many places by 1979.


-- 
Bill Vermillion -   bv @ wjv . com