Re: IIgs question.

[jonrelay@napanet.net (Jon Bettencourt)]

In article <3A02C63C.BFCB83C0@usb.com>, Dennis Jenkins <dennis@usb.com> wrote:

> Hello all,
> 
>         Is there a FAQ about the IIgs that can answer all of my questions
> listed below?
> 
>         I finally got an ADB cable so I can use me IIgs and Mac-LC II.  After
> paying attention (it helps sometimes) to the IIgs, I have learned that
> it is indeed a ROM01 in a 'woz' case.  Yippie for me?  Anyway, I was
> playing around in the control panel and noticed that I can toggle slot
> #7 from 'user card' to 'appletalk', but only if I turn off the modem
> and/or the printer.  I've never had a IIgs before, and I have no books
> on one, so I didn't know exactly what this could do for me (I'm a unix
> guy, but I've heard of Appletalk.  It is just a network implementation
> that runs on top of IEEE 802.3, right?)

No idea.

> My linux box can do 
> Appletalk.  Can I link the IIgs to my Unix box and have them share
> files?  What OS on the IIgs do I need to accomplish this?

You need to get GS/OS 6.0.1 and create a boot disk with the AppleTalk
software on it. GS/OS 6.0.1 is downloadable from Apple's FTP site.

I don't know if there's something for Linux that will do this, but if you
have a Mac and install the AppleShare 3 server with some optional files,
you can have the IIgs boot off the network.

>         Also, what is the 'smart-port' device on slot #5?  I have heard people
> on this group talk about it, but they already know what it is, so they
> don't bother to elaborate on it.  What can I do with this device?

The SmartPort device is a kind of disk drive port that supports different
kinds of drives. The device on slot 5 is for 3.5" floppy drives. Slot 6 is
for 5.25" drives.

>         What does 'enable alternate video output' do.  I toggle it back and
> forth and notice nothing.  My IIgs is connected to my Apple Color
> Composite Monitor via a RCA cable.

There is an area of memory that can be used as a second text screen. Not
very many programs use it, but a few do.

The space the IIgs uses for video (among other things) is from $E00000 to
$E1FFFF. But old programs can't write the data to there, so they write to
$000000 to $01FFFF instead. Once in a while the IIgs copies the data from
$000000-$01FFFF to $E00000-$E1FFFF to update the video screen. However, it
doesn't normally copy the second video page, so programs that use it won't
display right. The Alternate Video Mode makes it copy this other page.

-- 
Jon Bettenct * programmer, writer, mathematician, and Lisa Simpson fan
jonrelay@napanet.net * http://dimension18.cjb.net * AIM: tamchel215718
           Tammies Rock! @ http://dimension18.cjb.net/mylar/
              E+PI=4EVER @ http://dimension18.cjb.net/hsm/