Re: Things to do with an extra 65C816 CPU

[Bryan Villados <news001@nospam_macgeek.org>]

>      "Although the Apple I was easier to begin using than the Altair (thanks
> to its built-in ROM code), it was still a time consuming process to set it
> up to do something useful.  Steve Wozniak would have to type in about 3K of
> hexadecimal bytes before BASIC was ready to use.  He could do it in about 20
> to 30 minutes, but he almost knew the code by heart.  The typical user was
> more limited in ability to use BASIC on the Apple I."
> 
> We users of modern computers are wimps compared with Woz!
> Any Apple II fan who hasn't read this document should take a look. I found
> it a facinating read, and it includes a lot of technical info on the
> hardware/software as it evolved.
> -Paul

I'm with Paul on that thought... Though I used Applesoft BASIC for most
of my Apple II life, I was one of a handful of guys in my users group
who wrote more assembler than BASIC. The philosophy I'm trying to
spread with the device is not to demonstrate how practical and useful
it is, but rather this is how our fathers programmed their computers.
Trying to show this as a software application won't push the point
because the newbie will still see a modern computer. But if they see a
dinky box with LEDs and switches, it'll send a visual message, along
with a mental message, of the complexity and the enginuity of
programming a CPU.

Thanks to you guys for the information that poured in so far. Yeah, I'm
going to stick with the 6502A chip that I have and save the 65C816 for
something else.

---
Bryan G Villados
Curator, Apple Museum-for-a-Day
Pearl City, Hawaii

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