Re: Wanted: answers for now...

[Eric Shepherd <sheppy@sheppyware.net>]

in article noneoy-6A3B83.20521923062000@news.nconnect.net, firead at
noneoy@rbiznes.org wrote on 6/23/00 6:52 PM:

> 1) I can't get 5.25 disk with apps to run. When I attempt to mount apps
> within GSOS 5.0 I get a message to initialize them. If I attemtp to
> start up off them I get the 'check startup device' message. Some misc.
> disks with just data on them mount from within the GSOS. IS the drive
> damaged or is there a trick to running apps off a 5.25 disk?

Odds are your 5.25" disks contain DOS 3.3 file systems, or other disk
formats.  These can't be used in System 5.  Instead, put the disk in the
5.25" drive and boot it directly.  You can do this in several ways:

1. Get to a BASIC prompt and type "PR#6"

2. Enter the control panel (Ctrl-Apple-Esc, choose Control Panel from the
list), go to the Slots menu, and set the startup slot to 6.  Make sure Slot
6 is set to "Disk Port".  Then reboot.

3. Do the same thing but set the startup slot to Scan.  This will scan your
drives at boot to find one to boot from.
> 
> 2) I see there's a TCP stack for the GSOS but what about for gno?

GNO is a shell that runs on top of GS/OS; Marinetti (the IIgs TCP stack) can
be used from GNO.

>> 3) Is gno really unix for the IIGS. I don't expect to run X Windows or
> anything but that could be interesting....

No.  It's a preemptive multitasking environment that runs on top of GS/OS
that uses a command-line shell and API very similar to Unix, but it's not
really Unix.  It's relatively easy to port most Unix sources to run on it
though.

> 4) I noticed in another posting that there are only 60 MB drives being
> made anymore. If gno needs takes up more than that what's one supposed
> to do.

Not sure where you heard anything about 60 MB drives, but you can run GNO on
a 32 MB partition easily enough.

> 5) Are there any adapters to make the IIGS use Mac/PC monitors?

The only way to do this is to find a Second Sight VGA card for the IIgs.
These are pretty hard to come by nowadays; not many were made because in
general they weren't very good.  The only real point to them is that they
let you hook up a VGA monitor, and 15 years after the IIgs was released,
IIgs monitors are starting to die.

> 6) Why is it that a computer that people are practicaly giving away
> costs so much to upgrade?! It looks like it would take $200 to upgrade
> the RAM to 8MB and get a HD (assuming I can find someplace that has
> them).

For a number of reasons.  The computers were discontinued years before the
products to upgrade them were.  Also, the computers are very easy to get;
there are millions of Apple IIs out there.  The upgrade components, on the
other hand, are harder to get, and therefore command a higher price.

> 7) Should I just take it out and shoot it?

I wouldn't.  The IIgs can be a lot of fun, and the community is by and large
a great group of people to talk to and get to know.

> 8) Assuming 7 above is false and I get intersting answers there will be
> more guestions :-)

Fire away as needed. :)


-- 
Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd
Creating software for everyone!
http://www.sheppyware.net