Distributing Getting Started disks to new users

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

     Since we seem to be getting ever more requests for "boot disks" from new
or returning Apple II users, it may be time to consider having a few good
places to direct the requests.

     By a "good place" I mean an individual or users' group which is 
reasonably close to the user so that postage costs are not too high and which
sends out disks which include ...

1- DOS 3.3 System Master and BASICS disk
   Side 1: System Master-- mainly can load in Int BASIC and includes a
   number of classic programs like CopyA, Animals, Lemonade Stand, ...
   Side 2: BASICS-- allows booting 13-sector disks

2- DOS 3.3 Utilities (bootable 'fast DOS 3.3' EsDOS or Protodos)
   Side 1: includes DOS 3.3 Copy II Plus (e.g. v5.5), Disk Muncher, Joystick
   Tester, graphics displayer, Program Writer, etc. (i.e. something like the
   TNILUTIL disk available in ShrinkIt disk and disk image form on several
   archive sites).
   Side 2: includes 64k version of ShrinkIt SHRINK and UNSHRINK, Apple II
   ADT, ...

3- ProDOS Utilities (bootable ProDOS v1.9 with mod to allow booting on
   Franklin 1000 series)
   Side 1: Includes ProDOS Copy II Plus (e.g. v7.4) Utilities, graphics
   displayer, Block Warden, Program writer, etc. (i.e. something like the
   PDUTIL disk available in ShrinkIt disk and disk image form on several
   archive sites).
   Side 2: includes current 8-bit ShrinkIt, DSK2FILE, ...

4-6 ModemMGR: DOS 3.3 and ProDOS on three diskettes


at a price of around $1 per disk. So, the usual total cost to a user would be
something like $10. If the supplier includes some sort of docs sheet briefly
describing each program, cost might be a few dollars higher.


     Perhaps some established vendor would be interested in putting such a
package together. How ever it is done, we need a better approach for dealing
with the getting started software needs of new users.



Rubywand