Re: Internet to Apple II

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

Gavin.Haines@tesco.net (Gavin) wrote:

>Here is the proceedure

That's the procedure for transferring disk images to Apple II
systems running ProDOS 8.  Most of the stuff does not
apply to an Apple IIGS system running System 6.0.1 in
the transfer of .shk and .sdk files (for example, from the
ground ftp server).  .shk is a file archive format, much like
.zip is to the PC.  Logical, if you think about it.  Disk images
are not logical except for special disks with their own OS
or for emulators...they are not compressed!

>1. Log into the Internet using a Macintosh, download the disk images
>using Internet Explorer, save onto a ProDOS formatted floppy disk.

On a IIGS running System 6.0.1 (or even 5.0.4 with the HFS
FST from 6.0 or 6.0.1), this step is not necessary.  The IIGS
Finder can copy the file right off the HFS disk.  It can even
use the file on the HFS disk.

>2. On the GS, use "CopyIIplus 8.4" to make a duplicate of the 3.5" disk

On the IIGS, you can do many more things than this.  First,
you'd be using Finder to copy your disk, not Copy II Plus.
In fact, Copy II Plus is lethal to IIGS program files that contain
resource forks.  These forks are essential for IIGS program
and data files but Copy II Plus trashes them.

>3. Run "Unfork" to remove resource forks. This acts on an entire disk
>which is why you have to copy it first. ProDOS cannot read forked files
>which the Mac creates, often with empty resource forks. The data fork
>contains the disk image.

You do not have to do this on a IIGS.  If the file is .shk, the
Finder will extract the files within the archive whether the
archive has or has not a resource fork.  But the Mac only
puts the empty resource fork on the file IF you use the Mac
to transfer to a ProDOS disk anyway.  Keep it on an 800k
HFS disk and let the IIGS copy the file from HFS to ProDOS
and you won't get your resource fork.  That's the fault of
PC Exchange.  The IIGS' HFS FST does not have this
problem.

>4 "Dsk2file" does the transfer to 5.25" disks.

Makes sense if you are using ProDOS 8.  Note, however,
that there is a program called DOS 3.3 Launcher.  With it,
you can run ProDOS order (.po) disk images FROM THE
IIGS FINDER!  Just keep the disk images on your IIGS hard
drive of 3.5" floppy drive!  ;-)  Why mess with 5.25" disks?

>5. If you get "error -37" on the Mac trying to save a file to a ProDOS
>disk, it is entirely due to the file's name. A name may be legal on a
>Mac (HFS) disk but yet illegal on a ProDOS disk

The IIGS can use both HFS and ProDOS.  If you copy a file
from HFS to ProDOS using the IIGS Finder, the IIGS gives
you an option of automatically making the names legal.

> Here are the rules: 
>HFS names may contain any character except the colon (:). Disk names may
>be up to 27 chars long. File and folder names may be up to 31 chars
>long.
>ProDOS names must begin with a letter. They may be up to 15 chars long
>and may contain letters, digits and periods.
>
>If you get error -37, simply change the file name before copying.

Not necessary on the IIGS under System 6.0.1.  By the way,
I have two HFS partitions on my 1GB IIGS hard drive and my
Zip disks are formatted HFS on my IIGS, so I know HFS works
on the IIGS and works well.

>There used to be a web site up which gave a step by step guide to
>getting files off the net and onto an Apple ][ by various methods.
>These instructions have now vanished, possibly because they allowed
>owners of the original apple ][ to add to their disk libraries without
>paying: Many small shopkeepers know little about computers and still
>hold stock which they hope to sell. In the town where I live, there is a
>"Tandy" shop where the owner is like this.  He's got a family to support
>on just the takings from the shop and he's absolutely furious with the
>Internet.  Out the back there are shelves and shelves of outdated stuff
>for things like the TRS-80!
>
>The law in some countries is very sympathetic to business, but in other
>countries it favours the consumer.  Computer software can be declared
>out of copyright in one country, but restrictions can still be in force
>in another. The situation for the Apple ][ is that it was originally an
>American computer, and in the US, you can be taken to court for damaging
>a firm's business by supplying software for a machine which the
>manufacturer has declared obsolete.  Although this isn't fair, there is
>too little money involved to make it worth fighting a case.   If you
>phone Apple Computer themselves and ask what the position on the Apple
>][ is, they just say "That old thing?  It's all in the public domain."

I'm not going to comment on this except to say that if the you
think the IIGS is all about 8-bit software on 5.25" disk images,
you are mistaken.  The computer has a whole other side that
shares a lot in common with an Amiga 1000 or Atari ST.

Play MODs on the IIGS.  Do wavetable synthesis.  Play
Wolfenstein 3D.  Compose music.  Desktop publish.  Use
TrueType fonts and ink jet or laser printers.  Even hook directly
into the Internet using TCP/IP, web browse, and ftp.  Also,
display graphics using modes that produce results similar to
Amiga HAM.  And compose HyperCard stacks and/or run
the ones others have created.

If you want software that can do this, you must look beyond
the old commercial 8-bit stuff to the freeware and shareware
16-bit IIGS specific stuff found at the ftp server called ground.
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/apple16/ is the URL to
the IIGS section.  This stuff is cool!

By the way, as late as a year and a half ago, people were
calling up Apple and asking for permission to distribute their
system software.  They were then granted licenses to do so.
Free of charge, of course, but with legalese (like you can't
rip off the IIGS Finder desktop and put it in a competing OS
in a higher resolution to compete against Mac and so on...
look and feel issues, you know).