Re: Apple II Csa2 FAQs Applications

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

Supertimer <supertimer@aol.com> wrote:

> Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net> wrote:
> 
> >GS/OS- Originally called "ProDOS 16", today's installed GS/OS will
> >usually be System 5.04 or System 6.0.1. System 5.04 is appropriate for
> >1MB or smaller non-hard disk GS's. System 6.0.1 is recommended for
> >larger memory GS's with a hard disk.
> 
> According to Apple and A+ magazine, ProDOS 16 was a completely
> separate operating system from GS/OS.  ProDOS 16 was a 16-bit
> shell on top of the same old ProDOS 8 core.  It was 8-bit at heart.
> GS/OS was a clean slate and pure 16-bit OS.  Perhaps Mike
> Westerfield can shed more light on the distinction, but I'm almost
> sure ProDOS 16 and GS/OS should be classified as two separate
> and distinct operating systems.

I'll second that.  GS/OS is a complete rewrite, sharing little if any
code in common with ProDOS-16.  GS/OS emulates the ProDOS-16 calls, so
it still supports ProDOS-16 applications, but has its own native (and
more powerful) calls.

> >GS/OS is the desktop, Windows-like environment utilizing super-res
> >displays.

No it isn't.  GS/OS is the underlying operating system.  It has very
little to do with the user interface - about the only places it
interacts with the user are the boot display, error dialogs and similar.
The System Launcher (in System 6.0 and 6.0.1) is also part of GS/OS, but
it uses the toolbox for its display.

You can have text-based or non-desktop graphical programs that use
GS/OS.  ORCA/Shell and GNO/ME are the main examples of the former, and
some games are examples of the latter.

The desktop environment is created by the IIgs Toolbox, which is mostly
independent of the operating system, the main exception being the
Standard File toolset (open and save dialog boxes).

Desktop applications like Finder are dependent on both GS/OS and the
toolbox.

> AppleWorks GS 1.0 was written specifically for ProDOS 16 and
> won't run under GS/OS.

I don't think this is correct.  If I remember right, AppleWorks GS 1.0
used System 4.0 (the first system version which included GS/OS), but
misbehaves badly under System 5.0 and later.  It is probably the toolbox
changes in System 5.0 that are the problem, not GS/OS.

I don't know whether AppleWorks GS 1.0 was able to run under ProDOS-16
at all, but I expect it would have worked.

Can anyone confirm these details?  I doubt that I still have a copy of
AWGS 1.0.

> AWGS 1.1 fixed that, but it would no longer run under ProDOS 16, only
> GS/OS.

It actually requires System 5.0 or later, and won't work under earlier
system versions.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand