Re: More ??? was [Re: Newbie at Apple IIgs]

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

Robert Strachan <g3man@macol.net> wrote:

>Hi!
>
>I'm back  and I'm confused!
>
>1. It was recommended to upgrade the IIgs to 4 megs. Okay, is that ROM or RAM?
or
>what?

RAM.

>2. Why is there such a difference in the kinds of memory, price wise? Is it
>because of one being for RAM and the other ROM?

No, the main reason is because the Sirius card by Alltech is the
cheapest but most powerful and puts all others to shame.

Stick with the Sirius and you can't lose.  For example, if you have
1MB SIMMs from an old Mac lying around, you can get the Sirius
with 0MB and populate it with eight 1MB SIMMs from your old
Mac.  That's the cheapest solution of all.  You can get 8MB cheap.

>3. Is the 'FocusDrive' for $59 from Alltech the cheapest way to get a hard
drive
>for the IIgs? It doesn't have to be large (yet).

This is generally cosidered the cheapest new solution.  If you
are interested in used hardware, that might be different.  The
Focus is a deal because you get software, a hard drive, and
a controller card all in one package.

>4. I hear talk about needing a controller card for a hard drive, are they
>expensive and what kind to I need?

You don't need a controller card for the Focus.  The drive
and the card are one and the same.  If you want to use
a generic SCSI or IDE hard drive, then you need a separate
card.

>5. What's this I've read about a Super Serial Card?

The Super Serial Card is an add on serial port for the Apple
IIe, which has no built in ports.  You don't need one for the
IIGS because it has better built in ports that can go faster
(up to 57.6k with modems and 230k with AppleTalk).

>6. What if I wanted to use my ZIP (SCSI) drive on it?

Then you need to find a RamFAST or Apple High Speed
SCSI card either new or used.  The RamFAST is pretty
expensive new (http://www.sequential.com/) but both cards
should cost a lot less used.  Be aware, though, that the price
of a used RamFAST sometimes rivals that of a NEW Focus.

SCSI Zip units work great on the IIGS.  Unlike on other
computers, Zip drives can boot on the IIGS so they can
substitute as your primary hard drive.

>7. It may be overkill but I have a Global Village 33.6. Can I use that? Does
it
>need another cable? (other than the one it came with)

Yes, it can used and the cable, if it is for Mac, is fine.  A good
software package for it is http://www.intrec.com/ Intec's
ProTERM 3.1 for the Apple II.

>Unless you know what you want, the descriptions in the catalogs aren't very
>helpful and it makes making an informed choice very hard. Especially when it
isn't
>your money :-) I have about $80 to get this IIgs online. Can it be done?
Remember,
>it's mostly for email. My personal opinion is to get her online, then when she
>wants more, upgrade. So my choices now can't be expensive or a dead-end
choice.

If that's the case, then it may be possible to forgo the memory
and hard drive upgrades in the short term.  For example,
ProTERM 3.1 is one of the few full featured programs that
requires little memory.  It can really use a hard drive, but
can survive without one.  Thus, if you want to stay within the $80
budget, just get ProTERM from Intrec and connect the Global
Village 33.6 to the IIGS modem port, then boot the software
and configure it.  Port speed should be set to 57.6k for a modem
of this speed.

Note that this means the computer is pretty much a dedicated
email terminal because without more memory and a hard
drive, it can't run many of the software that take advantage
of the IIGS' special capabilities.  You won't be able to play
Wolfenstein 3D or connect using TCP/IP or run FTP on
the IIGS.  Thus, you need to find an ISP that supports the older
style dial up UNIX shell accounts (for example, www.crl.com).
BUT, you get VT100, Zmodem, and many other terminal
emulations and transfer protocols.

Good luck!