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

[Mike Kent <Mkent01@mariner.cris.com>]

Robert Strachan <g3man@macol.net> wrote:
> 1. It was recommended to upgrade the IIgs to 4 megs. Okay, is that ROM or RAM? or
> what?

This may not be absolutely necessary.  The GS will work fine with 1.25 Meg
of RAM, which is pretty much the standard configuration.  If you can turn
the GS on, access the CDA menu (by hitting command-control-escape), and
enter the control panel, it should tell you how much RAM you have.  Also,
if you can tell us whether it is a ROM 0, a ROM 1, or a ROM 3, that would
help us recommend upgrade options.  You can tell that by what it says on
the text screen when you first turn the GS on.

Mind you, 4 Megs will be better for loading the Finder up with lots of
bells and whistles and for using some of the newer software such as the
web browser (of sorts) and Wolfenstein-3D.  But 1.25 is OK for the average
novice user.

> 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).

A hard drive is highly recommended, but it isn't absolutely necessary.
You can boot into GS/OS and the Finder and run a telecom program, a word
processor, a spreadsheet, etc. without a hard drive.  You may end up
swapping disks more often than you like but if you're on a severe budget,
that's the price you may want to pay.

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

The Zip will work fine with the GS, but you'll need a SCSI card for it.
Either a RAMfast or an Apple Hi-Speed SCSI (sometimes called a DMA SCSI)
will do the trick.  But the SCSI card alone will probably break your $80
budget.

> 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)

If the cable that came with it is for the Macintosh, it should work.
Note: for technical reasons, the cable may limit you to a 19,200 bps
connection even on a faster modem.  If you can get on at 19,200 and want
to go faster, we'll help you resolve the cable issue.  First things first.
Let's get the GS online.

> 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.

A couple of more points:

Spectrum and ProTerm are the #1 and #2 communications programs for the
Apple II.  But, if you're on a budget, there are a couple of freeware and
shareware communications programs out there on the ftp sites that will do
the trick.  IMO, they're not as powerful or as easy to use as Spectrum and
Proterm, but they are options.

Assuming you've got a ROM 1 or ROM3 GS with at least 1.125 Meg of RAM and
a 3.5" disk drive, I'd recommend proceeding in the following order as
funds become available:

1) Download System 6.0.1 from ftp.apple.com.

2) Download a telecom program from ground.ecn.uiowa.edu.

3) Get your 33.6 modem working.

4) Find an ISP that supports both PPP and serial connections (I like
concentric.net).

5) Get a 20 Meg Focus drive from Alltech Electronics.

6) Move on to Spectrum 2.2 from Seven Hills Software (I highly recommend
this telecom program).

7) Upgrade to 4 Megs of RAM from either Alltech, Sequential, or the used
market.

You'll be up and running after step 4, and your $80 will run out between
steps 5 and 6.

Good luck.  And remember, we're here to help.

Mike