Re: II+ (amazing what you forget in 16 years!)

[dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff)]

David Empson (dempson@actrix.gen.nz) wrote:
: Dave Althoff <dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us> wrote:

: > It is also worth noting that the "automatic boot to BASIC" is a major
: > difference between the ][ and the ][+.  While the ][+ has Autostart ROM
: > and will automatically jump to BASIC or will attempt to boot a disk if a
: > controller is present, the original ][ starts up at a Monitor prompt and a
: > screenfull of question-marks and garbage text.

: It might not even do that.  I believe that the earliest motherboard
: revisions didn't even do a power-on reset, so you had to press the RESET
: key to get the monitor prompt after turning the machine on.  Oh how
: times have changed (thank goodness!)

: I've never used anything older than a ][+ (except via a ROM card), so I
: can't vouch to this from personal experience.

I was just going by what the A][ did that I used.  I've only ever used
*one* ][, and it didn't require pressing RESET to get a monitor prompt.

That said, the Apple ][ Reference Manual, if I recall correctly, does
explicitly state that you *do* need to press RESET upon powering up a
non-Autostart Apple ][.  That just doesn't happen to match with my
personal experience.

Incidentally, the A][ in question had 32k RAM and an Applesoft ROMcard,
but the ROMcard apparently didn't include the Autostart ROM...the switch
setting made no difference in the machine's power-up behavior.  Somehow,
the ROM card quit working, so it became a 32k Integer BASIC machine.

The interesting thing is that the case lid had the word "plus" on the
Apple logo, so the machine was visibly indistinguishable from the 48k ][+
that sat right next to it.  Well, except that the ][ had only one disk
drive while the ][+ had a pair...

--Dave Althoff, ][.
-- 
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