Re: Apple//c newbie questions

[gkomatsu@Hawaii.Edu (Galen Tatsuo Komatsu)]

In article <8OCT199805534625@vax2.concordia.ca>,
Mitchell Spector <spec@vax2.concordia.ca> wrote:
>In article gkomatsu@Hawaii.Edu (Galen Tatsuo Komatsu) writes...
>>       Is there anything notable to distinguish them from a not-old
>>Disk ][ controller?
>[...]
>Some of the early controllers had a sticker showing a red apple logo
>with the number "16" in the middle to indicate it was upgraded or
>pre-shipped with the newer PROMs. They've been around since DOS 3.3.

	ah, so that's that what that is.  I've come across that sticker
once or twice and was curious about it for maybe ten seconds.  Figured
it had something to do with the 13/16 sector matter, but didn't bother
to go any further on the matter.


>>       Will the RGB port work with the monitor on my GS?
>    No, as it does not have an RGB port. What it does have is a
>video expansion port, providing the necessary signals to use a

	Yup, someone pointed that out to me in mail.  When I saw
the icon next to the port, I just figured, "uhh, 3 spots in a box,
must be RGB..."  But I was a bit puzzled about the icon since I have
the RF switchbox (bought separately some time ago) and that same icon
is on it next to an RCA connector.  And unless this is some special
whiz-bang-spaceage-technology switchbox, I figured this is far from
being an RGB device.
	So then, this means, in order to use this switchbox with
my IIc, I'll have to find a special cable?  


>As I'm sure you know, both the Apple and C-Vue LCD screens were not
>really passable as far as viewability goes (and that is going
>by standards in the mid-80's, I'm not talking about today).

	yup, kinda know that from reviews I've read. (I have a vague
picture in my head of an InCider review with an image of the display
showing a squat troll competing in Summer Games or MS Decathlon...
But it'll be something cool to have if I ever find one. (I didn't buy
that RF switchbox because I needed a switchbox... ;^)


>    Well some software hardcoded to work with a Disk II connected
>to a controller card sometimes won't work (Broderbund's Drol and
>Karateka come to mind, which is also a problem with the IIgs and
>its disk port).

	NOOOOO!!!! =^)  I was investigating some stuff the other
night using an emulator and while I was ftp'ing the disk images I
grabbed Drol and tried playing it.  I couldn't get the speed and
joystick support "juuust right," so I figured, hey, dig up my old
disk and play it on my "new" IIc.  I guess not... =^(


>    You should also know built-in devices are mapped to virtual
>slots, such as the mouse mapped to "slot 4" (moved to "slot 7" on
>the ROM 3, 4 and IIc+) the internal floppy mapped to "slot 6" and
>a UniDisk 3.5 mapped to "Slot 5".

	Out of curiosity, where does the third 5.25 get mapped?
I assume the internal is S6,D1, the first external is is S6,D2, how 
about the second external?


>[...] There were two major motherboard revisions, four firmware
>revisions and of course, the IIc Plus which was a whole new machine.
>I'll leave the discription of the differences between them all for
>another post. :-)

	Take your time, I'm not going anywhere soon. =^)

--- These people owe me stuff ---
Josh Smith (aka "itsme")   :  $17.00 + various specified videogame items
     (http://www2.hawaii.edu/~gkomatsu/JSmith/js.html)
Ben Cureton ("tragic")     :  $85.00