Re: GS memory expansion

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer) writes...

>spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector) wrote:
>
>>    Actually 1.25 MB will run 99% of the Apple IIgs software out there,
>>and completely suitable to someone purchasing the machine to just play
>>games, demos, educational software or even to just explore the system.
>
>I don't know about 99%.  60% of all IIGS titles ever written,

    So, your saying that if you take into account *every single
program* ever written for the IIgs over the past 12 years, over
40% of them will not at all run with 1.25 megabytes of RAM? That
is simply false.

    If I suddenly had *every* program ever written for the Apple
IIgs appear on my desk (sadly, it would not be a very large pile
of disks), and booted each disk on a ROM 01 system with 1.25 MB,
very close to 99% would start up and run. For a few programs it
would be a tight squeeze, especially once you started working
with them, but they would still run. My definition of the > 1%
that would not run, are those that would report an out of memory
error and refuse to start at all.

>maybe, but how many of those titles are still available?

    I would say a good 98% of all commercial IIgs titles ever
written are no longer available from any source. For example,
of commercial games, the only two you can still purchase today
are SpaceFox, Gate, and when it's released, KABOOM! (Wolfenstein
3D is freeware, as is LemminGS under a special arrangement).

>Of the ones that ARE available, I think probably at least 90%
>WILL NOT work with anything less than 2MB.

    Well programs written in recent years have been requiring
you have 2-4 MB memory present, but those, even combined with
programs from the past, still only make up about 1%.

>Even the old demos don't all work with 1.25MB.

    False, they all run perfectly within 1.25 MB. The only
exception is Ninjaforce's MegaDemo, which also refuses to
run unless an accelerator card is present.

>Have you ever tried running Delta Demo with no RAM card on a
>ROM 3 unit?  It freezes during the 3d apple.

    Yep, and it reports a not enough memory error. Delta Demo,
including most other European demos, look for 1.25 MB (1280K)
while the ROM 3 came shipped with only 1.125 MB (1152K). The
ROM 3 came up 128K short for the minimum required memory for
the IIgs.

>>    More than that only becomes essential if you plan on using the
>>machine as a serious tool. For example, if your going to use it for
>>word processing with TrueType fonts, or desktop publishing, graphic
>>design and complex animation, editing digital sound, etc.
>
>Or playing games.  1.25MB won't run Wolf 3D.

    Wolfenstein 3D and LemminGS are rare exceptions, and part
of that 1% figure that I'm estimating.

    If you want to talk about games, actually a great many
were written to run from a 512K or 768K system (and as you
probably know, you can boot up to System 5.0.2 on a 512K
system, though you'd be extremely limited and have almost
no available memory to launch applications).

>It won't run Out of this World.

    It certainly will, you just have to shift boot if you
have any system extensions installed.

>It won't run any game that needs GS/OS.

   I really can't think of many, other than the two given examples
above. The vast majority of games came on self-booting disks using
ProDOS 8 or ProDOS 16. Those that required you to launch them from
GS/OS almost always worked if you shift-booted.

>I still feel 1.25MB won't cut it for most of the stuff CURRENTLY
>AVAILABLE that's GS specific.

    I agree with that. 4 MB has became the current standard for
IIgs's, what with hardrives now being standard and programmers
trying to push the machine as far as it'll go. If you want to
use software coming out these days (little as there is) you do
need more than 1.25 MB, but that doesn't change the fact that
older software runs in a 1 MB memory space.

>You can't run the most basic of IIGS software, synthLAB.
>It won't run on a ROM 3 without more memory.

    Again, the ROM 3 falls short of the minimum standard by
128K. In any case, I think if you shift-boot and make sure
that Tool 35 is on the boot disk, it'll run even from a stock
ROM 3.

    In summary, if you serious about the IIgs, you should
definitely add at least 4 MB RAM. If you pick up an Apple
IIgs just to play and thinker with, then you should have
at least 1.25 MB RAM (512K/768K only lets you run really
old software, and only up to System 5.0.2).

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca