Re: Vindicate the Apple IIGS

["Thomas R. Wyant, III" <NO@SPAMMING>]

<snip!>

> I've
> tried to download Kermit for the IIGS and part of it is binscii'ed.  So,
I
> downloaded binscii.exe to a Mac that was connected to the net, copied it
to an
> Apple II (not Mac) formated floppy.  When I type 'cat' the IIGS reads the
disk
> and tells me binscii.exe is there but when I type 'exec binscii.exe' I
get a
> FILE TYPE MISMATCH error.  Under cat binscii.exe's type is $00 which I
think is
> wrong.  

> 1. What did I do wrong?  

It's not obvious from your description. My best guess is that the MAC
assumed that your binscii.exe should be downloaded in binary mode, when
it's really text.

My recollection from ten years ago is that I didn't need binscii to install
Kermit, though you're better off with it. Kermit-65 can (or could!) be
installed completely from exec files; you exec one to load the base Kermit,
and one to load the line driver appropriate to your configuration. Then you
save the whole thing. I also remember that part of Kermit got clobbered by
the save operation, and certain commands would crash. So I ended up using
the crippled Kermit to grab shrinkit and binscii, and then reconstituting
Kermit anew from the binscii-ed shrinkit archive.

> 2. Is there anyway I can download stuff to a PC and transfer it to her
3.5"
> 800K Apple IIGS floppy drive?

No. The low-level formatting is different, and there is no such thing as an
800K PC floppy; it's 720K.

> 3. If no one can answer 1 & 2 or direct me to internet sites that help
explain
> this, does anyone have ready to run Apple IIGS software for sale that can
make
> use of the modem and dial up to an ISP for text-based internet and
e-mail? BTW,
> she has no Hard Drive and the floppy that loads her GUI (that's GS/OS I
guess?)
> is corrupt.

Hmm. That IS a problem. At the moment, to the best of my knowledge, GS/OS
does not support TCP/IP, though there is a project under way. However, this
does not make your GS useless. What you have to do is find some
organization that will let you dial in as a regular character-cell terminal
user, and that supports the Lynx web browser. FTP can also be done "by
hand", after which you transfer your stuff to your computer with Kermit (or
whatever).

I should think, however, that a good system floppy would be your first
priority.

One way to get help is through Apple's user group connection, at
http://www2.apple.com/usergroups/ or (last I heard) 800-538-9696. I suspect
that they are predominantly Mac people, but I also suspect that you'll find
an old Apple II user or two among them.

-- 
Tom Wyant
111651 055264 070200 @ 074517 013463 064144 102717 055274 012445
Take THAT, spammers!