Re: Woz IIgs ROM version?

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

In article pubpc1@library.ucla.edu writes...

>Cameron Kaiser wrote:
>> Hi all:
>>
>> I apologize if this is FAQqed.
>>
>> Some friends and I just came into a Woz IIgs that the school we work for
>> was getting rid of. Knowing vaguely that ROM versions differ, we tried to
>> find the ROM version of it but couldn't find it on bootup or in the
>> Control Panel. Any ideas (or ways we could find out, short of opening it
>> up)? If we need to upgrade, who could we contact?
>
>If you see no ROM under the "Copyright Apple Computers 1979-1986"
>label in the boot screen, you have a ROM 0.  Go to Alltech's web
>site (http://www.allelec.com/) to get the upgrade chips.

    Where did you come up with that? The original Apple IIgs firmware
(ROM 00) did _not_ display a copyright notice on the screen, in fact
it started up with the same type of splash screen used by all 8-bit
Apple II's (minus the first II); just the name displayed at the top 
center of the screen, in this case: "Apple IIgs".

    Only the ROM 01 and ROM 3 displayed a copyright notice and ROM
revision on the same splash screen. Incidentally, the three lines
of information read: "Copyright Apple Computer, Inc. 1977-198x",
"All Rights Reserved.", "ROM Version xx". Again, none of this will
appear on a ROM 00 display when it is powered up or warm booted.

>> While on the subject, is anyone selling a colour monitor we could use with
>> this?
>
>Go the http://www.allelec.com/
>
>If you have an S-video TV, you can also use the Video Turtle to
>connect it.
>
>If you want to connect an SVGA monitor, see http://www.sequential.com/

    Or you can spend a couple of dollars and purchase an AppleColor RGB
monitor, the official display made for the Apple IIgs (and aesthetically
the most pleasing, since it completes the look of the machine). It is
also by far the best display to show off the GS's colors. I'm sure you
can purchase one these days for as little as US$25.

    Using a television set (regardless of the interface) is a very poor
solution, I would not all at recommend it. A Second Sight connected to
an SVGA monitor would be more usable, in many ways more so than the old
Apple RGB screen (better dot pitch, larger screen) but it doesn't do a
passable job at emulating Apple IIgs video modes. Even at its best, the
640 mode will no longer have solid colors with the dithering becoming
quite apparent. Having a monitor that can do higher refresh rates would
be nice, but does the Second Sight allow you to set the screen to higher
than 60 Hz? (i.e. 75-85 Hz refresh). Anyone know?

>>Or will any composite monitor do?
>
>No way.  Composite color monitors have too little bandwith.

    For displaying 80 columns text it is not usable, but if you want to
use it to display emulation mode graphics (Low/High Res, Double Low/High
Res) it should be just fine.

    If you plan to use the Apple IIgs to display native Super-High-Res
graphics, than a color composite display is out of the question. While
you may occasionally get recognizable color images from it, the majority
of the time you'll get a messy, blurry image, often with rainbow and
fringing patterns on many colors. If you _must_ use a composite display
on the IIgs, use a monochrome monitor and set the 'Display' type option
in the Control Panel to "Monochrome" (this allows the GS to display
graphics in shades of grey, green or amber, depending on the color of
your monochrome display).

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca