Re: Old Apple2. where to start?

[pubpc1@library.ucla.edu]

karai@midway.uchicago.edu (Lorentz Force) wrote:
>        Hello all:
>
>        When I was in Jr. High, my parents bought a IIgs, and neither
>me nor my parents really had much of a clue about what a computer was
>for, so after using it to play some games and type up my college
>essays, there is not much that we did with it.  Now my parents want to
>get rid of it, and I for one do not want to see it go.  So I want to
>bring it back to working condition.  Just a couple of problems:  since
>I did not knowwhat an OS was back then, I just popped in program disks
>at boot time, and never actually used the desktop.  (computer is
>diskless and 512k ram)
>
>        So not only do I not know what system it came with, I don't
>have the boot disk or anything.  I've read FAQs about the history of
>the Apple II, but I am not quite sure whether its supposed to run
>ProDOS or what.  Was the desktop (the GUI, with the garbage can and
>Mac style pulldown menues) a precursor to the MacOS?
>
>        Anyway, can I download an OS for the computer somewhere?  I'd
>really like to see it up and running, and doing something useful.  I
>am willing to get my knuckles dirty, and I'm nowhere near as clueless
>as I used to be.  (2 linux systems on homebrewed PCs)
>
>        Can someone out there help me bring back my GS?
>
>                                                        thanks


Lorentz, you are in for a treat.  GS software has come a long way
since the time when the "desktop" was an optional program.  The
GS's native OS is GS/OS, a modular OS that can accept drivers and
foreign filesystems with ease and has an integrated GUI that is
almost identical to MacOS.  It is not a precursor to MacOS, but
an independent creation of Apple.  The latest version can read
and write Macintosh disks and read MS-DOS disks (with the right
drive).

Even more good news, if you are a linux fan, you may like to
investigate the version of UNIX called GNO/ME for the GS.  Sold
by EGO Systems, GNO/ME will give you a UNIX style shell and
command line that you are familiar with.  And yes, it implements
pre-emtive multitasking of processes.

All this progress comes at a cost.  Modern GS software requires
4MB to 8MB of memory.  The good news is that if you have any 1MB
SIMM modules lying around, you can use these with the Sirius
memory board for the GS.  You should also get a hard drive for
the computer (it can use both SCSI and IDE/EIDE hard drives with
the right controller card).

Hop over to Alltech Electronics (http://www.allelec.com/) and
Sequential Systems (http://www.sequential.com/) to find the
needed upgrade peripherals.  I recommend you get a Sirius memory
board from Alltech Electronics and fill it with your spare 1MB
SIMM modules to boost your GS computer's memory to 8 megabytes.
You might also want to pick up a 500 megabyte Focus hard disk
drive from Alltech.  Alltech sells the Focus drive preformatted
with GS/OS with System 6.0.1, so you get the OS preinstalled.

For software, I recommend AppleWorks GS v1.1, also from Alltech.
They carry it for $15 and it includes a nice graphical GUI
word processor, a draw/paint program, spreadsheet, a nice DB
module that supports graphics, and a page layout module that
resembles an early version of PageMaker.  With the right addon,
you can use TrueType fonts on the GS.

If you have an spare SCSI CD-ROM drive lying around, there are
CD-ROMs for the GS!  Look at them at http://www.crl.com/~joko
(Joe Kohn's SSII organization) and http://www.sequential.com/
(Sequential Systems).

As you well know with your PCs, more memory and hard drive space
is better.  The same thing applies on the GS.  Have fun!

-Scott G.