Re: Aplle IIGS

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

Keith L. Lee <k.l.lee@larc.nasa.gov> wrote:

Many of your questions would be answered by reading the FAQ (Frequently
Asked Questions list) for comp.sys.apple2, which is posted at the start
of every month, and should remain on all news servers for the whole
month.

> Hi. I have some questions I know you guys can answer. If there is a
> better or other newsgroup for these questions, please tell me.

No, comp.sys.apple2 is exactly right (though comp.sys.apple2.marketplace
is more appropriate if you want to post buy/sell messages).

> I have an Apple IIGS that I am about to sell to my girlfriend. It has a
> 3 & 1/2" drive and a 5 & 1/4" drive, Imagewriter II color printer a 14"
> screen, mouse, keyboard and all the cables needed to hook everything up.
> 
> What I want to know is how much is the entire package worth?

I haven't been paying attention to pricing of IIgs systems, but I'd say
it would be worth around US$100 to US$300.  The lack of a hard drive
limits the system's value somewhat.  You haven't said how much RAM is
installed, which makes a big difference.  I'm assuming it is the
original IIgs motherboard with ROM version 1 and Apple's memory
expansion card with 256K installed (for a total of 512K RAM).

You might get a better idea of the price range by looking at some
postings in comp.sys.apple2.marketplace, though "sell" notices tend to
give a rather optimistic price.

You can find out which ROM version is installed by looking at the screen
immediately after turning on the computer.  It should say "Apple IIgs"
on the top line, and if it has ROM version 1 or later then there is a
copyright message at the bottom of the screen, with a line that reads
"ROM Version 01" or "ROM Version 3".

If the screen only says "Apple IIgs" at the top, then it has the
original ROM ("ROM 00"), which is not supported by IIgs system software
released in 1988 or later, and is not compatible with most current
applications.  It is possible to upgrade ROM version 0 to version 1, but
I don't think Apple's free upgrade applies any longer (you may still be
able to buy the ROM upgrade from Alltech Electronics).

You can find out how much memory is installed by going into the Control
Panel's "RAM Disk" screen and looking at the "Largest Selectable" line.
Add 256K to get the total memory size (motherboard plus memory expansion
card).  The RAM can be upgraded to anything up to 4 or 8 MB by
installing a new RAM card.

The original IIgs motherboard contains 256K RAM.  A revised machine was
released in 1989, which has ROM version 3 and 1152K RAM on the
motherboard.  Both machines have a memory expansion slot which supports
cards that provide anything from 256K to 4MB of additional RAM.  Some
cards can provide more than this, taking the IIgs up to its limit of 8MB
of RAM.

It is not possible to upgrade the original IIgs to ROM version 3 without
replacing the motherboard.  Apart from the additional memory, most of
the improvements in the later machine can be gained by running recent
versions of the IIgs system software.

>  We have several software packages as well and would like to know how
> much they are worth?

Probably not much, but it depends on what they are.  For example,
AppleWorks 2.1 or earlier isn't worth much, but later versions should be
worth a bit more.

> We also want to know what software on the market is available
> for the Apple IIGS?

Not as much as there used to be.  There are a few companies selling
commercial Apple II software, but I won't mention their names in case
anyone feels left out.  :-)  See the FAQ for a reasonable starting list.

> Where would we find old software if they don't sell it at stores?

comp.sys.apple2.marketplace is a good place to start if you are looking
to buy specific old packages.  The companies still selling IIgs software
do so by mail order.

> Are Mac parts compatible with it?

To a limited extent.  For example, Apple's current Mac mouse works fine
on the IIgs, and I believe the "AppleDesign" keyboard works.  External
hard drives for the Mac can be used on the IIgs if you add a SCSI card.

Some Mac CD-ROM drives can be used, as long as you have a SCSI card, but
there are not many IIgs-specific CD-ROMs out there (you can use many
generic CD-ROMs that contain graphics, sounds, etc.)

Many Mac/PC printers can be used, given the right driver software
(usually requiring a third-party software package), though support will
be limited for most old software.

Most modems will work fine, given the right serial cable and
communications software.

There are few (if any) currently sold monitors that will work.

Mac software will not work on the IIgs.

There is no Ethernet/Ethertalk support available, but the IIgs has
LocalTalk built into the computer (the system software contains all the
necessary support).  This allows you to access networked ImageWriter II,
ImageWriter LQ or LaserWriter printers (including many third-party
Postscript printers).  You can also log onto a Macintosh file server
running AppleShare, or using the Mac System 7 "File Sharing" facilities.

> When we boot, we have to have a disk in the drive. Is this normal?

Yes.  If you had a hard drive, then you could boot the IIgs from that.
Otherwise, a floppy containing the appropriate operating system is
required (most applications include the operating system, so you can
just boot the program disk directly).

> Does this mean we have no OS?

It might mean that you don't have a recent copy of the Apple IIgs System
Software.  This should have been supplied with the computer (along with
a "tour" disk), but without knowing more about its configuration, I
can't hazard a guess as to which version you will have.

The system software allows you to launch applications from a
Macintosh-like Finder program, which also provides utility functions
such as copying files and formatting disks.

The latest (and final) version is System 6.0.1, which was released in
1993.

System 3.2 or earlier uses the ProDOS-16 operating system, which
supports ROM versions 0 and 1 (though it usually works fine on ROM
version 3 as well).

System 4.0 and later uses the GS/OS operating system, which requires ROM
version 1 or 3.

You need at least 512K of RAM to use the IIgs system software, more if
you want to run any large applications or install desk accessories or
other extensions.  System 5.0.4 or later requires a minimum of 1MB of
RAM.

System 6.0 or 6.0.1 is barely usable on a IIgs with a single 3.5" drive,
and isn't much better with two 3.5" drives.  A hard drive is strongly
recommended.  (The 5.25" drive is of very limited use for native IIgs
software, because it is slow, has limited capacity, and cannot be used
to boot the IIgs system software.)

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail Mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand