Getting back into the groove, and Apple IIgs upgrades

[ocl@ic.ac.uk (Olivier MJ Crepin-Leblond)]

Hello,

after mothballing my Apple IIgs for the past 7 years, I am now
coming back to the idea of making use of it to access the net. But
I think that it will require some form of upgrading of hardware etc.
My current config is:

IIgs ROM 01 (that's the upgrade over ROM00, isn't it ?)
2 x 5.25 disk ][
monochrome + colour video
mouse (obviously) + joystick etc.
total 512K mem
old apple II memory card with 256K
Silentype (yes, and it works !!!)
Software include Prodos 8 only (not 16 since I think 16 needs a 3.5in drive)

Well, first thing, I have been looking for FAQs but without success.
So I am in looking for information about what's happened during the
time "I was gone" :-) .  I know there's all these upgrade cards to
make the machine faster etc. But I don't have a clue which is best etc.

So here's a list of questions. I hope someone can answer them.
(you can reply to me direct by E-mail):

1. What's the first upgrade I should look for ? Is it a 3.5inch drive ?
2. How much does a 3.5inch drive cost ? I am not rich, so I'm happy with a
   2nd hand one.
3. What's the best accelerator card around ? How much would that cost
   2nd hand ?
4. Is it worth me getting a hard disk ? From reading the group, I suspect
   a SCSI or SCSI2 is advisable. What size, with what card do you recommend,
   and how much does that all cost ?
5. I want to access the Internet using SLIP/PPP . I understand that any
   HAYES compatible modem is suitable. What cable do I need ? What's the
   fastest speed I could run it at ? Can it run at 14.4Kbit/s ?
6. Is there an Apple II club in London, England ? Is there one in the
   South of France (Cannes area). Does anybody know their addresses if
   the answer is yes ? Obviously, if there were such clubs, I could get
   all the answers to my 1000 questions from them. :-)

Thanks for listening. After reading the c.s.a.* groups for a few days,
I've realised I've become a real novice to the machine I used to hack
in the early 80ies (when I had my original ][ Europlus). It sure has
changed !

I hope to hear from you all,

-- 
Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond, Digital Comms. Section, Elec. Eng. Department
 Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London SW7 2BT, UK
<foobar@ic.ac.uk>   Mobile (GMT): +44 (0)956 84 111 3   <foobar@gih.co.uk>