Re: IIgs ROM 3 bugs

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

In article <026448RFUCDYAUQPXHHL@wbb.com>,  <mcfudge@wbb.com> wrote:
> 
> Where can I find a complete list of the bugs in my ROM 3?

I'm not aware of any such list ever being publicly made available.

There are many bugs in the toolsets, but they are fixed by using the
latest version of the System Software (system 6.0.1).

The other bugs I'm aware of are mainly to do with the RAM disk.  If
you have 8 MB of RAM installed, the firmware will not create the RAM
disk at startup time.  You can get around this by booting System
6.0.1, which detects the problem and creates the RAM disk for you.  It
will then work fine from ProDOS-8 and GS/OS, until you turn the
computer off or force a cold boot ("resize ramdisk" or run the self
test).

The other RAM disk bug is that you cannot create a RAM disk of the
maximum selectable size - you have to set the size 32k lower than the
maximum.

Apart from those, the only other "bug" I know of is that in _some_ ROM
3 IIgses, the programmer's CDAs (Visit Monitor and Memory Peeker) are
always installed at power up time.  I don't know why this happens, but
my theory is that the ROM neglects to initialize a certain memory
location, and the presence or absence of these CDAs is determined by
the semi-random value in this location when power is applied.  (It is
usually consistent for a particular machine, and often for a
particular brand of RAM chip.)

> I was recently informed that when I upload files/info at 14.4, it
> will always be corrupt because of a particular chip on the
> motherboard... could this really be true...?

First I've heard of it.  I'm happily doing file transfers on my ROM 3
at 19200 (well, the modem is running at 14400 in error correction mode
with data compression; I sometimes run at 16800 when talking to
another ZyXEL modem).  I usually get speeds around the 1500 to 1600
cps mark.

The original IIc motherboard is the only Apple II I know of that has
hardware problems at high speed (and these problems can occur at any
speed from 1200 up - it depends on the modem).
-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand