nem wrote:
mcpublic <mc@media.mit.edu> wrote in news:I'd like to get Apple II VisiCalc running in emulation. Right now this isn't possible because of the copy protection. (BTW the PC DOS version is available on the web, and doesn't have copy protection).It did originally. All versions of Visicalc except for the TRS-80 Model I release were copy-protected.I have three versions of the Apple II software. I know one of them still boots (1983?) and have some confidence that the other two versions (1979 and 1981) work also.IIRC, Dan Bricklin said they took the copy-protection out of the later releases (as well as cassette support).
On his website a few years ago, he presented the original Apple II screenshot and the quick reference card, but said that he did not offer the original Apple II version because the disk was copy- protected--so he offered the PC version. I sent him a normalized version with no "crack screen" or other "embellishments" hoping that he would add it to his site, but never got any response. It would be easy to have a web Apple II emulator so that any browser user could click on a link and run the original VisiCalc, which IMHO would be a much more authentic experience. I don't even remember any cassette support...I thought VisiCalc required a DISK ][. -michael ******** Note new website URL ******** NadaNet and AppleCrate II for Apple II parallel computing! Home page: http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon/ "The wastebasket is our most important design tool--and it's seriously underused."