Re: Newbee Questions

["Henry S. Courbis" <apl2research(a.t.)comcast.net>]

Hello oldchip.

I guess I'll feild this one.  I get tons of theses a week.


> I am a Newbee to apple2 computers and I have a few questions.

Welcome to the Dark Side! ;-)


> I would like to know, what is the OS of Apple2?

Servral - DOS, ProDOS 8 and ProDOS 16 (GS/OS) to name a few.  There were 
also several custom written ones.

AppleSoft BASIC in ROM count?  I would assume so.


> I had seen many versions of Apple2, can any software work with any version
> of Apple2?

Yes, most of the older stuff can.  The newer IIe and IIgs stuff needs to be 
run on the correct computer though.  IIgs is able to run just about all 
older software.


> Does Apple2 have a harddrive?

Sure!  SCSI and CF Memeory are the most comon.   (shameless plug alert!) 
Let's take the MicroDrive for instance: 
http://www.reactivemicro.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_23&products_id=31.  It 
uses CF Memory and allows you to also transfer data between your PC and 
Apple II very easily.  Only drawback is you need a IIgs or Enhanced IIe. 
CFFA works on all Apple IIs and is another good solution.


> Where is there a good website to learn more about Apple2?

Search Google/Yahoo, but Wwikipedia.org is probably the most comperhensive 
place to really learn the background on the IIs.  You'll also notice a bunch 
of Sites listed at the bottom of each artical.


> Can Apple2 go the Internet?

Sure, I'll let it. ;-) Check this Site out: http://www.a2retrosystems.com/


> Can it run a UNIX shell?

Sure!  But I think technically anything can.  One of the Internet programs 
run on a shell I believe.


> I like vintage computers.  If I were to get an Apple2, I would like to be 
> able to get the one that has the most features and run the most software. 
> Which one should I look for?

I'm a IIe buff, so I'd recommend that.  We sell an Adapter that you can run 
both old and new ROMs in the same machine so that's a big space saver that 
let's you tinker with old and new software alike.  A IIgs is also nice and 
MUCH quicker.  I still run ProDOS 8 and the utils on it though.  One of 
these days I really need to learn a bit more about GS/OS and ProDOS 16 and 
the different programs available to me out there.  Just been too busy doing 
other things.

Hope that helps!

Anyone else care to chime in?


-- 
Henry S. Courbis
www.ReactiveMicro.com
Legacy Hardware and Support - Come take a look at what we have to offer!