Re: AppleWorks 3 + RamFactor + RamWorks 3 = what?

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

Warren Ernst <wernst@gmail.com> wrote:

> My souped up //e has had a 1-MB RamFactor since the late 80's, and I
> used it mostly as a Ramdisk onto which I had loaded AppleWorks 3, a
> billion TimeOut tools, plus proterm and some other utilities. It also
> expanded the desktop in AW3 by using the leftover "free" ram. No
> patches are necessary for AW3 to use slinky-type memory.
> 
> Now then, I recently got a 1-MB RamWorks III and installed it. My
> memory is a little foggy on this, but I thought that AW3 didn't need
> patching to recognize a RamWorks-type card - am I remembering this
> right?

I have a vague recollection of RamWorks support being added at some
point, probably in version 4 or 5. Never had one of those cards (and I
wasn't using AppleWorks on a IIe by then).

AppleWorks 3 was still primarily an Apple/Claris product, so it is
unlikely that they included support for third-party auxiliary slot bank
switched cards, because Apple didn't make any cards like that.

AppleWorks 4 and later were more heavily driven by Beagle Bros, so it is
more likely that they included drivers which people actually wanted to
use.

> And finally, does anyone know what AW3 will do, memorywise, when it
> detects both a RamWorks III and a RamFactor at the same time?

AppleWorks has several memory managers. It will only use one of them, so
if you have two memory cards installed, the one that AppleWorks uses
depends on which order it tries each memory manager.

I expect they are tried in "best first" order based on performance, thus
a IIgs will always use its extended memory, then RamWorks (if it is
supported), then slinky-type cards, then 128K auxiliary memory.

I doubt that it tries two or more and picks the one with the most
memory.

You could influence this by removing the driver(s) you didn't want
AppleWorks to use.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz