Re: What is the quintessential Apple II?

["mdj" <mdj.mdj@gmail.com>]

Michael J. Mahon wrote:

> Matt, if you want to re-enable your game port on a late mainboard II,
> just snip one lead on C94, C95, and C96, just in front of the cassette
> input and output jacks.  (If you feel strongly about it, snip *both*
> leads.  ;-)

Done :-)

> It's too bad that they didn't provide the VBL interrupt in the //e, like
> they did in the //c--but that's just the arrow of time.

If that meant having the //c's oddball gameport hack to support the
mouse and the expensive interrupt overhead, I'm happier this way :-)
But yes, just the softswitch to enable interrupts on VBL would have
been nice, and would save me a slot.

> > But it's all subjective. Whichever you prefer probably depends on which
> > Apple II 'era' you had the most exposure to, which for me was the
> > 128k(+) enhanced IIe/IIc. I do however think it's difficult to argue
> > that the enhanced firmware isn't a substantial improvement over what we
> > had with the II+
>
> I'm especially pleased that interrupts became so much more usable.
>
> In the early days of the Apple ][, I think it's safe to say that Woz
> hadn't contemplated much practical use for the IRQ.

Yeah, that's the main one - although once you add RamWorks style memory
you've got additional complications there.

I really like the fact that the mini-assembler came back - it's very
handy. The only 'missing' in the IIe firmware that the IIc had is that
the monitor L command disassembles 65C02, but I guess given how much
smaller the IIe ROM space is, they did a fine job squeezing in
everything they did :-)

Matt