Re: ProDOS 1.9 on Apple][+

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

Roger Johnstone <news2006@roger.geek.nz> wrote:

> In <1145890211.501901.295900@e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com> Nama wrote:
> > I just recievd my shiny new CFFA card, and I have been trying to
> > install ProDos 1.9 on to a CF card.
> > 
> > My Apple ][+ has the language card installed, which means it should
> > work with ProDOS 1.9, however when I try to boot from the ProDOS 1.9
> > disk (downloaded from the web and converted to a 5.25" floppy) I get
> > the message:
> > 
> > 'Sorry, program requires a IIe or IIc'
> > then
> > 'Enter Prefex (press return to accept)'
> > /PRODOS1.9/
> > 
> > Pressing 'return at this points takes me to the prompt:
> > 
> > 'Enter Pathname of next application'
>
> I assume you're getting the ProDOS splash screen when you first boot,
> because it sounds like ProDOS is running fine on your II+. 
> 
> After ProDOS boots it looks in the root directory and runs the first 
> system file it finds with a name ending in '.system'. In your case that
> program must require a IIe or later, and is giving you the error message
> then quitting. ProDOS has a built-in program selector which asks for the
> prefix and pathname to the next application you want to run. It was much
> improved in ProDOS 2.0 as it presents a listing of system files on the
> disk you can choose from instead of just asking you to guess the name of
> the program you want to run!

Actually, that improved program selector debuted in ProDOS-8 1.9, but
the new program selector is only displayed on a IIe/IIc/IIgs, as it
requires 80-column mode (I'm not sure if it would work on a II+ with an
80-column card, but I doubt it).

If you run ProDOS-8 1.9 (or later) on a II+ you get the old "prompt for
prefix and pathname" program selector.

ProDOS-8 2.0 requires a 65C02 processor so it won't work on a plain II+
(or unenhanced IIe), but it would work given a Zip Chip or other
compatible 65C02 (or an enhanced IIe).

> There is an add-on program called Bird's Better Bye which adds the same
> sort of program selector to older versions of ProDOS (in fact I think this
> was what the selector in 2.0 was based on).

Don't think so.  BBB runs in 40-column mode and the ProDOS-8 built-in
one looks quite different (from memory - I haven't seen it for ages).

I made a few improvements to Birds Better Bye (such as making it display
two columns of pathnames, and a "rescan" key). I distributed as part of
my freeware application Quitter.System, which gives additional features
such as booting directly from a specified slot and reconnecting GS/OS if
you have launched a P8 program selector.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz