w8oaj wrote:
I have a newbie question for you Apple 2 folks.
I have a "//E 80 COL./64K MEMORY EXPANSION CARD" on my motherboard. My
computer model # is A2S2064 and the motherboard has "Apple IIe
(C)1984" printed on the circuit board. I don't have a disk drive
hooked up. When I turn the computer on it immediately goes into BASIC.
How can I get 80 columns of text in BASIC? When I turn on the
motherboard it boots up into 40 columns. I have no experience
whatsoever with an Apple 2 and I want to learn because it looks like a
fun computer to use. Thanks...
Alan
Welcome Alan! We have Apple2'ers (all guys as far as I can tell) from
their early twenties to their sixties yakking away here on anything to
do with Apple I, Apple II & clones, Apple III and even Lisa (for want of
a better home). Mac stuff also makes an appearance, but usually for
transferring files or linking a Mac to an Apple II. We are an
exceedingly helpful bunch of blokes.
*comp.sys.apple2* -- general discussions about systems, software,
troubleshooting problems, finding out how to do things
*comp.sys.apple2.marketplace* -- buying, selling & giving
*comp.sys.apple2.programmer* -- gets real down & dirty into coding:
largely Applesoft & 6502 assembly language, very little for other
languages (Pascal, cc65, Logo, Forth, ...) but all topics are welcome.
*comp.emulators.apple2* -- various programs permit an Apple II to be
emulated on other systems (e.g. Virtual II for Mac, AppleWin for
Windows, Oasis, Bernie II The Rescue, ....)
A great resource is the Apple 2 FAQs, I strongly recommend you make
their acquaintance as they will answer many of your questions. They are
periodically posted to the above newsgroups by a guy called Rubywand,
you can also visit his website at
http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html
Here's a link to the Apple IIe Owner's Manual:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=51954
I have hundreds of other links that I'm not going to confuse you with,
but here is one of the very best to get oriented with:
http://apple2history.org/
What's your setup? How did you come by it? Obviously you have a screen
of some sort. I urge you to buy a 5.25" Apple disk drive + controller
card on ebay. You can also buy blank floppies. Stop by for more advice
when you decide to take this step. The addition of a Super Serial Card
will allow you to hook your Apple II up to your PC. There are huge
archives of disk images for the Apple II on the internet, which you can
download, then transfer to your Apple II to write onto a real floppy.
Games, programming tools, utilities, business applications, educational
programs blah blah blah
Good luck and have fun!
Martin