Re: Using Linux to get Apples surfing?

[Roger Johnstone <rojaws@orcon.net.nz>]

In <pan.2004.09.01.22.49.03.563879@ataliross.co.uk> Alistair J Ross  
wrote:
> Hello everyone,
> 
> I am waiting in anticipation for a new Apple II, courtesy of this 
> lists John Van Winkle.
>
> Whilst I await the delivery I have been pondering upon what my next 
> Apple II conquest will be. I will be using an Apple II platinum (so I 
> guess that means 64K of ram to play with?).

All Apple IIe models had 64KB on the motherboard. The platinum Apple IIe (
i.e. the Apple IIe with the numeric keypad) came with a 64KB memory 
expansion card preinstalled in the auxilliary slot, for a total of 128KB. 
Unless someone has removed the card of couse.

> Okay, what I'd like to do is to open up one of my Linux boxes serial 
> ports and run some sort of serial connection between the Apple and the 
> Linux box, so that I can basically access a terminal of the Linux box. 
> I believe that the A2 Platinum is an 80-column machine, so the 
> standard 80 column PC-type terminal should be OK, yes?

All the IIe models have the hardware for displaying 80-column text. The 
way Apple did it was by interleaving the normal text display memory with 
a second text page in the auxilliary memory. As long as you have any 
sort of memory card in the auxilliary slot you can do 80-column text. 
Apple used to sell two cards: the 'Extended 80-Column Text Card' was a 
64KB card that gave the IIe 128KB and allowed the use of 80-column text 
and double high resolution graphics; and the '80-Column Text Card' was a 
1KB(!) card that just allowed for 80-column text.

-- 
Roger Johnstone, Invercargill, New Zealand
http://vintageware.orcon.net.nz/
________________________________________________________________________
  No Silicon Heaven? Preposterous! Where would all the calculators go?

              Kryten, from the Red Dwarf episode "The Last Day"