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Re: 80 col card (was: Apple //c sound - 3 channels plus noise?!)
- Subject: Re: 80 col card (was: Apple //c sound - 3 channels plus noise?!)
- From: Zorin the Lynx <yakko@zorin.org>
- Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 18:30:52 -0400
- In-reply-to: <GaaMc.27$pk.93@news.oracle.com>
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
- Organization: Florida International University - SCS
- References: <BD268D8D.55F8%delorean@NOSPAMbtconnect.com> <GaaMc.27$pk.93@news.oracle.com>
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Martin Doherty wrote:
Richard,
The circuitry to support 80 column display IS on the //e motherboard,
but the extra video RAM is not. Thus, the basic AUX slot 80-col card is
nothing more than a 1K RAM card (possibly using memory chips from
recycled Sinclair ZX80s). Likewise, the Extended 80 col card is just a
64K RAM card.
I've always wondered about this.. To support 80 columns, you needed only
a small amount of memory (I think 2K?) -- so why did Apple make it an
option, instead of just including it with the IIe? By 1982, the price of
RAM had dropped sufficiently such that 2K of RAM would probably not have
added much to the final price.
They went as far to include the additional circuitry for 80 column, but
didn't make the IIe 80 column ready out of the box because of 2K of RAM?
It just seems silly!
-Z