Michael J. Mahon wrote:
Jeff Blakeney replied:On 22 Apr 2004 17:10:02 GMT, mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon) wrote:Everyone (and, boy, there always seem to be a bunch ;-) who wants to fantasize about a "new Apple II" always wants to "improve" on it by adding VGA graphics, 24-bit addressing, etc., etc.Well, first off, the IIgs already has 24 bit addressing but you probably meant 32 bit or more and might have also been referring to the data bus instead of the address bus. I understand what you were going for, though.I was thinking of the "original" Apple II series--like another poster, I consider the IIgs to be an example of "random" as opposed to"organic" extensions of the line.
From what I've read, Woz wasn't too thrilled with the //e, though he seemed to have really liked the IIgs. I've read that he hated the Aux slot.
To put the discussion in another context, I'm running a older Compaq - Athlon 1700. It doesn't have 8 or 16 bit ISA slots, most of what one put into a PC or PC XT it already has on it's motherboard (and more!), and yet, I can boot an old version of DOS, and run old DOS software (WordStar anyone?) just like I could have in 1981. Yet, it's still a PC, with hard/software legacy that goes back over 20 years. The genius of it's design is still there, even if it's been extended and expanded to the point that I can't put an ISA serial card into the machine.
In a similar fashion, G5s running OSX are still Macs, though they are perhaps less connected to their roots than current PCs.
Woz did some amazing stuff in his design, but, of course, try programming the video in assembler - it will make your eyes cross!
What the IIgs did was to build and expand on his design. I, like others, would love to see that tradition continue. I would love to see a 32 bit version of the IIgs with modern video and sound. And it would still be a "II". It won't happen, I know. But one can dream.
BTW - "purists" would hate making a hotrod out of a Model T, but hotrodding a "T" is fully in keeping with American ingenuity. Ditto for computers. I have "pure" IIs, and IIs that are hotrods - I love them both.
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