Re: Apple II Networking

[Chris Morse <chris@cosmicwolf.com>]

On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 22:33:06 GMT, email@luddite.ca (Simon Williams)
wrote:

>Every now and then I come across an old article that refers to networked
>Apple IIs in the pre-Macintosh era. I'm just wondering how this might be
>accomplished without benefit of an Appleshare server?
>-Simon

Well.. 

Today's Apple II networking has all its glory on the Apple II GS.
But, probably, you are like me and have an Apple //e or //c or //c+
and are wondering what's available...

The Apple II GS can use the LANceGS ethernet card, which lets it plug
into a 10 Base-T network and with the proper software can talk TCP/IP.
The Apple //e does not have this ability right now.  The LANceGS card
actually *will* work in a //e, but there is no software written for it
to take advantage of any networking.

So what's left?  Mainly, a serial connection.  With the //c or //c+'s
built in serial port or an Apple //+ or //e with a Super Serial Card
(SSC), you can direct-connect to a Mac or PC with an RS-232 cable.
Also, you can always use a modem and dial-in to a BBS type system.

I have been trying to get my //c+ to talk to my PC without much luck.
I have a serial cable made and it seems to work in only one direction.
I have an older //c computer as well, and in testing that I had the
same problem.  The PC can send characters to the Apple II but for some
reason any data sent from the Apple II is never picked seen on the PC.

So now I am trying with an Apple //e and a Super Serial Card.  I just
picked up an in-great-shape Platinum //e from eBay and I have a brand
new Apple Super Serial Card in the box.  Tonight I'm going to try and
get my Apple //e and PC talking.  It'll probably work this time, as I
won't be using a Franenstein cable to make the connection.

Anyhow, I'm rambling mostly because I want to vent, after failing with
the //c and //c+.  But I am both determined to make it work and then
I will be determine to enhance the options available to Apple II
people.

I started with a //e back in early '83 when I was 13 years old.  Now
I'm 34, a software engineer, and about to have my first child (a boy,
by the way!) that I want to introduce to the //e as their first
computer experience.  I have a great enthusiasm for building new
software for the Apple II and it's more powerful friend, the PC.
(Yeah, in the beginning they were NOT friends at all..)

Here's what I am working on and my goals:

(1) Windows/PC COM:/serial software for talking to the Apple II.
This software will be a gateway and probably look like a BBS system,
but will be a gateway for making further connections through the PC.
In its most basic form it will allow you to make arbitrary TELNET
connections from the Apple; proxied through the PC.

(2) Windows/PC telnet BBS system that's very Apple II friendly.  With
Apple II term software with ProTERM, you'll be able to use the gateway
program I just mentioned to connect to the BBS.  Then you'll be able
to upload/download, etc.

(3) Contiki and the uIP TCP/IP stack.  A more in-depth project, but
something I'm sort of working on.

(4) Getting a copy of the LANceGS card and working with the creator of
the card to write software for the Apple II.  In fact, I will probably
be working on this pretty soon.  If the Apple II can talk TCP/IP on a
network, that would open up a lot of doors.  The LANceGS card,
according to the creator, has drivers for the Apple IIe but just no
client software written to do anything.

Other people may have other ideas for networking Apple II's.  I think
there is a Mac AppleTalk card you can get, but I've never really used
a Mac and am not taking that route.

Cheers!
// CHRIS