Re: XGS/32, KEGS and IIgs emulation on various platform(s)

["Steve Mentzer" <dropthistext.smentzer@pacbell.net>]

so.... any Apple II developers wanna join in?  can't do this by myself :)


"Matt Portune" <mportune@hotmail.com> wrote in message
b3354a95.0207180906.5d9a07d5@posting.google.com">news:b3354a95.0207180906.5d9a07d5@posting.google.com...
> Awesome idea.  What would be even cooler would to make it network
> based, taking advantage of marinetti and a lance card.  But I guess
> one thing at a time.  :)
>
> - Matt
>
> "Steve Mentzer" <dropthistext.smentzer@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:<ZFiZ8.77$MR3.42990@news.uswest.net>...
> > I have an idea.
> >
> > We all know that the PC is totally incapable of reading/writing apple II
> > diskettes in any reasonable fashion. Hardware devices are scarce,
software
> > only solutions are impossible. We also know that our existing IIgs
hardware
> > is getting.... shall we say... long in the tooth? Power supplies are
fading,
> > accelerators are few and far between. The 12" IIgs monitor was barely
> > adequate in 1989, let alone 2002.
> >
> > I have several old/bare IIgs boxes sitting in a garage with 3.5" and
5.25"
> > drives connected to them. I also have a spare CMS scsi controller lying
> > around and a few old 120MB SCSI hard disks. I was getting ready to toss
> > them...  until now.
> >
> > I believe that the IIgs can be a perfect host for the exact functions
that
> > are missing from our PC's..... native file i/o. Here is my idea:
> >
> > Have a small team of apple II developers write a simple piece of
software
> > that can run off of a standard 3.5" diskette. It will communicate via
the
> > IIgs serial port to provide I/O (diskette/hard disk) to another host
> > operating system.
> >
> > Think about it this way. XGS/32 or KEGS will communicate via a serial
port
> > to request diskette and hard-disk data from a host IIgs that has no
> > keyboard/monitor/etc connected. Basically, the IIgs will sit alone,
acting
> > as an I/O arbitrator, with all CPU activity being hosted on your PC.
> >
> > What I am asking is simple. Are there any apple II developers that would
be
> > interested in developing this simple piece of software to arbitrate file
i/o
> > over a serial port? I would like to begin defining the serial
protocol(s)
> > for communication within the next couple of weeks.
> >
> > If this were to succeed, folks would be able to purchase a $25
"complete"
> > IIgs system on ebay, plug it into their local PC and be able to read and
> > write 3.5 and 5.25" floppies just like the old days.
> >
> > Anyone interested?