Re: Pascal and DOS 3.3

[Steven Weyhrich <a2history@gmail.com>]

On Tuesday, February 26, 2013 2:17:20 PM UTC-6, D Finnigan wrote:
> Steven Weyhrich wrote:
> 
> > Is there anyone out there who was using an Apple II back when the Pascal
> 
> > System was first released? The reason I ask, is it appears that Apple
> 
> > Pascal came out in 1979, and DOS 3.3, using the new disk controller ROMs
> 
> > and 16-sector disks, did not become available until a year later, in 1980.
> 
> > How did people who bought Apple Pascal manage?
> 
> 
> 
> It was slightly inconvenient, as they lost the ability to do turn-key DOS
> 
> booting that they had gained with their Autostart ROMs.
> 
> 
> 
> You probably know this bit, but I'll summarize it anyway. When the Apple
> 
> Pascal Language System was released, the current edition of DOS was 3.2.
> 
> Apple Pascal of course used 16-sector formatted disks, and DOS 3.2 used
> 
> 13-sector disks.
> 
> 
> 
> When Apple users bought the Language system, they received an Apple Language
> 
> Card, updated PROMs for their Disk II controller, and the associated
> 
> diskettes.
> 
> 
> 
> The Apple Language Card added the Autostart ROM to any existing standard II
> 
> systems that still had the Old Monitor ROM on the motherboard.
> 
> 
> 
> The updated PROMs were to be replaced on the Disk II controller card. These
> 
> were the state machine and the boot ROM. Interestingly enough, while the
> 
> boot ROM was fixed for 16-sector disks, the state machine PROM could be used
> 
> with both 13 and 16-sector disks.
> 
> 
> 
> At this point, the Apple II user could flip on his Apple II system and
> 
> insert a Pascal disk to automatically boot it. If he were to insert any of
> 
> his 13-sector DOS 3.2 disks, he would be met with disappointment: they would
> 
> not boot at all.
> 
> 
> 
> The solution is the BASICS disk. This disk is formatted for 16-sectors and
> 
> what it would do was to load a 13-sector copy of the Disk II boot ROM into
> 
> the Apple's RAM. This RAM copy would be used instead of the firmware on the
> 
> controller card to boot 13-sector diskettes.
> 
> 
> 
> As Mr. Nickolas had already remarked, the BASICS disk could also load the
> 
> other version of BASIC not present on the motherboard into the Language Card
> 
> RAM.
> 
> 
> 
> Disclaimer: I was not around when all of this was necessary. I merely happen
> 
> to have experience with all the hardware and manuals which describe the
> 
> process.
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> ]DF$
> 
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> 
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> 
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So, was the BASICS disk then actually a Pascal volume? Did it have the same screen things happen as when booting a typical Pascal disk (odd screen clear, display a non-flashing block cursor)?

Fascinating!