Re: How to prevent My AppleSoft Basic Program Listing

[gids.rs@sasktel.net]

> There will be no help coming from me for a selfish practice like not sharing 
> source code for an obsolete platform.
 
> The millions of lines of code and the thousands of programs that I have 
> written and given away to the thousands of souls who have enjoyed them, my 
> websites and so-forth, would not have been available, nor would Appplewin, 
> Ciderpress, and so forth if those of us who actually do something 
> public-spirited had thought in this manner.
> Comp.sys.apple2 would probably not even exist.


I Totally disagree, Bill.  We are all not here for the free software or to make money off the few remaining people interested in Apple computers.

And I would not call the Apple II an obsolete platform.  There is still hardware and software being made for it.  Sure it does not have the support it once had.

But obsolete.  Not a chance.  I would rather consider it a platform of untapped potential.  And that is what keeps us all here.  Trying to exceed the limitations that were cast upon it.

It is the easiest platform of all computers to modify, create new hardware/software for, or to make it dance if you will.

Most of us here are willing to pay for new hardware created for an obsolete platform.  Why not new software as well?  It takes time and dedication to learn the computer just to create a program.

If there is no one to create new software and to show that there is something new that still can be created on the Apple, that is not already out there, free for the taking, then that is when this platform will truly die.

I wrote a driver for Rich Dreher's CFFA card that allows one to tap into the entire 8 GB card and I will eventually modify it to recognize the 128 GB maximum.

I am re-writing Prodos 8 and upgrading the volume directory structure to recognize the full 128 GB as well, so the Volume size is not limited to 32 Mb and the file size limit will even be increased from 16 Mb to 64 Gb.

Impractical?  Maybe.  I have also written the perfect disassembler for the Apple II.
And now that I have the base disassembler created, I plan on disassembling other platforms.  I have the complete instructions set and mnemonics for the 68000 processor.  Once completed, it will make it much easier to add in the other 68k and even PowerPC processors instructions.  And maybe one day, disassemble Intel code.

File sizes can get quite large, even much larger than the 16 Mb max size for Prodos.

My point is, the true power of the Apple IIGS and even Apple IIe, is untapped.  And not getting involved to help a newcomer learn some of the secrets of this platform is even more selfish.

Why?  Because there is not one person on this forum that would not be able to crack and list his program other than a newcomer.  Which is why, I believe, why we are all here.  To crack the secret untapped power of the Apple II/IIGS and each others code.

Now, if I can only get some hardware geek to create me a video card that can display at least 640x400x256 colors.  Then I will be able to create 8-bit software that will even be able to rival the big computers.

Rob