IIGS Slot Management

[hafner.spam@gmail.com]

Hi all,

I've posted here a few times looking for help on ridiculously trivial or easy questions (I'm a longtime PC user finally breaking into the Apple II world, so there are a lot of basics that I don't know). This time I'm asking about slot management. 

To this point, my IIGS has had only a RAM expansion, and that's it. But I just bought a second system locally that happened to have a Mockingboard and an AE Sonic Blaster in it, and I'd like to move those over to my primary system. I'm also hoping to purchase a CFFA3000 in Rich's next run, and someday I'd love to get an accelerator card and maybe an Uthernet card.

So my question is this - those of you with lots of cards in your IIGS machines, how do you manage them without losing the functionality built into those slots? 

As best I can figure it out, if I want to retain the Mockingboard for 8-bit programs, the Sonic Blaster for 16-bit programs, and plan for the CFFA3000, accelerator, and Uthernet, plus maintain Appletalk, this might be the hot tip:

Slot 1: Printer (Imagewriter II)
Slot 2: Modem (Appletalk Localtalk network)
Slot 3: 80 Column (Transwarp GS)
Slot 4: Mouse (Mockingboard - most programs seem to expect it here)
Slot 5: Smart Port (Disk II Emulation from CFFA3000)
Slot 6: Disk Port (Sonic Blaster - doesn't require the slot if not capturing sound)
Slot 7: Your Card (CFFA3000)

This leaves out Uthernet, but a) I'm probably a ways away from that, and b) I could probably put the Imagewriter on the Localtalk network, and put Uthernet into either Slot 1 or Slot 2.

So would I be giving up anything important here with this arrangement? I guess I'd have to disable the mouse to use the Mockingboard, but I can't imagine a program that would need both.

For reference, in the system in which they were installed, the Mockingboard is installed in Slot 2, and the Sonic Blaster is installed in Slot 4. Weird. 

My IIGS also has a dead battery - I'll likely need to replace that to get these setting to stick EVEN AFTER this is all done. 

Anyway, any advice would be appreciated!

Cheers,
Chris Hafner