Re: Applesoft & ProDOS Basic

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

Allen Bong <sfbong@tm.net.my> wrote:

> What are the differences between Applesoft and the ProDOS BASIC V1.5 &
> V.1.4.1? 

Apple published a technical note which described the differences between
various versions of BASIC.SYSTEM.  I don't have the list handy so I
can't look up the number or details (it was in the TN.PDOS series).

> I used to format a 5.25 disk using Applesoft under DOS 3.3.  How
> do I "init" a disk under ProDOS BASIC?

In general, you don't.  The ProDOS-8 operating system does not contain
any code to support initializing disks, so in order to do this you need
to run a utility program of some kind (e.g. Apple II System Utilities,
Copy II+, Prosel, ShrinkIt, Filer, etc.).

I imagine that someone could have created an add-on INIT command for
BASIC.SYSTEM, which would have to be loaded as a patch, and would
contain all the code required to initialize disks.  It would take up a
fair amount of RAM (at least 1 KB, or 1.5 KB in order to support
initializing disks which could be booted on an Apple ///), so even if it
did exist, I wouldn't want it running all the time.  It is much easier
to launch a separate application, initialize the disk, then launch
BASIC.SYSTEM again.

> How much RAM memory was used up by the GS/OS 6.0.1

It depends on what optional features you have installed (INITs, FSTs,
CDAs, NDAs, drivers, etc.) and how much memory is used by applications
you need to run.

The minimum RAM required to run System 6.0.1 is 1 MB.  If you have a lot
of desk accessories, you might need more than this.  For some
applications (notably Hypercard GS and AppleWorks GS) you need at least
1.5 MB of RAM, preferably more.  In general, installing a 4 MB RAM card
should give you enough memory to run almost anything, without risking
compatibility problems.

I have a 4 MB card in my ROM 3 IIgs, for a total of 5.125 MB of RAM.
Even with an 800KB RAM disk set up, the only time I ran out of memory
was when I tried using one of the NDA fax programs, which used an
obscene about of RAM.

> and how much disk space it occupies on the HD when it is not in use?

Pardon?  The operating system occupies space on the startup disk at all
times, not just while it is "in use".

A bare minimum installation of System 6.0.1 will fit on an 800K floppy.
A reasonable minimum installation for use with a hard drive will fit
within 1.4 MB.  If you were to install everything useful which is
included with the system software, it would use somewhere between 3 and
4 MB of disk space (estimated from five nearly full 800K disks).