Re: �ber IIgs

[mister_boffo@hotmail.com (Mr. Boffo)]

On Mon, 25 Dec 2000 02:59:33 -0500, "IceWeasel" <noaddress@for.you>
wrote:

>Looking at the "Apple II Accelerator Project" thread after writing my
>�ber-IIgs dream machine article got me thinking a bit philosophically about
>computer hardware.  It's  a common thing, esp. among classic computer
>devotees, to have a particular attachment to the hardware that comprises the
>computer.  With the A2 for instance, we could all be running 40MHz IIgs's
>via the Bernie II emulator.  But it wouldn't be the same.  My question here
>is: why?  Why is it not the same?  Where, in the bowels of a tricked-out
>computer, lies the heart of the machine?  What particular component
>comprises its soul?
A lot comes from childhood nostalgia. For example, for me there is no
truer sound and feel of an Apple II than a noisy Apple IIe keyboard
with that characteristic low hum of a System Saver on it. Oh, and the
occasional gaaaaRAHHHHHuhhhh of the disk drive hitting bad sectors.

Also another part has to do with the ridiculous complexities required
to make the machine do various things. The regular graphics are hard
to understand by themselves, and double-res graphics are even more
painful to figure out. Half the "fun" is getting such a difficult
machine to do all these interesting tasks.


I do not really "know" the IIgs at all. The school could just barely
manage to afford the 128k IIgs machines.... hard drives were
nonexistent, as was any software for the machine other than that "IIgs
Tour". (And oh that tour reflected bad on the IIgs. Only takes, what,
FIVE minutes to boot off all those disks? Yeesh what a snail. Who in
their right mind would want to deal with this on a daily basis??)

So for me, the IIgs was little more than a IIe in a more fancy case.
Yes, I DID dabble in the BASIC Pokes and Nibble programs to change
screen colors and other simple stuff, but that is about the extent
of it.

-Mr. Boffo

Email: mister_boffo@hotmail.com