Re: Wanted: answers for now...

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

firead <noneoy@rbiznes.org> wrote:

>This has been x-posted to gno for reasons that will soon become 
>obvious...
>
>Hi,
>   So, to make along story short, i weas buying a new PC case at the 
>local mom & pop shop when I noticed a IIGS manual in a box and after a 
>few minutes the owner was practically begging me to take this IIGS off 
>his hands. Bear in mind I really know very little about Apple 2's.
>   Well, now I have it set up on a table in a corner not doing much at 
>all. It's a ROM 03 with 3.5 & 5.25 disk drives, RGB monitor, keyboard, 
>mouse,1MB RAM and ImageWriter II. 
>
>1) I can't get 5.25 disk with apps to run. When I attempt to mount apps 
>within GSOS 5.0 I get a message to initialize them. If I attemtp to 
>start up off them I get the 'check startup device' message. Some misc. 
>disks with just data on them mount from within the GSOS. IS the drive 
>damaged or is there a trick to running apps off a 5.25 disk?

The IIGS is two computers in one.  GS/OS is to run GS stuff (16
bit software sporting color graphics and wavetable synthesis
sound).  Anything on a 5.25 disk is likely to be IIe or older and
the IIGS runs these through a built in emulation mode that
makes the IIGS pretend to be an 8-bit IIe.

To run the 5.25 wares, start the IIGS, then hit Control-Reset to
get to the ] prompt then type PR#6 and press return.

>2) I see there's a TCP stack for the GSOS but what about for gno?

The GNO one was never released.

>3) Is gno really unix for the IIGS. I don't expect to run X Windows or 
>anything but that could be interesting....

It is pretty close.  It can't run X Windows, but with a IIGS C
compiler and the source code for your favorite UNIX utilities,
you should be able to port a lot of stuff.  POV-Ray was
ported this way, for example.

>4) I noticed in another posting that there are only 60 MB drives being 
>made anymore. If gno needs takes up more than that what's one supposed 
>to do.

The card that supports the actual drives can deal with
much larger hard drives than 60MB.  You just have to
find a dead PC notebook with a 500MB or greater
drive (but less than 2GB I think) and swap it with the
one that is mounted to the controller.

Otherwise, find a used Apple High Speed SCSI card.
I'm running a 1GB SCSI hard drive with one.  2GB
ones have also been tested and there is no reason
even larger ones will not work.

>5) Are there any adapters to make the IIGS use Mac/PC monitors?

The Second Sight SVGA card for the IIGS.  I have one
and love it!  But they don't make these anymore.  ;-(

>6) Why is it that a computer that people are practicaly giving away 
>costs so much to upgrade?! It looks like it would take $200 to upgrade 
>the RAM to 8MB and get a HD (assuming I can find someplace that has 
>them).

Because it is a niche market for a classic computer.
Think about fans of old classic cars or airplanes and
how much money it takes them to keep these going.
The IIGS has the same flavor but is actually a rather
cost effective hobby.  Classic computers do require
some money to outfit, but far less so than classic
cars or aircraft.

>7) Should I just take it out and shoot it?

;-)
 
>8) Assuming 7 above is false and I get intersting answers there will be 
>more guestions :-)

I should post my IIGS tour message just about now but
I seem to have misplaced it.  If some other csa2 reader
would be so nice to post it, I'd be grateful.  Otherwise,
stay tuned for lots of info coming your way.