Re: Slot settings on a ROM 3

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

Pim Blokland <nipp@nipp.nl> wrote:

>There has been much discussion in this newsgroup about the slot settings 
>on IIgsses. Like that on a ROM 3, you can set slot 4 to "Your card" and 
>still be able to use the mouse, while on a ROM 01, you can't.

Right.  Under GS/OS, you can use slot 4 and keep the mouse
on a ROM 3.  The ROM 01 can't do this.  You get an extra
slot to use.  This is only for slot 4, though.

>But I'm still a bit in the dark about how this all works. Not to say 
>flabbergasted.
>For instance, I noticed the other day that after I set slot 3 to "Your 
>card" instead of "Built in text", I can execute the APPLESOFT command 
>PR#3, and the machine switches to 80 columns. But I cannot execute the 
>PRODOS command PR#3; this results in a "No device connected" error.
>Why?

That's strange.  PR#3 should cease working either way.

>And then all the comm software being able to use the serial port, even 
>is the slot is set to "Your card". For this software it does not matter 
>if the computer is a ROM 01 or a ROM 3? So, what is the difference 
>between a ROM 01 and a ROM 3 then?

Yup.  Both the ROM 01 and the ROM 3 have this feature.

>Can anybody tell me about this? Or direct me to a source which explains 
>it all this? And explains what the difference is between a ROM 01 and a 
>ROM 3?

For the slots, the main difference is slot 4 and the mouse
and not having to lose a couple of slots when using AppleTalk
on the ROM 3.

Other differences are cleaner sound, more soldered chips for
higher reliability, newer ADB controller for wider support of
keyboards (theoretically, some ADB keyboards that work on
the ROM 3 won't work on the ROM 01, but I do not know
any), built in Easy Access tools including the use of the
keyboard as a mouse (ROM 01 can do this via software but
you get a speed hit and software incompatibility while the
ROM 3 does it without any compromises in firmware), and
1.125MB of RAM on the motherboard.

>For instance, under what circumstances should a program check if it runs 
>on a 01 and what measures should it take if it finds that it does? Or on 
>a 3?

If you were the FTA, for example, and made use of the IIGS
ROM based tools (ironically, the FTA did sometimes do
this) and you made use of some of the ROM 3 tools, you
would have to check for ROM 01 since that version did not
have more than half of the ROM 3 tools.  Under GS/OS,
however, you do not have to check because System
Software files patch the toolboxes to match.

>Or, what use is having a switchable "modem port/your card" setting if 
>the software can work with the modem port even if the setting is "your 
>card"? Wouldn't it be simpler to the user if the switch simply wasn't 
>there, and the machine was always set to "your card".

It is for IIe programs that don't know better.

>Just a few questions.
>One warning however: I AM NOT NEW TO THE APPLE IIGS.

Ok, no IIGS Tour post for you.  ;-)