Re: help needed

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

oaaland@aol.com (O Aaland) wrote:

>Supertimer writes:
>
>>The Laser 128 series ROMs are the only real legal A2
>>clone ROMs.  Completely cleanroom reverse engineered.
>>They've survived battle with Apple in the courts of every
>>country where Apple challenged Laser.
>
>I've always heard that the ROMs were NOT reverse engineered
>but rather came directly from Microsoft and that is the
>reason that Apple was never able to win a case against them.
>If you notice the Apple II ROMs are also copywrited by 
>Microsoft.

Only the BASIC.

Unfortunately, there's more to an Apple II or Laser 128
series ROM than BASIC.  Apple reversed engineered
Apple II compatibility into the ROM then licensed the
Applesoft variety of Microsoft BASIC from Microsoft.

The BASIC is necessary for BASIC programs and for
ProDOS' BASIC.SYSTEM, but the Laser units could
actually run much Apple II software without it.  Direct
booting applications like AppleWorks do not need the
BASIC.

Also, sharing a BASIC does not necessarily make a
computer a clone.  The Coleco Adam also used the
Applesoft variety of Microsoft BASIC, but it had a
Z80 processor and could not run any Apple II programs
except BASIC ones.