Re: Apple Computer, What Are You Up To?

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

"Milind Limaye" <mlimaye@kdsi.net> wrote:

>Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net> wrote:
>
>>
>>      In moving to a ROM 3, the ROM-01 user gets, mainly, a bit of extra
memory
>>and some serious compatibility problems with old software. Since hardly
anyone
>> needs the extra memory, the main "benefit" the former ROM-01 user will
>>notice is that a number of favorite oldies no longer run on his/her ROM 3.
>>
>>
>>
>> Rubywand
>
>Urg...I have a ROM 01 machine and just put a bid in on Ebay for a ROM 03
>machine because of 1. the increased memory and 2. someone saying that it ran
>a bit faster because of more stuff in ROM...when you say a "number" of
>favorite oldies, what are we talking about here?  Old copyprotected Apple //
>software, or what?  All the //gs specific stuff still runs?  And could you
>give me any titles that don't work on the Rom 03 machine?

I've encountered a grand total of one program that does not work,
namely Photonix from FTA.  Everything else runs fine, even an
old copy of Tetris GS, which was around before the ROM 03 was
released.

Everything else that I have that runs on a ROM 01 unit also runs
on a ROM 03 and that's a lot of stuff.  I'd venture to say that >99%
of the stuff written for the IIGS will work in both ROM 01 and
ROM 3 units.  Of the <1% that does not work, probably 99% of
that are demos such as the FTA wrote because the ROM 3 had
an enhanced floppy port that was a bit faster in ProDOS 8.  FTA
did rewrite most of their stuff to be ROM 3 friendly, though, which
is why the famous stuff like Nucleaus, Modulae, Bouncing 'Ferno,
etc., all have working ROM 3 aware versions.

If it can be installed on a hard drive, then it will almost certainly
run on both ROM 01 and ROM 3 units.

I feel pretty comfortable with the ROM 3.  For most users, it is
a much better deal as the motherboard's 1MB of memory added
to the Apple 1MB card that Apple used to include with IIGS
units meant you got 2MB to play with.  Although 4MB is the
minimum recommended these days, 2MB at least gives you a
fighting chance to run many programs without problems.  I've
thrown a lot of software from the AUGE CD-ROM, a
collection of shareware, freeware, and PD for the IIGS, at
the ROM 3 and it runs ALL of the programs I've tested
except Photonix, which tells me that compatibility is pretty
darn good.

The ROM 3 even enhances older software.  David Empson said
earlier in this thread that some older System Software such as
v3.2 (which was still ProDOS 16) behaved differently because
the newer toolsets from ROM were loaded.  Well, that old copy
of Tetris GS that I have is on a ProDOS 16 boot disk and when
I boot it, I notice that all the GUI environment feels more
advanced than the old ProDOS 16 Finder windows I see in
magazines.  I think what is happening is that I am actually seeing
some elements of the Toolbox from System 5.0 in there and in
most cases, that's a good thing since the later tools are much
more solid, enhanced, and speedy.