Re: Which //gs to buy?

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

francine@xs4all.nl (Francine Smit) wrote:

>Supertimer <supertimer@aol.com> wrote:
>
>> The ROM 3 will also allow you to plug a card into slot 4
>> and still use the ADB mouse in GS/OS.  That effectively
>> gains you one expansion slot, which is very very useful.
>
>yes, this sounds interesting. i have a home build card which
>uses slot 4 on a ][+ and i can place it in slot 4 of the IIgs
>and still use the mouse then.
>the card is adressed hard wired on the ][+ and cannot be used
>in an other slot.
>will the card work the same way on the IIgs?

It should.  Any card that addresses the slots the normal
way should show up the same on the IIGS.

Basically, what will happen is that when you are running
your II+ software and you have the Control Panel set
to "Your Card" then the IIGS will access your card in
slot 4.  When you go into GS/OS to run GS software,
however, the IIGS will see the ADB mouse.  Actually, it
can also at the same time see your card, but of course
you'd have to write GS specific software to access it.
The important thing, I think, is that when running IIGS
software, it will see the mouse even with your card in
slot 4 while running your II+ custom software, it will
see your card.

On a ROM 01 unit, in contrast, if you set the control
panel to "Your Card" it will deactivate the ADB mouse,
even when running GS/OS (GS specific) software.

>> For example, you can have a Second Sight SVGA card
>> in that slot to provide 24-bit 1024x768 SVGA video!  Which
>> leads to another thing...the ROM 3 accepts video cards
>> such as SVGA and genlock cards in any one of its seven
>> Apple Bus slots.  The ROM 01 only accepts them in slot 3.
>> 
>> The ROM 3 is the better motherboard.
>
>how can you determine what rom version you have?
>do you have to open the IIgs for that?

You could open the IIGS to take a look.  Look for the
chip labelled "Ensoniq."  If it is soldered in instead
of socketed, you have a ROM 3.

An easier way is to just boot the computer.  If it is a
ROM 3, then the first text screen with "Apple IIGS"
at the top, should say ROM 3 near the bottom center
of the screen.