Re: Upgrading/Preserving the Apple II

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Gabriel Morales writes ...
> 
> I hear much talk about creating new hardware for the Apple II/IIGS, and I
> think this is wonderful, but this should be made for the purpose of making the
> Apple II family faster and more useful for specific tasks, I believe.
> 
>         To begin to try to upgrage the II family to today's standards would be a
> waste of time, since more advanced technologies have been developed that even
> the IIGS couldn't compete with if it were maxed out.


     If you are thinking in terms of cards you plug into GS Slots, this
is certainly true. Apple or some other major hardware maker with the
resources to produce one or two NewGS-on-a-board plug-in cards might
come close; a small third party maker can forget it.

     If, however, we add a NewGS expansion box, enhancements can be
added a card at a time. The raw expansion does not need to be a whole
lot more than a motherboard with lots of Slots inside a PC mid-tower
case.

     Just about every component from the microprocessor through serial
I/O, Sound, and Video can be a Slot card in the expansion box. For
example, we could begin with a 16MHz 65816 uP and, later, move up to a
much faster RISC "65816". With some ISA and PCI Slots, we could start
with good quality PC boards for Sound and Video, too.

     The Expansion could begin with a fairly simple in-ROM monitor--
basically, enough firmware to get started.



> 
>         We have to think about what it is that we want to preserve about the Apple
> II.

     Right. And, one of the things we should preserve, in CISC or RISC,
is the 65xxx series. We want users who currently do programming to be
able to write programs for the Expansion without having to relearn
everything.

     We should, also, preserve current II/IIgs compatibility. Since the
'front end' can be a IIgs, this should not be too difficult.

     As Jerry Kendall points out, one of the things users like best
about the Apple II is "tinkerability" and being able to know what's
going on in the computer hardware and software. The Expansion approach
makes it possible to 'start fresh' with a relatively simple, but more
powerful machine which can be thoroughly documented.
     

> I believe the future of the Apple II lies in emulation. Both in hardware
> and software.

 ....

     Emulation is fine for letting PC and Mac users access A2 software.
It is no future at all for the II series. Hardly anyone is going to
write significant new software for an emulated Apple II when he/she can
write PC (or Mac) software which will run much faster on the same
machine.

     The future of the Apple II is in new hardware and software.



Rubywand