Re: DOS 3.3 programs on a IIgs?

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

CUTjefbla@bconnex.net (Jeff Blakeney) wrote:

>supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer) wrote:
>
>>Some binary programs also run from ProDOS 8.  I just write a simple
>>BASIC program like "10 ? CHR$(4);"-DIGDUG" and save it as
>>DIGDUG.START....then I can just double-click on the DIGDUG.START
>>BASIC program to run DIGDUG (a DOS 3.3 binary program converted
>>to ProDOS BIN).
>>
>>Many but not all DOS 3.3 binary games can be converted this way.
>>QBURT and MOON.PATROL are two examples that work.  I think
>>many of the Atarisoft titles will work too....
>>
>>DEFENDER is one title that refuses to work.
>>
>>For those that do work, you can easily make them Finder launchable,
>>if not quittable to Finder...
>
>I wrote a program called Selector (v1.0 is out there on the net
>somewhere) that allows you to run DOS 3.3 programs that you've
>converted to ProDOS disks.  The benefit it gives is that certain
>programs try to load themselves into or right through the text screen
>memory which ProDOS has marked as being in use.  This results in a "NO
>BUFFERS AVAILABLE" message.
>
>Selector allows you to tell ProDOS that the text screen memory is
>available before launching a program so that those programs will also
>work under ProDOS.  A reboot after doing this is HIGHLY recommended
>due to the fact that the screen holes will be scrambled after loading
>a program like this.
>
>However, it doesn't let you quit from most DOS 3.3 programs, because
>they never had quit options programmed into them, so this isn't much
>of a problem.  I have Selector set up as the STARTUP program on a 3.5"
>floppy so that I can just reboot and return to Selector.
>
>The part of Selector that does its stuff is just a single line of
>BASIC which I can't remember off the top of my head.  Just download
>the program and take a look, it will be a poke to 48xxx or 49xxx.
>
>I also wrote about this technique in an article in II Alive magazine.
>I can't remember what issue at present but I sure Jeff Hurlburt would
>know or could find out.

Jeff, thanks for the information!  As you surmised, the programs
that don't work with the method I wrote about give a "NO BUFFERS
AVAILABLE" message....

I can't seem to find the Selector program on the net.  Any idea
where I should look?  I am very interested because there are still
some very old non-GS II+ era games that I play around with just
for kicks...and now they are a hassle to run because my 5.25"
drive is dead...