Re: More Cards to Ponder

[pubpc1@library.ucla.edu]

travis@cluracan.org (Ward C. Travis) wrote:
>The Alaska Card by Central Point Software (circa 1983). Appears to be a
>RAM device of some kind; the software seems to be made for copying RAM
>images directly to/from disk - there's got to be more going on there,
>BSAVE would do that. The card has a momentary-contact switch on a long
>cable -- does this thing snapshot memory to the floppy?

This is an option card for Copy II Plus that helps in copying copy
protected disks.  Your assessment is correct: when the program is
loaded into RAM, you press the button (while the program is still
in memory) and save a "state image" to disk.  The disk(s) containing
the image are not copy protected, effectively removing the protection.

Later protection schemes had the program check the disk periodically,
countering this method.

-Scott G.