Re: Just curious . . .

[shack@onyx.southwind.net (Randy Shackelford)]

Dave Althoff (dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us) wrote:
: rogtha@delphi.com wrote:
: : What was the standard RAM on original Apple II's? An old magazine ad I
: : found said 16K, but mine has 48K. Was it an upgrade?

: As previously noted, 4k seems to have been standard.  To use hi-res
: graphics, you need at least 16k; ditto for DOS.  To use DOS AND hi-res
: graphics, better get 32k.  The system maxes out at 48k.  As I recall, at
: the end of each physical row of RAM chips inside the case is a jumper
: block looking a lot like a 14-pin chip, which configures the row to
: whatever kind of RAM you have installed. These days, the most common
: configuration seems to be 3x16k, I think.

Yep in my copy of the red book (the reference manual dated Jan '78) there's
talk about 4K and 8K systems, and loading programs from cassette etc. There's
no reason under the sun not to have 48K in one these days. I have a ROM card
with Applesoft chips in slot 0 in my ][ as well.

: Once you've maxed that out, then you remove one of the chips, and install
: a Language System board in Slot 0, connecting the pigtail to the now-empty
: socket on the board.  This gives you an additional 16k of bank-switched
: RAM in the BASIC ROM memory area, $D000-$FFFF, for a total of 64k in
: the machine.  Depending on your ROM configuration (i.e. whether you have a
: ][ or a ][+), the Language System could be loaded with Applesoft, Integer
: BASIC, PASCAL, or Super PILOT...or any other desired language.  Programs
: which did not need Applesoft to run could use the upper 16k for program or
: data storage, and some utilities allow you to stick DOS up there.  Oh, and
: the last version of GPLE is language-card resident.

: You MUST have the language card installed to run ProDOS, since that is
: also where ProDOS lives.  This is also how you use ProDOS with Integer
: BASIC:  by running ProDOS on an Apple ][ with Integer BASIC in ROM.

Make that 1.1 and up. I've run 1.0.1 successfully on my ][ with 48K. The 
ability to boot in 48K was taken out in 1.1. (I've never actually seen a copy
of 1.1, and barely 1.0.2. I guess it was extremely short lived. 1.1.1 was
current for a very long time on the other hand, from early '84 until the IIgs
came out with 1.2.)
-- 
Randy Shackelford                                 I was internet
shack@southwind.net                               when internet wasn't cool