What to do with a IIgs...

[bill@booster.u.washington.edu (Bill Whitson)]

I am going to buy a IIgs soon.  I promised myself four years ago when I sold
my II+ that I eventually would and now have the $$ to do it.  I have a few
questions about what to look for when buying, what I can do to upgrade once
I have it, and availability of parts and software.  I've read the FAQ's and
they didn't quite answer everything I wanted.  So...

I've read that there are different ROM versions on different models of IIgs.
What is the "best" ROM set.  How can I tell what ROM version a IIgs has?

How much memory should the system have?  (I plan to add a memory card if it
doesn't have one but is there a specific amount it should have on board?)

Is there anything to watch out for when buying a IIgs?  I want a system that
I can upgrade to the "peak" of IIgs performace.  I'll want to add a hard drive,
more RAM, whatever (this is going to be my fun system - my PC is for work and
just want another Apple to tinker with :)

What is the Zip chip that people talk about?  Is this just an accelerator?  Is
it reliable?  Most importantly, is it still available?  What sort of speeds can
be gotten out of it?

Are there still places that sell a decent variety of hardware and software for
the IIgs or am I going to be scrounging for a bunch of used stuff?

If I buy a system with old system software, without manuals, etc. does Apple still
supply ProDOS, manuals, GS info or have they completely killed the whole thing?

Thanks for any answers you can give me.  I'm sure I'll be relying on a lot of
information from this group to get my little project going.  I'm glad there are
still people who like the Apple II out there.

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Bill Whitson					 bill@booster.u.washington.edu
			Ne quid fiot.