Need help on Apple ///

[unknown@pro-applepi.cts.com (Generic Account)]

To Anouk Mukherjee, anouk@info.polymtl.ca.
  
There is an emulation disk that will allow an IBM to read 
Apple ][ ProDos files and will also recognize Apple /// SOS 
files since ProDos is based on SOS. Your main problem will be 
running the programs once they are ported over to another 
platform unless that platform is the Apple IIGs. Applesoft, 
which runs on the ][ and //e does not contain features of 
Apple /// Business Basic, so many functions would be lost and 
the programs probably would not run. MS-Basic and QuickBasic 
for the IBM would have similar problems. Other factors are the
multi-level nested interrupts which are natural to the Apple 
/// and its built-in interrupt manager. The ][ will handle 
simple interrupts, but not on the same scale or level of 
complexity as the /// which is completly interrupt driven. It 
gets worse for IBMs,.. MS-DOS has NO interrupt manager and 
interface cards must have the interrupts set manually by DIP 
switches. The good news is 1) GS Basic for the IIGS is really 
a ported-over version of Apple /// Buisness Basic, so the /// 
programs should run with minimal modification. 2) There are
places that repair ///s, including myself, that can get yours 
up and running. 3) ///s are VERY inexpensive, just call Tom 
Linders in Saratoga CA. 4) you can send me the disks and I 
will output them to ASCII files in Apple or IBM format.
You will not be wasting your time in getting the /// back up, 
there are software developments that are being created as you
read this post, along with 1.4meg floppy drives, desk 
accessories, macros, and SCSI hard drives, all available now.
  
                                    Paul Campbell