Know Apple ///?

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

The only item required for Apple ][+ emulation is the Emulation disk which
sets up a portion of the Apple ///'s RAM as a 48k or 60k ][+ (depending on
which emulation disk you use). The instructions are easy; stick the Emulation
disk into the built-in floppy drive and turn the computer on, then stick in
the Apple ][ program and hit RETURN. For full 128k Apple //e or //c emulation,
there are the Titan ///+ //e cards which are still in production. These cards
(there are two of them) let you use the /// in native mode or //e mode and
rebooting //e programs is actually a little easier than on a real //e. The
reason I got the Titan cards is because they provide a RAMdisk in both modes
and an Apple //e joystick port. If you are interested in running AppleWorks,
that program was originally created on the /// and is called "Three Easy
Pieces", it's available from Sun Remarketing and On Three (orders - 206-334
8001). One program you should have is the Apple /// System Utilities program
which is in the public domain... don't worry, the /// is virus free. I think
that one of the best PD libraries for the /// belongs to the Washington Apple
Pi of Bethesda, Maryland. I'm a Computer Field Support Analyst with several
computers that have graced my household (including IBM and Macintosh) and the
/// is my favorite, so it alone occupies my office and handles the databases
and wordprocessing duties for several clients. With the right hard drive and
enough memory it will keep pace with most 386's and has more finesse than some
486's, but the software selection is somewhat limited.
   
>  info on quirks of the /// would also be appreciated!
   
Quirks,... hmmmm watch out for bad memory chips (usually a $06 error) and
chips coming lose from their sockets. A loose chip can reveal itself as a
failure that rears its ugly head after the computer gets warm. The solution?
Remove the motherboard and reseat all the chips with your thumb, but if you
are new to the /// then you may want some assistance. Don't get nervous if the
computer gets warm after an hour; As long as the /// is working properly, the
critical temperature is when the floppy disk begins to melt (serious!). There
was a /// that I obtained a while back that had been installed in a business
and left on for six- years,.. the memory board was actually charred but the
thing still ran. I installed a fan in mine because it stays on for days at a
time doing mainframe-style batch printing and report generation.
   
The maximum RAM is 512k, the standard RAM is 256k, and the earlier versions
had 128k. A 256k Apple /// can load a spreadsheet with about 10,000 formulas,
a 20 page document, and a 1,000 record phone list database all at the same
time, so the /// is pretty efficient in RAM use. You will never run out of
memory with 512k.
  
One thing more you should know about the ///; each new device like printers,
SCSI or other disks, desk accessories, ect. requires a "device driver"
which is a little program contained in the SOS.DRIVER file on every Apple ///
boot disk. These device drivers allow the /// to run almost any peripheral
device (I run a 70 meg SCSI drive, a 3.5 drive, two dot matrix printers, and a
laser printer) but the boot disk must be configured by the System Utilities
program for new devices.
   
Let me know if you need any more info about the ///, software, the new
products introduced recently, or the operating system (S/OS).
   
                                                Paul Campbell