Re: Cracking HomeWord

[Toinet <antoine.vignau@laposte.net>]

On 12 août, 20:30, "N.N. Thayer" <nntha...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I'm no expert on cracking, or the Apple II disk subsystem, which can
> be something of a barrier in my perpetual mission to rip and archive
> images of every single piece of Apple II software that I come across
> (since 500 years from now, the images are all that will exist).  :)
> My latest obstacle: Sierra On-Line's HomeWord!
>
> In terms of UI, this is an excellent piece of software - I've found it
> far easier to use than any of the other word-processing programs of
> the time, with the possible exception of Bank Street Writer.  (Funny
> how that ease of use seems to disappear with more professional-level
> utilities...)  HomeWord Plus, the version on Asimov, requires a 128k //
> e or //c or later; only the original HomeWord runs on a ][/][+.
>
> I actually have two versions of HomeWord: version 1.1, released in
> '83, and version 2.4, released the following year.  Both are pirated
> copies from my dad's old collection.  I know they weren't originally
> copied via a nibble-copier or Copy II Plus, because when I tried those
> methods, the results were unusuable.  I was able to use ADT to rip DSK
> images - but those turned out to be unusuable as well.
>
> Puzzled, I dug around and found this cracking doc for HomeWord:
>
> http://www.skepticfiles.org/cowtext/apple/krack2ap.htm
>
> Examining the track and sector that the doc specified, I found what it
> referred to in HomeWord 1.1, but not in 2.4.  I made the change it
> described, saved, and it worked as advertised - I was able to make
> straight copies of HomeWord 1.1 to other disks.  So however my dad had
> originally managed to copy this disk, it was without the aid of this
> particular crack.
>
> What I was still *not* able to do, however, was rip it to a DSK image
> over ADT; the images produced were unusuable.  In a last-ditch effort,
> I used the Saltine's Super Transcopy method to create a NIB image...
> with interesting results.  When loading it in the AppleWin emulator,
> the image will boot and function perfectly if I'm set to //e
> emulation, but in ][+ emulation it simply halts claiming that
> "HomeWord will not run with a joystick plugged into the game port."
> This is an odd claim for it to be making, since (1) I have the
> joystick disabled in the emulator and (2) I have a real joystick
> connected to my real Apple ][+, with no ill effects (although it is
> through a 9-pin adapter).
>
> So, that's my status at the moment - a NIB image of HomeWord 1.1 that
> functions in one specific emulation mode.  Better than nothing, I
> suppose, but I'd like to get it into the more desirable DSK (for what
> I do, that's far and away the best image format), and I'd also like to
> get HomeWord 2.4 ripped as well, especially since the physical disk
> for that one is on its last legs.  If anyone would like to assist, or
> is just curious, I can post the NIB or even send out disks.
>
> - Neil

Hi Neil,

Can you please send your NIB image to me? I will have a look and
understand why a DSK image is not possible. It may be an
incompatibility between the remains of Sierra's world-famous nibble
count routine and the emulator.

antoine