On Fri, 30 Jan 2009, Michael J. Mahon wrote:
nem wrote:
mcpublic <mc@media.mit.edu> wrote in news:
I'd like to get Apple II VisiCalc running in emulation.
Right now this isn't possible because of the copy protection.
(BTW the PC DOS version is available on the web, and doesn't have copy
protection).
It did originally. All versions of Visicalc except for the TRS-80
Model I release were copy-protected.
I have three versions of the Apple II software. I know one of them
still boots (1983?)
and have some confidence that the other two versions (1979 and 1981)
work also.
IIRC, Dan Bricklin said they took the copy-protection out of the
later releases (as well as cassette support).
On his website a few years ago, he presented the original Apple II
screenshot and the quick reference card, but said that he did not
offer the original Apple II version because the disk was copy-
protected--so he offered the PC version.
I sent him a normalized version with no "crack screen" or other
"embellishments" hoping that he would add it to his site, but
never got any response.
It would be easy to have a web Apple II emulator so that any
browser user could click on a link and run the original VisiCalc,
which IMHO would be a much more authentic experience.
I don't even remember any cassette support...I thought VisiCalc
required a DISK ][.
Maybe it's more a case of those who needed VisiCalc were the ones
who'd have a floppy drive, so nobody talked about cassettes.
I have no idea, but they say that many people rushed out
and bought Apple II's to run Visicalc, the expense being nothing
compared to what they could do with the program.
Thus I can imagine many of the people buying VisiCalc having floppy
drive(s).
The average person wasn't going to buy VisiCalc unless they had
a good reason for it.