Re: AW5 vs WP 1.1 for 2e

[bieling@terra.es]

On May 24, 2:34 am, "Michael J. Mahon" <mjma...@aol.com> wrote:
>
> The introduction of the IIgs into the Apple II market is another
> example of this--"too little, too late".
>

I think that the the Disk II is the reason why the Apple II's speed
could not be increased steadily along the time, a la par with the
contenders.

A 'worse', less smart, but less 'synchronous' Disk II design may have
permitted to speedup the the Apple II much more easily, as the CPU
speed would not have been such an important factor in compatibility.
Somewhere along the line, a timing source could have been added... if
the need had ever arisen.

Using the Apple II itself as an FDC instead of a Floppy Disk
Controller *chip*, although clever and bright from an engineering
point of view, has had some unforeseen, long-lasting (and bad)
consequences...

--Jorge.