Re: Newbie Apple IIgs questions

[Mitchell Spector <mitch2gs@hotmail.com>]

David Murray <spamsucks@stopspam.com> wrote:

>First off, I can't get any color out of the composite output jack.  It is 
>just grayscale.  I have figured out how to get to the control panel and 
>it is set to "COLOR" on the monitor section.. but still no color output.  
>I do not have a RGB monitor that will work with it.

    This is normal behavior for composite video, when text mode is concerned.
The text foreground, background as well as border color, are forced into 
greyscale (16 shades). Presumably this was done as due to the IIgs using
non-standard NTSC composite video, which would limit the legibility of 
colored text--more on that below.

    The border, however, will appear in color when any graphic mode is
active, and of course all graphic modes themselves are displayed in color as
well. As mentioned above though, the IIgs's built-in composite output is
non-standard NTSC, which while looks fine in IIe emulation graphic modes
(i.e. Low/Double/ High resolution) is far from perfect displaying native IIgs
graphic modes. Color fringing and inaccurate colors are the case. An RGB
display is a necessity.

>Is it like the Amiga systems where the hardware only outputs grayscale to the composite 
>connector?  Although, I'm impressed how clear it is on my Commodore 1084 
>monitor, especially the 80 column mode.

    You mean like the A520 adapter? Not quite, since color IS available
through built-in composite (unlike the Amiga 500 and 2000) albeit less
than respectable for IIgs Super-High-Resolution modes, and not at all for
text mode.

    There is an Apple manufactured genlock device called the "Apple II 
Video Overlay Card" incidentally, which as a side feature, allows the IIgs 
to output standard NTSC composite video. Native Super-Hi-Res modes
are clear and the colors look correct. Text modes remain greyscale though. 

    Obviously text modes appear in full color on an RGB display. You can
connect up the Commodore 1084 with a correctly wired cable (I prefer 
the AppleColor RGB, it has much richer colors and better contrast than
my Amiga 1080 display, even if it is smaller).

>Second.  I have two 3.5" floppy drives.  They are part# A9M0106  However, 
>when I connect them to the back of the IIgs and turn it on, I get a black 
>screen and the computer won't do anything.  It doesn't matter which drive 
>I connect, same thing.

    It is important that the Apple 3.5 always come first in the chain,
plugging directly into the back floppy port. 5.25 drives should then 
be plugged in second, daisy-chained to the back of an Apple 3.5.
(the UniDisk 3.5, which is less common, goes in between).

    What else is plugged externally or internally inside your IIgs? 
The drives draw their power directly from the powersupply, it
might be shorting or overloaded from something.

>I currently have no O/S disks, but I've downloaded the images from 
>Apple's website and I'll be putting them on 800K disks using a Macintosh 
>up at work tommorow.  but I have a few questions about GS/OS

    The final release was System 6.0.1, which spanned across six floppies.
You'll need a minimum of at least 1.125 MB RAM to run it, though more
is recommended for optimal use (2 to 4 MB RAM). You'll also need at least
a version "ROM 01" firmware.

>Are there any working, free IP stacks that support PPP?  I have a router 
>with serial ports on it that can accept incomming PPP connections.  So 
>that would be a quick, easy way to connect the IIgs to the internet.  
>I've done that with an old Mac LC and it worked fine.  Unfortunatly, the 
>router doesn't support SLIP, which I did see a website where there was 
>TCP/IP via SLIP.

    There is Marinetti (http://www.apple2.org/marinetti/) which is a free
GS/OS Control Panel that allows the machine to do TCP/IP with PPP.
I used it years ago, to have my IIgs dial-up free Juno and NetZero and it
worked great. These days I'm presuming it has support for the Ethernet
board so you could get it working with broadband cable and DSL.

    Unfortunately, at least as of 5 years ago, there were very few TCP/IP
aware applications written for the IIgs. There was a prototype for a limited
web-browser, AOL instant messenger, a POP3/SMTP e-mail client (was
that ever released?) and some other interesting ones. Not sure how far
they progressed. 

>And lastly.. Just a general question.  I used IIgs systems back in junior 
>high and didn't realize they were any better than a IIe because all we 
>were allowed to do was write programs in BASIC.  I was unaware of the 
>existence of GS/OS until a few days ago.  Knowing what I know now, at the 
>time the IIgs came out if your choices were a Macintosh SE or an Apple 
>IIgs, why would you pick the SE? 

    Heh, back in high school (1988) my friend had a Macintosh SE, and I had
an Apple IIGS. He used to claim his Macintosh was the better machine, and
I adamantly disagreed. In retrospect, I would still hands down choose the
IIgs for it's color graphics (with Mac-like interface), incredible sound, 
backwards compatibility, expandability and overall coolness factor.

    All the Macintosh SE had going for it was had a better vertical
resolution for WYSIWYG (i.e. 512x384 versa 640x200). The GUI was
a bit speedier than a stock IIgs at the time, but by the time of System 5.0
(1989) it was comparable I found.

>I mean, other than higher clock speed it seems like the IIgs was a superior system.  
>Of course, I had an Amiga  back in Junior High and thought that Macs generally sucked 
>back then..  but I like them now, but that is another story..   

    I actually choose the IIgs because it was the Amiga's contemporary rival.
I found it to be something of a cross between the Apple II, Macintosh and
Amiga. I did want an Amiga at the time, thought the Mac was cool, but didn't
want to lose my investment in Apple II software--the IIgs was the answer.

    Some of its features included: 16-bit processor, upgradable to 8 MB RAM,
12-bit color palette (4096 colors, like the Amiga), wavetable music synthesis
via a 32-voice Ensoniq chip, Mac-like toolbox in ROM, built-in AppleTalk
networking. That aside, I've yet to encounter _any_ new machine to bring
me the same excitement and awe that the IIgs did back in the 80's.

    It had some interesting software written for it too, even though it was
mostly overshadowed (even ignored)  in the mainstream software market 
by systems like the Macintosh, Amiga, Commodore 64, Atari ST and PC.
There were European demos written for it and some popular games, such
Out of This World, Lemmings, Super Mario Bros, Wolfenstein 3-D (of course
having a plug-in accelerator card helped).

>So the main thing is, why did people choose the Mac?

    Apple was actively support it while ignoring the Apple II line. It was
considered a professional platform, while the Apple II was thought of as
more of a home and educational computer (the IIgs getting primarily used 
as a fast color Apple IIe in schools didn't help its image much--nor did
Apple leaving it crippled with a 2.8 MHz processor and 200 line vertical
resolution).

    I stuck it out with the Apple IIgs as my only platform until early 1997,
at which point I got into PC's and have been ever since (I did come
full circle for a while, doing technical support for the Macintosh as my
day job for 2 years). I don't have any passion for the PC though, it's 
merely an application to me. 

Mitchell Spector