Re: Vintage Vista V-1200 5 disk changer for apple //e and further rants on vintage stuff..sorry

["brad" <mrbrad@ll.net>]

ah...to find the software to run the beast..there is the rub........

wanted:

1) software to run this vista v-1200 setup apple docs and install disks
(there is an ibm version i may find for the dos ver but no apple ver
yet)...would like to save this beast *running* for the future..it is just
too cool...ie also weird....

2) the mastery development hack of the install software..and the install
software on disk..to allow you to make a mastery development network of a
mess of apple siders (10mb/20mb external sasi hds) .....i know that a mr.
boffo? i think made such a hack and uploaded the file someplace..he said it
was an easy tweak but dang'd if i can find the file..be nice to figure out a
way to network siders...there are enough of them around.....

3) digicard install disk "mandrake" pre-linux name...or the hack i also
heard of but did not get ..if you have one of these beasts and the xmas tree
lites in front light up sequentially one after another in front it prob does
have the mandrake software on the hd inside...there is a way to get it off
and make an install disk (mandrake) or other tweak..but again have not
tracked it down...also a lot of these around...so if you have one disconnect
the hd inside and add another one (they are big enough) use it as an
external scsi case...then if/when someone figures out how to revive said
beast....you can then maybe re-hitch the scsi that came with the digicard
back up and see what you have on it ..networking software wise...again you
can use these as a stand alone external scsi with re-format and a scsi card
or ramfast..but kinda defeats the purpose if you can also use the mandrake
software to do the same and it can be used multiple network wise with apple
talk cables

4) ohio kache card software..i have the manual and the card
(pre-ramfast...sasi speed up card) look at the old adds in the a+ mags..they
were all over the place back in the day...i think i have a .bxy file for
said...but not sure....i do have a manual....and i THINK? if you use them
with a sider the install software disk is not needed ..the sider will
recognise the oks card....but again not sure...also have to be careful with
this card on power termination for the sasi/scsi interface..but have manual
so will prob be ok...just remember it is oppisite of what you would
expect....power term wise...anyway i legit install disk..

on the other hand i do have a lot of stuff manuals utils i plan to get out
there someday..hopefully soon...such things as the oks stuff, eprom
controllers, alaska card, etc etc..8" lobo controller and docs, the dapple
systems mod'd apple //e that was 10 or 20 k in 1988 that was hitched up to
an electron microscope for dapple image processing with special mod'ded
speed up card (accelerator //e card with dapple chips ) etc etc

so anyone wanna move to mankato, minnesota to help me out...(we have not
even started on the web server and majormud servers etc i have here i used
to also run)...

stuff, stuff, anyway..i'm working on it...thank goodness for cider press and
adt xfer.....its slowly coming along

brad
mrbrad(at)ll.net
former sysop lost gonzo bbs
1st bbs 1983 orig 2 140k floppy disk version of Applenet dos 3.3 (from sysop
of safehouse bbs back in the day) john penchack? ancient 300/1200 baud

2nd bbs 1986 thereabouts....Tpro 4.2f RPG bbs basically an rpg game with bbs
built around it...such things as joust, doug and bob mckensie beer hunter,
star wars game (the one with the bar on the top..ie light saber on floor),
dungeon, empire, blackjack, casino, real asci downloads..whooo....ran on an
apple //gs with prodos
i also have a unix port of this beast ..someone ported it to unix..with
source..if someone is really nuts and wants to tweak a 256 user or more
version of this...actually such a port could be easily modified to copy any
apple // bbs setup..the hard part is prob the hooks to do email etc....the
rest would prob be transparent to the user...just change the commands and
the screens to represent whatever ancient bbs pkg from applenet to tpro to
blastervision you may have seen...a way to show users how some of these old
systems worked ....but allowing more then 1 user at a time to actually play
them....hmm....an actual spacer guest port to this setup might actually get
some play.....from the old metal/fv era

3rd bbs 1987 or thereabouts...fv/metal 4.0xev (freeware compiled type bbs
pkg for apple) this was easily modified and tweaked...i used to run the 1991
version of the boycott bbs mods compliments of terry olsen boycot bbs...i
also was able to run this beast on a worldgroup bbs pkg using a dialout
package...also were door programs for the ms-dos bbs machines you could do
this with via serial connection or we used a 2nd modem line....it was guite
a nice setup if you have seen terry's boycot...i had such games as
planetbashers...spacer quest (which pre-dates tw2002..) which i used to get
a LOT of calls about...from other ms dos bbs sysops wanting that door
program then i had to tell them it was running on a gs was not a bbs door
game program...it also had ansi screens proterm screens like tpro and terry
even had a mod you could change the speed of a zip accel card while in the
bbs to help/hurt game play...around 40 plus games..had a network called
futurenet..you also could do fido thru it....(using fruitydog i
think)....when terry gets his system backup you can see how it works and
ideally if i get the works backup on www.lost-gonzo.com (still down)

4th wg bbs's 1.0-3.20 the servers i used on the net...to allow people to get
to the apple // bbs pkgs....servers like MajorMud, Spacer Quest 2112 and
tw2002 gold server (all still out on the net if you are interested ) and
started using but did not get up a server game freeware linux called Legend
of the Green  Dragon also still avail

anyway sorry for the cross post on info here...this is still apple 2
marketplace...again sorry...kinda ran amuck..but refer to the above software
and if anyone has any of the avail items from digicard to the vista unit let
some of us that have such on here know about it....so we can revive such
beasts

(slinks off to prepare for getting yelled at for posting this in
comp.sys.apple2marketplace...)

brad
former sysop lost-gonzo.com


"Martin Doherty" <martin.doherty@undisclosed.com> wrote in message
news:ljwhd.19$J%6.204@news.oracle.com...
> brad wrote:
> > below is the link for something i've never heard of before..it is
> > 'supposedly' i have not gotten it yet from ebay...
> >
> > " A Vista V-1200 5 disk (5.25" apple 2 floppy) disk changer for the
apple
> > //e" .
> >
> > yeah..i could barely belive it ...a 5 disk cartridige unit to run 5
apple 2
> > floppies on one external drive..i found a ref to it under www.apple2.org
> > under what runs under a 5.25" apple // floppy drive and it was
referenced
> > there...
> >
> > anyway here is the ebay link
> >
> >
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5133880553&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT
> >
> >
> > this would have been real handy when i was running dos 3.3 AppleNet by
john
> > penchanck? (spelling?) back in 1983....we used to run 4 drives
> > on the bbs then and that was dicey 24hrs a day...
> >
> > of course in those days i dreamed of owning a sider 10mb for $999.99 or
some
> > such...
> >
> > anyway...anyone else have this beast?...will it run on an apple // or
just
> > the //e ...any body got any manuals or anything else you can point me to
> >
> > brad
>
> This is a bit like catching two coelecanths (sp?) in the same week.
> Amazing! I saw one when I was working in a computer store in Australia
> in the early 80s, I remember each double-sided floppy stored 1.2mb for a
> total of 6mb online, but can't remember any details about the
> partitioning or OS access.
>
> Martin