Re: SwyftWare

[et472@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Michael Black)]

J.P. (jtuttle@gmail.com) writes:
> mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon) wrote in message news:<20041031033502.11769.00003313@mb-m29.aol.com>...
>> Steven N. Hirsch wrote:
>> 
>> >Steven N. Hirsch wrote:
>> >> J.P. wrote:
>> >> 
>> >>> Hey--
>> >>> Does anyone have (or is capable of getting) a disk image of SwyftWare?
>> >>>  I'd love to play with it, but I don't have it.  I asked Jef Raskin;
>> >>> he has the disks lying around, but doesn't have the time (or possibly
>> >>> an Apple II) lying around to copy them with.  Thanks.
>> >> 
>> >> 
>> >> Is that the software which shipped with the Swyftcard?  If so, I have it 
>> >> in my archives.
>> >> 
>> >
>> >I found the disk.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that only the 
>> >reverse side, "SwyftCard ProDOS Converter" is readable (at least by 
>> >Shrinkit).  The front side, "SwyftCard Tutorial", cannot be read by 
>> >anything I've tried.  It's either damaged or not in the same low-level 
>> >GCR format as Apple II diskettes.
>> >
>> >I'd be glad to send the image of the ProDOS converter to anyone 
>> >contacting me privately.
> 
> I have no use for it, but I'd like a copy anyway :-).  Never know when
> it might come in handy.
> 
>> Steve, I'd like to have an image of the converter.
>> 
>> The Tutorial side of the disk is, as Paul points out, in Swyftcard
>> format, which is a 4+4 format.  The ProDOS converter may be
>> able to convert it to ProDOS files.
>> 
>> -michael
>> 
>> Check out parallel computing for 8-bit Apples on my
>> Home page:  http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/
> 
> Also, according to Jef, the 20-25 page long hex codes attached to the
> LEAP patent are probably a memory dump (or disk image?) from
> SwyftWare.  If anyone is bored enough to want to sit there downloading
> and OCR'ing all the pages, there might be a copy there.  Not sure,
> though, and I have no clue how you'd get a bunch of hex code onto a
> disk image (let alone reformatting the text [to get rid of spaces,
> etc.])...

If that's really true, then what's the patent number?  One can view
US patents online at the US patent office website, http://www.uspto.gov/patft
One problem I have with it is that if the patent was issued before a certain
date, the only way of retrieving it is with a patent number, though come
to think of it this patent probably came after that date.  If it's part
of the patent, it should be there.

Once you have text, it's very easy to convert it into binary.

  Michael