Re: What if we designed and built a "32bit" Apple II?

[mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon)]

Roy wrote:

>Michael J. Mahon wrote:
>> Roy replied:
>> 
>> 
><snip>
>> 
>>>But a 65832? That is a wet dream. 128mhz? Only in emulation. Unless 
>>>someone makes a PowerPC based turbo card. I stopped holding my breath on 
>>>that one years ago. Now a 20mhz 65816 turbo card, there's a possibility!
>> 
>> 
>> Of course, a PowerPC-based turbo card _is_ emulation.
>
>An emulation of the CPU, but not of the other hardware. A PowerPC Mac 
>running most versions of MacOS prior to OS X is doing SOME emulation (at 
>what point did Apple offer PowerPC only code for MacOS?)
>> 
>> <flame>
>> 
>> All this "Apple II love" sounds like "I wish my wife looked like
>> ____"--not a very "loving" attitude.
>> 
>> If someone wants their Apple II to "be all it can be", then I
>> suggest learning how to program it, not how to mutilate it.
>> 
>> </flame>
>
>By that standard, the IIgs is mutilated.

On that topic, I basically agree.  ;-)  When the IIgs is in its
"native" mode, it has only marginal resemblance to the original
Apple II.  When it is in 8-bit mode, it's much more familar,
runs much more software, and it the target of many more
programming tools.

>As is a IIcPlus.
>
>Or any II with any add-in card.
>
>Even one with a Zipchip or Slotless clock.

Come now--you must admit that those are practically
transparent additions, adding value to practically every
piece of (at least ProDOS) software for the Apple II.

>The IIe I use most has a Transwarp, Phasor, RAMWorks III with RGB card 
>(now if I can only get a CGA monitor to connect to it....) SCSI card and 
>external harddrive, mouse card and mouse, Unidisk 5.25" and the Unidisk 
>3.5" cards and drives. Oh! Also a workstation card. I have an AE 
>powersupply and a system saver hanging off the side.
>
>That IIe is "all it can be", and I don't think of it as mutilated. To 
>me, it's exactly what Woz designed it to be: an expandable, and expanded 
>computer.

I agree.  You and I, and Woz, have very similar ideas about
what an Apple II is, and is made to be able to become.  My main
//e is similarly "loaded", but it will still boot the DOS 3.3 master
and run Little Brick Out.  ;-)  And when it's in this mode, most of
its capabilities are still available to software.

"Mutiliated" is what happens when someone changes the memory
map, the soft switches, the video interface, or the processor in such
a way that practically no Apple II software can or will use it.

Practically no "plug-in" Apple II extensions did violence to
the Apple II itself.

BTW, Adding another processor architecture, like a Z80 card or a
6809 card is a special breed of extension which _does_ introduce
a non-Apple II worldview, but only as an alternative.  You're never
more than a reboot away from the Applesoft prompt.  ;-)

-michael

Check out parallel computing for 8-bit Apples on my
Home page:  http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/