Re: Unix/Linux Box

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

"Ernest" (leucoplast@seanet.NOSPAM.com) writes:
> "Ralph Glatt" <julian814@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> ce9c44dd.0308191720.d47df4a@posting.google.com">news:ce9c44dd.0308191720.d47df4a@posting.google.com...
>> Okay, gents, I just can't wait for Contiki to come out for the //c. I
>> want to put together a Unix/Linux box I can use as a go-between so I
>> can get software for my //c off the internet. I've talked to some of
>> my geek friends at school, and they're willing to help. I also thought
>> I might ask here, since I'm sure a lot of you have already done
>> something like this. Any recommendations? I have (I think) a 486 that
>> runs at 100 MHz, and has two ~500 Meg hard drives. I know I'm going to
>> need a modem to get the 486 on the internet, any idea where I might
>> get one cheap? How about software? I haven't checked the FAQ yet, but
>> will after I'm done posting. Oh, yeah, I'm going to hook up my //c to
>> the 486 through a serial cable. Thanks!
>>
>> Ralph Glatt
> 
> When you talk about a go-between, what do you mean? If you're currently
> using a Windows computer, why not just use that as your go-between -ie,
> download disk images onto your current PC, and convert the images to floppy
> on your IIc using a program called ADT. You can connect them together using
> a standard null modem cable. ADT is easy to use, once you get it set up, and
> you could keep the IIc on the desk next to your PC, which is nice because it
> allows you to read FAQs and How-to's on your PC while you work on your IIc.
> That's what I do.
> 
> E.
> 
> 
You can put your Apple on the internet, so long as you can find an ISP
that still offers a shell account.  You'd run terminal software on the
Apple, and it would be basically the same as if you were dialing a
BBS.

Since ISPs with shells are in limited supply, the alternative
is to run a shell at home.  Run Linux on a computer at home,
and the only real difference between it and a shell at your ISP
is that your Linux computer might be more limited than the ISP's
computer (but not necessarily).  It will be running identical software.

So the Linux computer becomes the "go-between".  You connect your
Apple to the Linux computer over the serial port, and run terminal
software on the Apple. Instead of having to dial into your ISP
with the Apple, you just start typing away.   You're Apple will
be seeing the shell on the Linux computer, and you enter things
on the command line.  You tell it to dial the ISP, and it makes a PPP
connection.  Then, you type "pine" (for instance) and pine will
run on the Linux computer, connecting to your ISP and collecting
email, but you'll be reading it on this terminal connected to
the Linux computer, which happens to be an Apple.  Want to browse
with the Apple?  Type "lynx" and you've got a text browser and
you can visit most webpages.

Maybe there's not much advantage in this.  But if you use lynx
to download an Apple program, lynx will download it to a temporary
file on the Linux computer, and you can then transfer it over the
serial port to the Apple.  You no longer have to make a disk on
the main computer, in Apple format on top of that, and move it
physically to the Apple.  And except for software that apparently
runs on the IIGS, this is the closest many people will get to
putting their Apple II on the internet.

Since Linux is multiuser/multitasking, you can be using the connection
for other purposes while doing things for the Apple II.  I do not
have any other computer connected to this computer, which is Linux,
but two years ago when I installed Linux I did have a Mac Classic
attached to the serial port, in this very same fashion.  I could very
easily be doing it right now.  As it is, I have Lynx running on one
of the built in consoles, I can run pine on another to check email,
and on this console I've telnetted to a "freenet" to deal with newsgroups,
since my ISP dropped newsgroups over a year and a half ago.  It
is wonderful.

  Michael