Re: New to Apple 2

[Simon Williams <DONTemail@luddite.ca>]

On Mon, 05 Aug 2002 05:02:57 GMT "triste@cox.net" <triste@cox.net> wrote:

> 
> Hi everyone :) Maybe some of you can help me out. I'm purchasing an Apple
> //e very soon but I have a bit of a problem. See, the two main reasons I
> want one are for nostalgia purposes, plus I'm very interested in "vintage"
> computers (sparked recently while helping my brother fix up an old laptop).
> The problem I'm having is that I vaguely remember using them in school, and
> would like to be refreshed on what I'm in for when I get mine. Basically all
> I remember are playing a couple games. I'm probably going to sound very
> stupid next to the rest of you, but did the Apple //e even have a GUI? How
> did it work?
> 
> Also, how did it boot up? Do I need a certain disk? I'm buying mine from
> eBay, and it seems to have everything it needs, but the person isn't
> specific and I don't know exactly what I need.
> 
> If anyone can help me out, I'll really appreciate it! Thanks for your time.
> :)
> 
> 
Don't worry, you're not the only new A2 user out there... The short version is that you can boot the //e into AppleSoft BASIC without a startup disk, just hit CONTROL+RESET when you see the "Apple //e". But you'll have to learn a bit of AppleSoft to have any fun with it.
You will need a system disk to do things like copy files and save programs to disk... (I hope you're getting a disk drive w/the computer).
There are a few GUI programs available... you'll need a Mouse (and mouse card) to use them.
There is a lot of software available on the net, but getting it from your PC/Mac to the Apple II is rather involved for the novice (or intermediate user like myself)... best to find someone nice who is willing to send you some disks at cost. (email me when you get your computer, I'll put together a starter disk set for you at the cost of disks and postage).
Here are some links to informational resources. Take it slow, it seems a lot more complicated at first, but once you figure out the basics there's nothing like it.
<http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html>
<http://www.apple2.org/faq/>
<http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/gslj/iiefreeware.html>
Welcome to the wonderful world of the Apple ][
Simon

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