[HEA] _____________________ ___ _ |___ ______________| | | | | | | _ | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | ____ _ _ _ _ ______ | | | || | | | / __ \ | | / \_/ \ | ___ \ | | | || |__ ____ | | / / \ | | /\ /\ \ | | \ \ | | | || _ \ | _ \ | | \ \__/ | | | |_|| | | |__/ / | | | || | | || |_|| | | \___/|_| |_| |_| | ____/ |_| | || | | || |__ | |____________________ | | _ |__||_| |_|\____/ |________________________| | | |_| | | Lighting Your Apple II Path | | |_| ----------------------------------- >>> WELCOME TO THE LAMP! <<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE BEST OF THE A2 BULLETIN BOARD ON Syndicomm.com AND THE BEST OF THE DELPHI A2 AND A2PRO MESSAGE BOARDS "Teaching the Apple II user how to fish since 1998" :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The Lamp! An Onipa'a Software Production Vol. 4, No. 8 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Publisher................................Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. Editor.....................................................Lyle Syverson Internet Email, Publisher.........................thelamp@sheppyware.net Internet Email, Editor................................lyle@FoxValley.net :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: TABLE OF CONTENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August 15, 2001 HIGH ABOVE THE ROCK RIVER---------------------------------------------[OPN] We Didn't Know We Couldn't Syndicomm Online Another Successful K-Fest A2 FORUM AT Syndicomm Online (A2Central.com) DISTILLATIONS The Mystique of the Apple II Computer...-------------------------[MOA] One Space After Periods, or Two?---------------------------------[OOT] Writing Distributable Documentation for Apple II Computers-------[WDD] Will Tidy up Soar------------------------------------------------[TUS] Posting Longer Messages With Soar...-----------------------------[PLM] What is Your Favorite Apple II RPG Game?-------------------------[FAG] Software for New Owners of Apple II's----------------------------[SNO] Tulin SCSI Drivers Revisited-------------------------------------[TSD] Announcing Juiced.GS, Volume 6, Issue 2--------------------------[JGS] Juiced.GS FAQ Being Created--------------------------------------[JFQ] "Friends II" CD-ROM Available------------------------------------[FCD] The Status of "GUS"----------------------------------------------[SOG] Contact INFO - MSDOS Utilities and MUG!--------------------------[CIM] What GS Assemblers are out There?--------------------------------[WGA] FREDA AND Pixie--------------------------------------------------[FAP] FileTypes... Apple II <--> Mac-----------------------------------[FAM] ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM SYNDICOMM Syndicomm's Online Store-----------------------------------------[SOS] Syndicomm to Publish GS+ Software--------------------------------[GSP] Syndicomm Signs Agreement With EGO Systems-----------------------[EGO] Syndicomm to Distribute Parkhurst Micro Products Line------------[PMP] Syndicomm Becomes Distributor of Byte Works Products-------------[BWP] Syndicomm to Publish Juiced.GS in 2002---------------------------[JGS] Syndicomm Online Enhances Features For All Members---------------[SEF] DELPHI A2 DISTILLATIONS Replacement Hard Drive for Apple II------------------------------[RHD] Picture in Background on IIgs------------------------------------[POB] LETTERS TO THE EDITOR No Letters to the Editor This Month------------------------------[NLE] An Invitation----------------------------------------------------[LTE] KFEST 2001 K-Fest 2001 Report-----------------------------------------------[KFR] Another Great K-Fest The K-Fest Sessions The Roast HackFest Winners 2-Disk K-Fest 2001 Multimedia CD-ROM Pack------------------------[KFC] Gshisen Competition----------------------------------------------[GCN] Bite the Bag Competition-----------------------------------------[BTB] K-Fest Afterglow-------------------------------------------------[KFA] Plan Ahead for K-Fest 2002---------------------------------------[PAK] EXTRA INNINGS About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN] [*] [*] [*] READING THE LAMP! The index system used by The Lamp! is designed to make """"""""""""""""" your reading easier. To use this system, load this issue into any word processor or text editor. In the index you will find something like: EXTRA INNINGS About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN] To read this article, simply use your search or find command to locate [INN]. There is a similar tag at the end of each article: [EOA]. [OPN]------------------------------- HIGH ABOVE THE ROCK RIVER | ------------------------------------ From The Editor """"""""""""""" by Lyle Syverson Darkness is setting in on the patio, High Above The Rock River. Up and down the river the lights are reflected in the calm water. The lights clinging to the five arches of the Jefferson Street bridge caste a magic spell. Cool air is slowly replacing the heat of the day. Nice you could drop by. Here, let me pour you a tall glass of iced tea to go with those chips. We Didn't Know We Couldn't ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A visit to a small town in Iowa reveals a Danish windmill as a tourist attraction. The tour of the windmill includes a video explaining how one man's dream became the dream of the whole town of some six hundred people. How they raised $30,000 to buy an old windmill in Denmark, pay for it be disassembled and shipped to their town. How they reassembled it using volunteers. One statement in that video hit me hard... "We didn't know we couldn't do it, so we did it!" Syndicomm ~~~~~~~~~ See the section of this issue reporting on announcements from Syndicomm. This organization is really blossoming. "We didn't know we couldn't do it, so we did it!" must be one of the factors in the growth of the services provided by Syndicomm. Another Successful K-Fest ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The hard work of "The Great Gouda" and the rest of the K-Fest committee paid off in providing a really great K-Fest 2001. See the section of this issue devoted to K-Fest for details. [EOA] ASCII ART BEGINS _________ _ _ _ |__ __| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___ ____ | | _____ __ ___ _ _ _____ | | | | | ___ \ / __ \ | | /____ \ | v v | | v ___ \ | | | | | | | | | /__\ \ | | ____| | | /\ /\ | | / \ \ | | | | | | | | | _____| | | / ___ | | || || | | | | | |_| | | | | | | | |_____ | |____ | |__| | | || || | | \___/ / _ |_| |_| |_| \______| |______| \____^_| |_||_||_| | |\____/ |_| | | | | |_| ASCII ART ENDS [EOA] --------------------------------------------------- DISTILLATIONS FROM The A2 FORUM at Syndicomm.com | (A2Central.com) | --------------------------------------------------- by Lyle Syverson [MOA] THE MYSTIQUE OF THE Apple II COMPUTER... """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" I had an Apple ][ then managed to get a //e and //c through finagling deals. It was March of 1987 that I finally got two Apple IIgs's, the last of the Woz editions the dealer had. I didn't even realize sending in the registration meant you would get a certificate, a novelty really, but it kinda sucks that I never got them. In 1989 I started on a road that eventually lead to the contents of apple2.org. It's hard to say what the first prototype machine I got was, I think it's a tie between Cortland and Sara. Of course I had pack ratted lots and lots of stuff from then, people thought I was nuts. ;-) Now look.. Sometimes I think it's nuts too. But .. The Apple ][ is still the computer that started it all as far as I am concerned. It may not have been the first. But neither was the Model-T. Thank goodness the Apple ][ was at least available in another color besides black. .. though black also was soon to come. >> 15 years later, there is -no- computer that I've ever wanted more than an Apple IIgs. << I'll add to that. 15 years later, there is -no- computer that I've ever seen spark creativity like the Apple ][. .. and that I've ever wanted more. There was lots of skepticism on the Apple IIgs locally, the Amiga and Atari people made fun of it. Too little, too late. Why, etc. In some ways I thought of it as an Apple //e with the best graphics and sound card integrated. The most amazing thing about the Apple IIgs was that even though Apple went out of their way after that 3rd quarter of 1988 by telling developers *not* to develop titles for both, stick to the Mac and in extreme cases using DTS as leverage to persuade developers dump Apple II projects. That all this fooling around and it was still 5 more years before lack of demand killed the assembly line. The last two high profile projects were the Mark Twain (aka ROM 4) and the Apple II Ethernet card. The Apple II Ethernet card actually held up the release of System Disk 6.0.1 by several months and when the ethernet card had gone golden the project was killed and System Disk 6.0.1 was stripped on the surface of any mention. The installer scripts were purged and the Network Control Panel was reverted to the System Disk 6.0 version that only shows the boot OS selection and not the network method. All of the internal support is still in System Disk 6.0.1 A tidbit: The error message - "The Selected AppleTalk Connection can not be found.." The key word is "Selected" - Wouldn't you think "The AppleTalk connection .." would be sufficient? Well, this was because it was either EtherTalk or LocalTalk as per a bit in BRAM. If you have ever had that message and you can NOT get rid of it .. It's because a bit in BRAM is set and you do not have the PROPER Network Control Panel (CDEV) to deselect it, since that was removed from System Disk 6.0.1. Tony http://www.apple2.org (A2.TONYD, Cat 2, Top 15, Msg 12) [EOA] [OOT] ONE SPACE AFTER PERIODS, OR TWO? """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" One space after periods, or two? (KGAGNE, Cat 2, Top 34, Msg 31) >>>>> """"" My own personal rule about spaces after periods: Fonts such as Courier or other monospaced: 2 periods Fonts such as Times or other proportional: 1 period This personal rule is not blessed by any authority I know about, and I sometimes ignore it, especially when in a hurry or have a "Senior Moment." Ray (RMERLIN, Cat 2, Top 34, Msg 32) >>>>> """"" Two spaces after a period that ends a sentence. IMHO. Lyle Syverson Editor, _The Lamp!_, published monthly (LYLE, Cat 2, Top 34, Msg 33) >>>>> """"" Two spaces after periods. Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. - rsuenaga@apple2.org - A2's Head Geek Alpha Testing CoPilot v2.55 and ProTERM 3.1 Offline Syndicomm.com Message Manager (A2.RYAN, Cat 2, Top 34, Msg 34) >>>>> """"" Two spaces after periods ending a sentence, one space otherwise. (I'm pretty rabid about this, too :) Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 2, Top 34, Msg 35) >>>>> """"" from "The Mac is Not a Typewriter" by Robin Williams page 13 "Use only one space after periods, colons, exclamation points, question marks, quotation marks - any punctuation that separates two sentences." She goes on to explain the difference between monospaced and proportional fonts. This is an excellent reference book for anyone using a computer, IMHO. There is also a "Beyond The Mac is Not a Typewriter". Cindy (CINDYADAMS, Cat 2, Top 34, Msg 36) >>>>> """"" When typing personal or business letters, I often use 2 spaces. but at our newspaper, we don't. It's totally unnecessary in terms of readability, since we use proportional fonts. When using monospace fonts online, I like the way they look and do serve to make text more readable. I must say, when people write items for the newspaper, I have to edit the text very closely and eliminate the extraneous spaces. It's a PITA, but that's life. I actually put together a script that searched for double spaces and replaced them with a single space. That was a cool time-saver. :-) Max (JUICEDGS, Cat 2, Top 34, Msg 38) >>>>> """"" In jr. high typing, the teacher would swat your hand if she was standing there and did not see two taps after a period. When those type writers changed to Apple //e's it seems like it was never brought up afterwards. Sometimes I do it, sometimes I don't. I do when writing documentation or other items that will be printed for distribution. I also tend to not do it with certain proportional fonts as the space usually gets "proportioned" and you can't even see a real difference anyway. As a side note, in the days of 40 column AppleWriter, that second space was very rare. It looked awful IMHO. Tony (A2.TONYD, Cat 2, Top 34, Msg 42) [EOA] [WDD] WRITING DISTRIBUTABLE DOCUMENTATION FOR Apple II COMPUTERS """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" OK, here's a new topic for the Apple II Documentation Project, where we'll be starting to work on writing distributable documentation for Apple II computers and operating systems. I'd like to get a show of hands from people that would like to help with this project. We need, for starters, some getting-started guides for the various Apple II models (which can probably be derived from each other) and for the system software. Our mission: to create documentation that can be given to people that pick up used Apple IIs sans manuals, so they know how to use their computers. Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 2, Top 36, Msg 1) >>>>> """"" Again, I'd like to assist with the editing of this. I don't anticipate I will have sufficient time to do much more than that. Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. - rsuenaga@apple2.org - A2's Head Geek Alpha Testing CoPilot v2.55 and ProTERM 3.1 Offline Syndicomm.com Message Manager (A2.RYAN, Cat 2, Top 36, Msg 2) >>>>> """"" I'll definitely get involved with the writing, but there's lots of documentation to write, and some people will be better suited for various parts of it than others -- plus having some people a little less experienced than I involved will help ensure the docs we produce are really suitable for new users. Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 2, Top 36, Msg 3) >>>>> """"" I'll help however I can. Mark Percival - Syndicomm.com Apple II RTC Host "Midweek Madness!" every Wednesday night. 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM PDT (MARK, Cat 2, Top 36, Msg 4) >>>>> """"" Actually, on one of these hard drives, I have about 13 chapters of an Apple IIgs book I've written off and on for the last five or so years. . . Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. - rsuenaga@apple2.org - A2's Head Geek Alpha Testing CoPilot v2.55 and ProTERM 3.1 Offline Syndicomm.com Message Manager (A2.RYAN, Cat 2, Top 36, Msg 5) >>>>> """"" Well, you should either get back to it or contribute it to the project. :) Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 2, Top 36, Msg 6) >>>>> """"" I was planning on getting back to it, but then this Juiced.GS thing came along. . . Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. - rsuenaga@apple2.org - A2's Head Geek Alpha Testing CoPilot v2.55 and ProTERM 3.1 Offline Syndicomm.com Message Manager (A2.RYAN, Cat 2, Top 36, Msg 7) [EOA] [TUS] WILL TIDY UP SOAR """"""""""""""""" Ewen, WOW! I can't believe I didn't run across this one until now! I'm using SOAR v1.0b5. "OA-M" is designated to 'Read Messages', but so is 'Send Clipboard to Modem'. The latter seems to take precedence. FYI... Jeff Carr Cruising the 'railway' provided by: Spectrum v2.5.2 and SOAR! v1.0b5 (LUMITECH, Cat 10, Top 59, Msg 187) >>>>> """"" Whoops... I will be home sometime next week and will deal with it when I get back! Meanwhile, if you have Genesys or another resource editor, change it to whatever you like in the Configs file. Ewen Wannop - Speccie - Sun 12 Aug 2001 - 18 days till KFest '01 Delivered without using a IIgs by Spectrum v2.5.2 & SOAR 1.0b5 Setup: Bernie ][ the Rescue 3.0 and a Blue & White G3/350 http://www.ewannop.btinternet.co.uk/ (CONDUCTOR, Cat 10, Top 59, Msg 190) [EOA] [PLM] POSTING LONGER MESSAGES WITH SOAR... """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" I ran into a problem today using SOAR. I created a message to be posted in the gamebits forum. It was longer than my usual posts, but when I went to post it I got a recording error. I can read messages. I disabled gamebits and was able to post a message to a test topic, but for some reason this specific message won't post. Basically I get a "Message sending timed out" error on the SOAR Log file. Any ideas out there? Dain Neater Keeper of the Boards Syndicomm A2, where the Apple ][ is a way of life:) (A2.DAIN, Cat 10, Top 59, Msg 188) >>>>> """"" Well, the post in question was about three or four screens of text. I decided to break the post up into two separate posts, and they both posted fine. Is there a limit to the size of message that can be posted with SOAR? I would think there was, but that it would be much larger than the message that I posted. Dain Neater Keeper of the Board Syndicomm A2 - Where the Apple ][ is a way of life.... (A2.DAIN, Cat 10, Top 59, Msg 189) >>>>> """"" There is not a limit to the length of message, but if your modem or computer is slow, it is possible that you hit some timeouts in sending. If it happens again, I would need to see your Scrollback.1 file to see what went on. Ewen Wannop - Speccie - Sun 12 Aug 2001 - 18 days till KFest '01 Delivered without using a IIgs by Spectrum v2.5.2 & SOAR 1.0b5 Setup: Bernie ][ the Rescue 3.0 and a Blue & White G3/350 http://www.ewannop.btinternet.co.uk/ (CONDUCTOR, Cat 10, Top 59, Msg 191) >>>>> """"" This happened to me in v1.0b4. I sent the message that was hanging to Ewen, along with a 'Capture' log, and he fixed it for v1.0b5. However, I did have this happen to me again while using v1.0b5, so you're not alone. Unfortunately, I didn't notice right away that the message had not been sent, and during my monthly 'spring cleaning', I dumped the file and the capture log. Therefore, I was unable to send Ewen the needed files. I would tend to think, though, that this could be recreated by writing a long missive and then attempting to send it via SOAR. Haven't tried it yet myself. Jeff Carr Sun, 12 Aug 01 @ 15:04:29 Cruising the 'railway' provided by: Spectrum v2.5.2 and SOAR! v1.0b5 (LUMITECH, Cat 10, Top 59, Msg 192) >>>>> """"" I had a problem with a long message a while back. I'm using a LanceGS on a cable modem. Speed shouldn't be a problem. I'll wait until you are home before testing again. Carl Knoblock - Telephone Tech - Sun 12 Aug 01 9:25:09 pm cknoblo@home.com - Via Spectrum v2.5.2 & SOAR v1.0b4 KFest 2002, July 23-28, 2002 - 345 days till KFest On cable via LANceGS & Marinetti 2.0.1 - Thank you, Richard. A2 RTC Staff - Saturday Night House Party - carlk@syndicomm.com (CARLK, Cat 10, Top 59, Msg 193) [EOA] [FAG] WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE Apple II RPG GAME? """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Speaking of TSR/SSI games, what's your favorite Apple II RPG of all time? Silvern Castle? Wizardry? Bard's Tale? Ultima? There are plenty to choose from. I haven't played it since I first bought it maybe ten years ago, but I've never encountered another game like The Magic Candle. Fantastic game. -Ken (KGAGNE, Cat 14, Top 8, Msg 18) >>>>> """"" Wizardry consumed a great deal of my time when I first got my Franklin... Before that there was Temple of Aphshia (sp?), but it got put in a drawer once I got Wizardry. Now that I think about it, that's the only RPG I actually completed too.. B-{) Kirk A2Central Chief Sysop, RTC Manager and Janitor (A2.KIRK, Cat 14, Top 8, Msg 19) >>>>> """"" It's hard to pick a favorite:) I would have to say Bard's Tale III, was because it was one of the few that I actually finished. I did finish Bard's Tale I, but it was with someone else's characters. I never got very far in Bard's Tale II because I had to return it to a friend. Other games I played were... Pool of Radiance and Ultima IV and V. I really enjoyed Pool, except for the mindless disk swapping you had to do at the beginning and throughout the game. One thing I could never figure out is if I finished the game. I remember clearing all the quests..being told to head to Stojanow(sp?) castle to take on Tyrantharaxus and find the pool, but I could never find anything in the castle. I found the traitorous council member...he said something then he was gone..... I was then at a point where I had no clue what to do. I searched and searched the castle and found nothing....to this day I have no clue if I finished that game or not. Ultima IV and V were also fun. Ultima V had this huge game world, Underworld too, but there was little or no info given to the players in either the manual or the game itself. I just felt like I was wandering around and had no clue how to raise levels or what. I eventually learned, but I kind of got the feeling that you had to play all the other ultimas to figure things out. I played V before I played IV. Dain Neater Bulletin Board Manager A2 Community Syndicomm (A2.DAIN, Cat 14, Top 8, Msg 20) >>>>> """"" I have Ultima IV on my NES, and would love to get a copy for the Apple II. Computer games are always so much better on the computer. :) -Ken (KGAGNE, Cat 14, Top 8, Msg 21) >>>>> """"" I *love* the SoftDisk GS Dark Designs Series. DD I had mediocre graphics, but DD II and III redeemed themselves. I think they were planning on doing a 4th one, or something similar, but that was never to be... (KWS, Cat 14, Top 8, Msg 22) >>>>> """"" My favorite was the first Bard's Tale. I don't think I ever finished any computer RPGs other than Pool of Radiance and Curse of the Azure Bonds though. Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 14, Top 8, Msg 24) >>>>> """"" I spent countless hours in the high school computer lab playing Wizardry when I should have been working. I might have spent more time on Ultima later on, but I have the fondest memories of Wizardry. That's probably why I like Silvern Castle so much (it's very similar.) But my all time best memory of a computer game is playing Hunt the Wumpus at my mom's office (on a mainframe) while waiting for her to run off her punch cards. :) - Tony (A2.TONY, Cat 14, Top 8, Msg 26) >>>>> """"" How about Bill Heineman's Apple IIgs version of Ultima I? Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. Delivered by: CoPilot v2.55 alpha, Bernie 3.0P, and a PowerBook Offline Syndicomm.com Message Manager (A2.RYAN, Cat 14, Top 8, Msg 29) [EOA] [SNO] SOFTWARE FOR NEW OWNERS OF Apple II's """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" One of the committees formed at KFest 2001 discussed the means and methods of helping folks just getting their Apple II's. I'd like to use this topic to work out the details. As a brief overview of our discussions, we wish to produce diskettes for newbies with such topics as Telecommunications, Games, Utilities, Productivity, Graphics, Sound/Music and others. Syndicomm would distribute these at cost, and we'd like to provide them as disk images as well for others to use on emulators, or to copy for the new Apple II users in their areas. If you have insights and favorite programs you'd like to see on these diskettes, feel free to jump in and help! Kirk Chief Sysop, RTC Manager and Janitor (A2.KIRK, Cat 18, Top 22, Msg 1) >>>>> """"" Kirk, Do any such disks already exist? I thought Sheppy, Jerry, or Charlie (or even Steve Cavanaugh) had some beginner disks. -Ken (KGAGNE, Cat 18, Top 22, Msg 2) >>>>> """"" Yes, Syndicomm already has the Telecom disk. We're thinking of coming up with a suite of diskettes, both 5 1/4" and 3 1/2". By making them available as image files too, other Apple II users can have a resource to give new Apple II folks.. B-{) Kirk Chief Sysop, RTC Manager and Janitor (A2.KIRK, Cat 18, Top 22, Msg 3) >>>>> """"" We'd like to also have sets for stuff like games, education, etc, so newcomers can quickly get a few "essentials." Also, working up user guides for new users to pick up and learn about their new used computers, which they almost always get without manuals. Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 18, Top 22, Msg 4) >>>>> """"" Kirk: Could I make a suggestion based on personal experience? Here goes ... I occasionally get e-mail from new GS owners ("Hi, I just picked up this Apple IIGS at a yard sale/auction/thrift shop/etc., and I need some advice on getting started...") I think it would be a good idea if Syndicomm could set up an e-mail account where people like me could direct those new users. The e-mail sent there could go to the chairman or other members of your committee, and appropriate answers could be crafted. Perhaps those questions and answers could then be compiled and posted on a "Welcome New Users" Web page on A2Central.com. Maybe the e-mail account could be something like "apple2@syndicomm.com" ... that would certainly be unforgettable. :-) That's my suggestions, anyway. Do what you want with it. :-) Max (JUICEDGS, Cat 18, Top 22, Msg 5) >>>>> """"" But of course! B-{) These are exactly the kinds of folks we think we can help. I agree about the email account... it would be a handy way of getting an info packet back to those interested. It could also tie in nicely with the FAQ committee's efforts. If we can just keep these newfound Apple II's in circulation, and the folks using them happy, it can only strengthen our A2 Community! Great! Thanks for your suggestion. I know for a fact that pointing folks to an e-mail resource hadn't been brought up in our meeting. Kirk Chief Sysop, RTC Manager and Janitor (A2.KIRK, Cat 18, Top 22, Msg 6) >>>>> """"" There's already a2.help@syndicomm.com -- it's been open for months. Just isn't well promoted yet. Guess that should be worked on. :) Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 18, Top 22, Msg 7) [EOA] [TSD] TULIN SCSI DRIVERS REVISITED """""""""""""""""""""""""""" In researching where to get drivers for GS CdROM drives, I found an email address of where to get Tulin drivers in an old Lamp (of some incarnation, sorry...). I contacted Win Cheung and he still has them available. Here is the details if you are interested. Wayne -----Original Message----- From: Wing Cheung [mailto:wing_cheung@compuserve.com] Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2001 11:32 PM To: Wayne Arthurton Subject: Do you still have the tulin drivers for the nec on the Apple IIgs ? Wayne, I have the Tulin SCSI driver for IIGS for $20 + shipping. Thanks. Wing -----End Original Message----- (WAYNER, Cat 19, Top 19, Msg 3) >>>>> """"" What exactly do the Tulin drivers do for you? Kim Howe Newton forum Host (KIMHOWE, Cat 19, Top 19, Msg 4) >>>>> """"" Ryan is correct in his recollection. The Tulin SCSI drivers make the Apple HS SCSI card work well with the ZIP drive. The Apple drivers create all sorts of havoc when using the ZIP, and most of the chaos is centered around the Standard File Dialog boxes and Finder windows. I had all sorts of problems until someone online (it may have been Art Coughlin) suggested I try the Tulin SCSI drivers. I contacted Wing Cheung, got the drivers, and found them to work well. My problems were solved. Max (JUICEDGS, Cat 19, Top 19, Msg 6) [EOA] [JGS] ANNOUNCING Juiced.GS, Volume 6, Issue 2 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Announcing ... ===== Juiced.GS, Volume 6, Issue 2 ===== The July 2001 edition of Juiced.GS, the Apple II world's premier IIGS-specific magazine, was mailed to 180 subscribers in 42 states and numerous points around the globe. Here's what you'll find in this 20-page issue: ============ FEATURES Cover Story: Tweaking your TransWarp GS -- Tony Diaz, the foremost expert on Apple II hardware (and Juiced.GS' in-house technical tutor), steps TWGS owners through process of enhancing the accelerator's cache to 32K for better performance and faster speeds. The Virtual GS: Ten Questions with Henrik Gudat ... Ryan Suenaga asks the important questions and gets the straight answers about Bernie ][ The Rescue's future from one of the chief Bernie Boys. COLUMNS My Home Page: Kansas City, here we come! ... July is an important month for the Apple II, because that's when KFest arrives. As has been the case the past five years, Juiced.GS will be on hand when KFest 2001 opens July 25th. II Be Named Later: Help!! ... Columnist Ryan Suenaga uses the 4-letter word that is essential to keeping the Apple II community strong. DEPARTMENTS Shareware Spotlight: A closer look at a new telecommunications New Desk Accessory (Telnet NDA), and Ewen Wannop's latest creation for Spectrum, an automated FTP client. DumplinGS: A2Central.com obtains rights to distribute GS+ magazine back issues; KFest 2001 ready to roll; Bret Victor releases commercial products as freeware; new Web sites of interest to Apple II enthusiasts. Letters from the Land of ROM: Readers ask questions, get answers, make suggestions, and otherwise give us a piece of their mind. We have the coolest readers in the world. Read our mail and see why. ADVERTISEMENTS A2Central.com; Juiced.GS Friends for Life CD-ROM; and three CDs, including Time in a Bottle, from Juiced.GS. ============ Juiced.GS is a quarterly, printed publication available by subscription only. A subscription for 2001 is $16 in the U.S., Canada or Mexico, $22 elsewhere. To subscribe, send a check or money order in U.S. funds to: Max Jones Juiced.GS 2217 Lakeview Drive Sullivan, IN 47882 Make checks or money orders payable to Max Jones. Complete sets of 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 issues are available for $16 each ($20 overseas). If you would like to purchase only a specific single copy (or copies) of back issues, they are available for $5 each ($7 overseas). An index and brief description of articles published in '96/'97'98/'99/'00 are available on the Juiced.GS web site. See URL below. Apple II Forever! Max Jones Juiced.GS E-mail -- Internet: juicedgs@earthlink.net World Wide Web: http://www.wbwip.com/juiced.gs (JUICEDGS, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 137) [EOA] [JFQ] Juiced.GS FAQ BEING CREATED """"""""""""""""""""""""""" We are currently working on a FAQ to help to answer people's questions about what will change in January once Juiced.GS becomes a Syndicomm publication. Hopefully, very little will change, particularly including the high quality of the magazine. There will be new editorial and business addresses, as well as a possible reshuffling of columns, but we're hoping things otherwise stay at their usual high level. Ryan (A2.RYAN, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 138) [EOA] [FCD] "Friends II" CD-ROM AVAILABLE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" +++ ANNOUNCING +++ Juiced.GS proudly presents ... ======================== The "Friends II" CD-ROM! ======================== The Juiced.GS Collection "Friends II" CD-ROM, a compilation of shareware, freeware and public domain software and files made available to the Apple II community in 2000 and 2001, was unveiled during KFest 2001 at Avila College in Kansas City, Missouri. The new CD-ROM serves as the second volume of the wildly popular "Friends for Life" CD released during the spring of 2000. "Friends II" takes up where FFL left off, offering all the disk compilations produced the past 16 months and graphic images of back issues of Juiced.GS. In addition to our compilations, we have made available some specialty titles of Apple IIGS software, some of which were formerly commercial products reclassified and released by their authors. Among the great specialty titles you'll find are Bret Victor's flashy game Operation Lambda and cool startup utility Opening Line. Kim Howe's impressive HyperCard-based role-playing game Shipwrecked is also on the CD, as is a huge collection of IIGS animation files. Those who use IIGS emulators for the Mac or PC, or those who would like to explore the world of emulation, will find the "Friends II' CD especially friendly. The CD is equipped with the most recent version of Bernie ][ The Rescue -- Version 3.0! Several already-prepared disk images of many of the CDs main features are included as well, which will make getting going with emulation easier than ever. "Friends II" is formatted for HFS and usable from any Macintosh, or any PC running BeOS. A PC running the Windows operating system must be equipped with the proper software for reading HFS disks in order to handle the CD. A IIGS, of course, requires System 6.0.1 with the patched HFS FST installed. The CD-ROM is decorated with a custom label and ships with a jewel case. And best of all, the "Friends II" CD-ROM is NOW SHIPPING!!!! Ordering Information: The Juiced.GS "Friends II" CD-ROM is $15, which includes shipping to anywhere in the world. To order, send check or money order in U.S. funds to: Max Jones Juiced.GS 2217 Lakeview Drive Sullivan, IN 47882 Credit card purchasing is also available at the Juiced.GS Online Order Processing Site on Kagi. The URL is: http://order.kagi.com/?2ZM Apple II Forever!! Max Jones Juiced.GS E-mail -- juicedgs@earthlink.net World Wide Web: http://www.wbwip.com/juiced.gs (JUICEDGS, Cat 23, Top 4, Msg 4) [EOA] [SOG] THE STATUS OF "GUS" """"""""""""""""""" What is the status of GUS? I remember a few people at KFest '98 were using it, but I've never seen it. Is it freely available and/or still being developed? -Ken (KGAGNE, Cat 29, Top 22. Msg 1) >>>>> """"" Aside from one relatively minor update that was sent out to beta testers, it's been pretty much unchanged since KFest '96 or so, when it was publicly shown. At this point, Bernie's about as fast, has far better keyboard emulation, and way more features. Woof woof. :) I wouldn't expect Gus to go anywhere from here. Ryan (A2.RYAN, Cat 29, Top 22, Msg 2) >>>>> """"" David Kerwood and I were given permission as beta testers to show Gus at KFest. I haven't heard anything since that time. Cindy (CINDYADAMS, Cat 29, Top 22, Msg 3) >>>>> """"" Gus is dead dead dead. Bernie also outweighs it in terms of features, although in most respects Gus is still ever so slightly faster. Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 29, Top 22, Msg 4) >>>>> """"" Who were the masterminds behind GUS? It's been so long since it was new, I forget. Is the program available only to beta-testers? -Ken (KGAGNE, Cat 29, Top 22, Msg 5) >>>>> """"" >> Who were the masterminds behind GUS? << Andy Nicholas (Shrinkit), Dave Lyons, and Jim Murphy. >> Is the program available only to beta-testers? << At one point it was supposed to be distributed to schools, but I don't believe that ever happened. Ryan Head Geek (A2.RYAN, Cat 29, Top 22, Msg 7) [EOA] [CIM] CONTACT INFO - MSDOS Utilities and MUG! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Peter Watson 13 Ilios Close Forest Hill, VIC 3131 Australia paw@acslink.net.au Programmer of the MSDOS Utilities and MUG! (MSDOS Utilities Graphic !interface). Peter peterw@syndicomm.com Palm OS Community Bulletin Board Manager (PETERW, Cat 50, Top 1, Msg 2) [EOA] [WGA] WHAT GS ASSEMBLERS ARE OUT THERE? """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" I prefer Orca/M, but I've also tried Lisa/Anix (the shareware version, running under P16, a long time ago), and The NinjaForce Assembler (which runs under P8 and is blazingly fast). The Apple II History pages give a good run down of 8-bit assemblers, but what other gs assemblers are out there? (KWS, Cat 52, Top 8, Msg 1) >>>>> """"" Merlin 16 Plus is a good GS assembler. Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 52, Top 8, Msg 2) >>>>> """"" Merlin is lightning fast, but I prefer the ORCA environment. - Tony (A2.TONY, Cat 52, Top 8, Msg 4) >>>>> """"" I like the ORCA environment better, but the syntax of the Merlin assembler is nicer than ORCA/M, IMHO. Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 52, Top 8, Msg 5) >>>>> """"" I actually have the DOS 3.3 version of ORCA/M by Hayden Software here.. When I first started assembly, that's what I used. That and Apple's Assembler.. I never did try any other assembler since what I had worked so well, and I was poor. B-{) Those were the days. They helped me a great deal when I took a class in VAX assembly language to get some more grad credits to apply to my teaching certification. Kirk A2Central Chief Sysop, RTC Manager and Janitor (A2.KIRK, Cat 52, Top 8, Msg 6) [EOA] [FAP] FREDA AND Pixie """"""""""""""" Okay... what are FREDA and Pixie? I've never quite been clear on this. :) Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 54, Top 43, Msg 1) >>>>> """"" all I can remember about them is that they are COP-based debuggers - ie - stick a cop xx in your assembly file and it will break and let you do some rooting around in memory, that sort of stuff. Somebody could probably score some points by reading the documentation and summarizing :) (KWS, Cat 54, Top 43, Msg 2) >>>>> """"" From memory, Pixie was a lot like the earlier versions of NiftyList (before it got add-on modules, etc). I didn't think it needed a debugger (any more than NiftyList), although I think both could exploit the use of a debugger. I never actually used Pixie, despite it being written by a fellow Aussie, because I was an early rider on the NiftyList bandwagon. (I think Dave Lyons said I was the first Australian registration.) Peter peterw@syndicomm.com Palm OS Community Bulletin Board Manager (PETERW, Cat 54, Top 43, Msg 3) [EOA] [FAM] FILETYPES... Apple II <--> Mac """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" If an Apple II file is copied to an HFS volume and mounted on a Mac, does editing its Macintosh filetype and creator codes in anyway alter how an Apple II would perceive that file's filetype? -Ken (KGAGNE, Cat 60, Top 1, Msg 2) >>>>> """"" Yes. The Apple II type and auxtype are stored in the Macintosh type field. Apple II files have the creator 'pdos'. Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 60, Top 1, Msg 3) [EOA] ------------------------------------ ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM SYNDICOMM | ------------------------------------ by Lyle Syverson [SOS] SYNDICOMM'S ONLINE STORE """""""""""""""""""""""" Syndicomm's new online store is in the process of being built; you can order some of our products there already, including our 2 CD set of KFest movies and stuff, OPUS ][, PMPFax, PMPUnzip, and ANSITerm, as well as Shrink II. More stuff is gradually being added as the web pages for the products are put together. The store is at http://www.syndicomm.com/products/ Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 24, Top 1, Msg 26) [EOA] [GSP] SYNDICOMM TO PUBLISH GS+ SOFTWARE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" July 26, 2001--As previously announced, Syndicomm has become the exclusive distributor of the GS+ products Ross Falconer purchased from EGO Systems several years ago. Today, Syndicomm is pleased to announce that AutoArk and Shrink II are now available for purchase again. In addition, Syndicomm is introducing a new version 1.1 of Shrink II. "We're thrilled to return these products to the market after all these years," said Eric Shepherd, owner of Syndicomm. "This is only the beginning of Syndicomm's role as a software publisher of Apple II products." AutoArk is an automatic file compression utility for the Apple IIgs computer. When installed, files will be automatically compressed and decompressed as needed. In addition, AutoArk provides Smart Names, whereby you can compress a file or directory by simply adding a ".ark" extension to its name. Remove the extension, and the file decompresses. A complete printed manual is included. AutoArk is available immediately, for $30. Shrink II is a ShrinkIt file utility for Mac OS. Version 1.1 has complete support for Navigation Services and uses the Appearance Manager to enhance its look and feel. Shrink II is distributed on CD-ROM complete with manual in PDF format. Included on the CD is the older version 1.0.1 which will work on nearly any Macintosh; version 1.1 requires a Power Macintosh. Shrink II is now available for only $30. ABOUT SYNDICOMM Syndicomm provides Syndicomm Online, a new online service for the best of us. Currently available only by telnet, a World Wide Web accessible interface will be available soon. In addition, Syndicomm publishes and distributes software for classic computers. Syndicomm is located in Tracy, California. PRESS CONTACT Eric Shepherd - sheppy@syndicomm.com (A2.RYAN, Cat 2, Top 28, Msg 30) [EOA] [EGO] SYNDICOMM SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH EGO SYSTEMS """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" TO DISTRIBUTE TWO APPLE II PRODUCTS July 26, 2001--Effective immediately, Syndicomm will take over distribution of Balloon, the ShrinkIt archive utility developed by EGO Systems. In addition, Syndicomm will take over publication of the AppleWorks GS and Rich Text Format (RTF) translators for GraphicWriter III previously published by EGO Systems. Balloon is an easy-to-use desk accessory for creating ShrinkIt archives, with the ability to select files in the Finder and archive them. With both Balloon and AutoArk installed, simply renaming files to add a ".shk" extension will cause them to be automatically archived, and removing the ".shk" extension will unpack them. A printed manual is included. Balloon is available immediately for only $25. The two GraphicWriter III translators allow the importing of AppleWorks GS and RTF documents into GraphicWriter III text frames. These two products have been bundled together onto a single disk and are sold for only $15. (A2.RYAN, Cat 2, Top 28, Msg 31) [EOA] [PMP] SYNDICOMM TO DISTRIBUTE PARKHURST MICRO PRODUCTS LINE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" SYNDICOMM OBTAINS EXCLUSIVE LICENSE TO DISTRIBUTE PARKHURST MICRO PRODUCTS LINE July 26, 2001--Syndicomm today announced that it has inked an exclusive licensing deal with Parkhurst Micro Products (PMP) for the distribution of its entire product line. With this deal, ANSITerm, PMPFax, and PMPUnzip are now published and distributed by Syndicomm, with immediate availability. Paul Parkhurst of PMP said, "I'm very excited to once again make PMPFax and ANSITerm available to the Apple II community. It's great to know that there's still an interest in the Apple II eight years after the first version of ANSITerm was originally released." He continued, "I'd like to thank everyone who's kept the memory of these two products alive, and I'd especially like to thank Eric Shepherd of Syndicomm for helping me resurrect them. I hope everyone enjoys using ANSITerm and PMPFax as much as I enjoyed writing them all those years ago." ANSITerm is a ProDOS 8-based telecommunications package for the Apple IIgs computer with a powerful scripting language and extremely powerful emulations that perfectly replicate the VT-100 and ANSI displays on the Apple IIgs screen using a custom super-high-resolution based text display. The complete package includes a large printed manual, quick reference cards, and a floppy disk. ANSITerm is available immediately for the new low retail price of $40. PMPFax is a complete Apple IIgs fax solution for both sending and receiving faxes. With both a fax application and desk accessory, and the ability to print documents to fax, PMPFax is a fantastic product for anyone that uses their Apple II for business -- or would like to avoid using their business computer for faxing. The package includes a printed manual and two disks. PMPFax is available now for only $35. PMPUnzip is a utility for unpacking standard Zip format archive files. This shareware utility has remained available for download for years, but is now distributed on disk as well. The shareware fee remains only $15. "I'm pleased to be able to bring these products back to market after a long hiatus," said Eric Shepherd, owner of Syndicomm. "ANSITerm is one of the best telecommunications products ever released for the Apple II, and its return to availability will be welcomed by many. Additionally, the return of PMPFax will allow people that have been looking for a fax solution to finally fill that need." (A2.RYAN, Cat 2, Top 28, Msg 32) [EOA] [BWP] SYNDICOMM BECOMES DISTRIBUTOR OF BYTE WORKS PRODUCTS """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" SYNDICOMM BECOMES EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR OF BYTE WORKS AND APDA PRODUCTS July 26, 2001--Today Syndicomm announced that it has signed an agreement with the Byte Works to become the exclusive distributor of the entire Byte Works Apple II-related product line, as well as the APDA products Byte Works distributes under license from Apple. Mike Westerfield of the Byte Works will continue to monitor Apple II sites and provide informal technical support. He will also continue to answer technical questions by e-mail, time permitting. In addition, he asks that bug reports and feature requests continue to be sent to him. Although there are no plans for updates in the future, he would like to stay aware of bugs in case an update becomes appropriate at some point in the future. "I'm delighted that all of our Apple II products will be available for years to come," said Mike Westerfield. "Our business has been changing from publishing to development for years, making it increasingly difficult for us to provide topnotch support for retail sales. That's something Syndicomm can continue to do." Eric Shepherd, owner of Syndicomm, added, "Syndicomm is excited to add the Byte Works' products to our rapidly growing lineup. And the APDA products will round out our already substantial license to distribute Apple software. Our goal is to become a one-stop shop for Apple II users." Many of these products will be sold with new pricing, to be announced at the beginning of August. ABOUT THE BYTE WORKS The Byte Works started as a software development company, creating languages for sale through software publishing companies. It morphed into a publishing company in the heyday of the Apple II and Apple IIGS, publishing the most widely used software development tools for the Apple IIGS. The Byte Works continues to develop software, especially computer languages. It has now completed a transition to its roots, developing software for sale by established software publishing companies. With Pascal and C compilers, BASIC and Logo interpreters, an assembler, linker, several editors, and a spelling checker available for porting and licensing, the Byte Works continues to be a significant force in the software development world. (A2.RYAN, Cat 2, Top 28, Msg 33) [EOA] [JGS] SYNDICOMM TO PUBLISH JUICED.GS IN 2002 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" June 26, 2001--Today Syndicomm and Max Jones of Juiced.GS announced that Syndicomm will become the publisher of Juiced.GS magazine beginning January 1, 2002. Ryan Suenaga will become the editor-in-chief (obtaining and managing content, printing, and mailing), while Jones will remain as associate editor, performing the page layout duties. Syndicomm's role will be to manage subscriptions and sell the Juiced.GS software products. This new arrangement will allow Juiced.GS to continue publication despite Jones' increasingly busy schedule following his promotion to editor of the Terre Haute, Indiana Tribune-Star newspaper. (A2.RYAN, Cat 2, Top 28, Msg 34) [EOA] [SEF] SYNDICOMM ONLINE ENHANCES FEATURES FOR ALL MEMBERS """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" TRACY, Calif., Aug. 17 -- Syndicomm today announced that all members of its Syndicomm Online service have been granted access to features formerly available only to "Enhanced" customers that were paying an additional fee. These features include the ability to set up a personal web site and access to the Lynx text-based web browser, through which both the World Wide Web and Usenet newsgroups are available. These additional features are now available at no extra charge; Enhanced customers' rates have been reduced to the Standard rate of $10 per month or $25 per quarter. "We're pleased to offer these additional features to all our members," said Eric Shepherd, owner of Syndicomm. He added, "We hope all our members enjoy these services as much as our Enhanced members have." With the enhanced features, members have space for up to 10 megabytes of combined email and web site storage. Members can create their web sites using any FTP program or FTP-enabled web site builder package. The Syndicomm Online Lynx web browser is SSL-enabled and provides access to web sites as well as Usenet newsgroups. ABOUT SYNDICOMM Syndicomm provides Syndicomm Online, a new online service for the best of us. Currently available only by telnet, a World Wide Web accessible interface will be available soon. In addition, Syndicomm publishes and distributes software for classic computers. Syndicomm is located in Tracy, California, and its web site is at http://www.syndicomm.com. PRESS CONTACT Eric Shepherd - sheppy@syndicomm.com Cindy Adams Syndicomm PR Manager http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities bit by bit. (Cindy Adams, Email, Aug 17, 2001) [EOA] ------------------------------------ DISTILLATIONS FROM DELPHI A2 | ------------------------------------ by Lyle Syverson [RHD] REPLACEMENT HARD DRIVE FOR Apple II """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Hi all, My SCSI hard drive is showing signs that the end is near, so I'm trying to figure out if I should get a new one, or just get a focus drive instead. Right now I'm using a RamFAST Rev. D with 1 meg of cache, and it's pretty darn fast. Has anybody used both a RamFAST and a focus HD? Can you comment on the speed difference? Also, with the HD being internal with a Focuscard, how hot do they get? I have my ZIP card pretty stable right now and I'm concerned about introducing more heat. Thanks! Matt (MPORTUNE, 3492.1, Delphi A2 web side) >>>>> """"" >> My SCSI hard drive is showing signs that the end is near, so I'm trying to figure out if I should get a new one, or just get a focus drive instead. Right now I'm using a RamFAST Rev. D with 1 meg of cache, and it's pretty darn fast. << I'd definitely go with a replacement SCSI drive. To say they're inexpensive these days (those 1 GB and below) is putting it lightly, people often simply give them away now. That's especially true of the drive sizes that are best suited for the IIgs--generally 200-500 MB. If you do pay, it won't be more than $5-$10. You'll find nothing faster than a RamFAST and a decent speed SCSI hardisk. >> Has anybody used both a RamFAST and a focus HD? Can you comment on the speed difference? << I don't own a Focus to compare, though I've heard under certain circumstances they're comparable to the RamFAST (of course I heard the same of the Apple High-Speed SCSI before I actually acquired one heh). One thing you should keep in mind is the Focus does *not* support DMA. It's also going to draw extra power and take up an extra slot, unless you remove your RamFAST but then you'd also lose your CD-ROM drive. You'd also be giving up several features of the RamFAST, such as it's ability to boot from any partition, disabling partitions, ProDOS remapping to any slot you wish (unless the Focus offers some of these features, does it?). >> Also, with the HD being internal with a Focuscard, how hot do they get? I have my ZIP card pretty stable right now and I'm concerned about introducing more heat. << Since they're designed to run inside notebook cases (a small, tight space with no air circulation) I can't imagine it getting more than warm. Just some thoughts though, I'll let someone who owns both a Focus and RamFAST comment on it. Mitchell Spector a_specto@alcor.concordia.ca (SPECTOR1, 3492.2, Delphi A2 web side) >>>>> """"" >> One thing you should keep in mind is the Focus does *not* support DMA << That did it for me right there. I'll hang onto the RamFAST. Since it's getting really hard to find low-capacity drives anymore (and I just don't like used drives) how does the RamFAST react to larger drives? I know about the ProDOS & GS/OS limitations, but what about the card itself? - Matt (MPORTUNE, 3492.3, Delphi A2 web side) >>>>> """"" >> Since it's getting really hard to find low-capacity drives anymore and I just don't like used drives) how does the RamFAST react to larger drives? I know about the ProDOS & GS/OS limitations, but what about the card itself? << I've always heard 1GB and larger drives are problematic on the RamFAST. Tony Diaz told me drives over a certain number of total cylinders aren't RamFAST-friendly either--I can't remember the exact number he gave but I do know my old Quantum 730 Lightning far exceeded what he quoted me so I'm not sure what to think. I've successfully used an IBM 1.2GB hardrive on the RamFAST (again, a large number of cylinders) and the only catch is when attempting to verify the ~800MB HFS partition with the Finder, it always causes a hang part way through (not with the ProDOS partitions though). Quantum Fireball series drive outright will *not* work, at all. The RamFAST lacks SCSI arbitration phase support (which these drives require) because as a host device, it doesn't supply itself with a SCSI ID. That trick allows the RamFAST to support 8 SCSI devices on the chain (instead of 7) but at a cost of compatibility. I suppose at the time, back in 1989-90, it wasn't much of an issue to consider. When looking for a new drive, I'd recommend 240MB and up, 4500 RPMs and 12-14ms minimum. Watch out for older Seagate drives btw, they're really noisy while the platter is spinning (my Quantum 240MB is super-quiet though, at least this particular one). I have a box of Seagate SCSI drives which I'm not using because of their noise level--too bad because there's a 420MB one in there that's perfect for the GS. Mitchell Spector a_specto@alcor.concordia.ca (SPECTOR1, 3492.4, Delphi A2 web side) >>>>> """"" Ah ha. Searching Goggle/Dejanews I found this quote from Jawaid Bazyar back in 1995 concerning the RamFAST... "The RamFAST works with darn near anything, I've found. However, attempting to use space above the 1GB mark on a single drive will cause a RamFAST to crash. I.E., as long as none of your partitions are past the 1GB mark on a particular single device, you're fine." That might explain why my system always hangs while verifying that 800MB HFS partition (part of it must extend over the 1 GB mark, while the ProDOS partitions are well under). The question is, is it safe to use that smaller half of the drive? I can tell you I did some extensive copying and sorting of a 32MB ProDOS partition on that drive and had no problems. Mitchell Spector a_specto@alcor.concordia.ca (SPECTOR1, 3492.5, Delphi A2 web side) [EOA] [POB] PICTURE IN BACKGROUND ON IIgs """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" OK, there is a way to put a gif picture in the background of a //gs. But I've forgotten how. Do you simply change the name and place it in system folder? Or do you need some kind of cdev or something? I've seen it done but I guess I've never done it myself. (BRB, 3487.1, Delphi A2 web side) >>>>> """"" System 6.0.1 has no built-in support for adding a desktop image, in fact there's not even an option to simply change the background color or pattern. Yes, you'd need a Control Panel or such to do it (I vaguely recall Quality Computers selling something which let you change the desktop, at least at least colors and patterns). What your probably remembering is a feature of SuperConvert 3.0x. You could convert a GIF image into 640/Super-Hi-Res and then save it as a special INIT. By dropping this INIT into your /System/System.Setup folder it would load that converted GIF as your desktop. That's what I'm using now in fact. You don't need SuperConvert to use these INITs, just to create them. Mitchell Spector a_specto@alcor.concordia.ca (SPECTOR1, 3487.2, Delphi A2 web side) [EOA] ------------------------------------ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR | ------------------------------------ [NLE] NO LETTERS TO THE EDITOR THIS MONTH """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" The mail box for Letters to the Editor remained empty this month. [EOA] [LTE] AN INVITATION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Express your opinions about the comings and goings in the world of the Apple II computers. Send your comments to Lyle Syverson, Editor The Editor reserves the right to edit any material submitted. The Editor reserves the right to reject any material he considers unsuitable for publication in _The Lamp!_. [EOA] [KFT]------------------------------ KFest 2001 | ----------------------------------- [KFR] K-Fest 2001 Report By Lyle Syverson """""""""""""""""" Another Great K-Fest ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tuesday was occupied with greeting friends to be and friends not seen since last year... unpacking clothes... setting up computers. Entering the restaurant that evening was an adventure in itself... through the wine cellar, making several turns. The long table and the decor provided the right atmosphere for fellowship. The food and service were both excellent. Wednesday morning provided the opportunity to begin the annual ritual of visiting other people's rooms to see the equipment the brought with them and exchange ideas about how to use it. A visit to the Surplus Exchange in downtown KC was a destination for some of the people. Lots of donated computers and equipment in a somewhat disorganized fashion. Explore and find some of those little gems you have been looking for. Sheppy's Keynote Address that evening was a call to action. We brain stormed for ideas of things that needed to be done to keep the Apple II a viable platform as we move into the future. Helping the "new A2 owner via the garage sale" get his computer going, for example. Then forming committees to implement each of the ideas. The reception this evening was sponsored by Juiced.GS. The K-Fest Sessions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Going into detail about the "how to" sessions would require writing a book. Look at the list! Lost Classics Continued - Howard Katz Sir LANce-a-lot - Geoff Weiss Four Ways to Route the Net to Your Apple IIgs - Ryan Suenaga Transwarp'in Across the Universe - Tony Diaz 2001: A Spectrum Odyssey - Geoff Weiss Deep inside Enemy Lines, Silvern Castle Exposed - Bruce Baker A Tour of Apple2.org. 20,000 Prototypes Under the Bridge - Tony Diaz You can't do that With an Apple II? Wanna Bet? - Greg Nelson Bow Wow Wow, the Dog Clinic - Ryan Suenaga Medium Well-Done - Ken Gagne Shareware Solutions II - Joe Kohn Spectrum Already Does That - Ewen Wannop Product Announcements from Syndicomm - Eric Shepherd Demo of Web Interface for Syndicomm Online - Eric Shepherd The Roast ~~~~~~~~~ Ken Gagne and his committee did a great job of roasting Max Jones. Seems that it was close to impossible to dig up any dirt on this Max fellow? So the committee embellished a few details! HackFest Winners ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1st Place Margaret Anderson 2nd Place Ken Gagne 3rd Place Geoff Weiss 4th Place Jamie Hodges [EOA] [KFC] 2-DISK K-Fest 2001 MULTIMEDIA CD-ROM PACK """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" The 2-disc KansasFest 2001 Multimedia CD-ROM Pack is now available at http://www.syndicomm.com/products/. Includes videos of all the sessions, plus the roast, as well as the HackFest programs and the roast materials, including PowerPoint presentations. Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 24, Top 19, Msg 1) >>>>> """"" You can hear Sheppy as you've never heard him before in this CD ROM set :) Ryan (A2.RYAN, Cat 24, Top 19, Msg 2) >>>>> """"" Oh yes, I give voice in song. Sadly. :) Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 24, Top 19, Msg 3) >>>>> """"" To the contrary, I think it's one of the highlights of the roast. Along with the Max Jones ][ The Max celebrity CD. Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. - rsuenaga@apple2.org - A2's Head Geek Alpha Testing CoPilot v2.55 and ProTERM 3.1 Offline Syndicomm.com Message Manager (A2.RYAN, Cat 24, Top 19, Msg 4) >>>>> """"" I would agree. I think everyone there was astonished to find out that Sheppy not only sings, but did a great job of it! Cindy (CINDYADAMS, Cat 24, Top 19, Msg 5) >>>>> """"" Thank goodness you guys are all as tone-deaf as I am. :) Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 24, Top 19, Msg 6) [EOA] [GCN] Gshisen COMPETITION """"""""""""""""""" Which reminds me, I never did post final results. Here they are: GShisen Contest Final Round: 1 -- Joe Kohn ... 5:17 2 -- Ken Gagne ... 5:37 3 -- Geoff Weiss ... 7:07 Game Number: 4857 Congratulations Joe!! The first-place prize for Joe was a RamFast SCSI card The second-place prize for Ken was a discount on Opus ][ from Syndicomm The third-place prize for Geoff was a copy of the new "Friends II" CD-ROM from Juiced.GS Thanks to all those who competed, and thanks especially to Cindy Adams, who directed the first two rounds in a highly efficient fashion. And thanks to Kelvin Sherlock for giving GShisen to the Apple II community. Max (JUICEDGS, Cat 5, Top 3, Msg 157) [EOA] [BTB] BITE THE BAG COMPETITION """""""""""""""""""""""" Congratulations to this year's Bite the Bag participants, listed below with the round number they passed: 1st: Geoff Weiss (Round 13) 2nd: Ken Gagne (Round 12) 3rd: James Hodges (Round 9) 4th: Dave Miller (Round 3) 5th: Mark Percival Max Jones (Round 2) 6th: Howard Katz Eric Shepherd Bruce Baker (Round 0) (KGAGNE, Cat 5, Top 3, MSG 136) [EOA] [KFA] K-Fest AFTERGLOW """""""""""""""" Sarah and I are home, with Ryan in tow. This KFest was a blast. :) Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd sheppy@syndicomm.com Owner, Syndicomm http://www.syndicomm.com Building communities, bit by bit. (SYNDICOMM, Cat 5, Top 3, Msg 141) >>>>> """"" >> This KFest was a blast. :) << I kinda thought you might think that. It seems that in the past each KFest had a theme. This was the year of Syndicomm, and possibly the year of the AirPort. I have confidence that the future of the Apple II world is now in good hands (thanks to Sheppy and Steve the Grand Gouda), so I'm sure that KFest and the rest of the important things will continue for many more years. I know that I had more fun at KFest than I've had since my first year. Everyone there helped to make it enjoyable, but being able to sit back and say, "It's not my job!" really helped. Also, thanks to Max for putting up with all of the teasing. Cindy Syndicomm PR person (CINDYADAMS, Cat 5, Top 3, Msg 142) >>>>> """"" I'm one of those that do things the old fashioned way. I just picked up my KFest pictures and will be scanning them shortly. As soon as I have them on the web, I'll post the URL here. I hope that everyone else will make their pictures available for our viewing enjoyment. Cindy (CINDYADAMS, Cat 5, Top 3, Msg 143) >>>>> """"" >> This KFest was a blast. :) << I believe the Tuesday night dinner was the best ever, and so was the Saturday night dinner. As for the Friday night diner, that was the same as usual. :) The technology gets better every year, enhancing the presentations, and making more available to those who couldn't come. My wife loved the people and has already announced her intention of coming again next year. Carl Knoblock - Telephone Tech - Mon 30 Jul 01 5:00:58 pm cknoblo@home.com - Via Spectrum v2.5.1 & SOAR v1.0b4 KFest 2002, July 23-28, 2002 On cable via LANceGS & Marinetti 2.0.1 - Thank you, Richard. A2 RTC Staff - Saturday Night House Party - carlk@syndicomm.com (CARLK, Cat 5, Top 3, Msg 145) >>>>> """"" This is the seventh KFest I've attended and it had the best roast ever, the best web broadcast, the best Geek row (me, Kirk, Max, Shep, Sarah, Tony, and Geoff all next to each other), and apparently, the worst movie :) Ryan Head Geek (A2.RYAN, Cat 5, Top 3, Msg 149) >>>>> """"" I just want to thank everyone who helped make KFest 2001 possible, both the movers and shakers, and the moved and shaken. ;-) It's early morning on the 31st, and I've finally made it home. Nice drive, lots of fun, but it is great to be off the road for a while! Loren (LORENZO, Cat 5, Top 3, Msg 151) >>>>> """"" This roast relied very heavily on powerpoint and the ilk. It allowed presenters to have more visual gags and less story telling. I for one was very glad to have this format available since more punches could be pulled. Geoff (GEOFF, Cat 5, Top 3, Msg 155) >>>>> """"" I felt like I was still in the 90's since I only had printed notes. You guys did a fantastic job!! Cindy (CINDYADAMS, Cat 5, Top 3, Msg 156) >>>>> """"" I head for the airport and then off to Honolulu at 8 am California time. Had a great KFest (again). Really liked meeting Mark, seeing all of my A2.Staffers and _The Lamp!_ staff, and being inspired to carry on for another year. KFest is the highlight of my year. Worth every penny and more. Thanks for another great one, gang. . . Ryan (A2.RYAN, Cat 5, Top 3, Msg 163) [EOA] [PAK] PLAN AHEAD FOR K-Fest 2002 """""""""""""""""""""""""" KansasFest 2002 is scheduled for July 23 through 28 of 2002. Plan ahead. Mark your calendar. Start saving your money. Join us for K-Fest 2002! [EOA] [INN]------------------------------ EXTRA INNINGS | ----------------------------------- About The Lamp! The Lamp! is published on the fifteenth of every month on """"""""""""""" the WEB at: http://lamp.a2central.com/ This publication produced entirely with real or emulated Apple II computers using Appleworks 5.1 and Hermes. Apple II Forever! * The Lamp! is (c) copyright 2001 by Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W. All rights reserved. * To reach The Lamp! on Internet email send mail to thelamp@sheppyware.net * All issues of The Lamp! are available at The Lamp! Home Page, http://lamp.a2central.com/ >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of A2Central.com, Delphi Online Services, Syndicomm, Ryan M. Suenaga, or Lyle Syverson. Forum messages are reprinted verbatim and are included in this publication with permission from the individual authors. A2Central.com, Delphi Online Services, Syndicomm, Ryan M. Suenaga, and Lyle Syverson do not guarantee the accuracy or suitability of any information included herein. We reserve the right to edit all letters and copy. Material published in this edition may not be reprinted without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Registered computer user groups, not for profit publications , and other interested parties may write the publisher to apply for permission to reprint any or all material. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< [EOF]