Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!dlyons
From: dlyons@Apple.COM (David Lyons)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Hard Drives and Slots
Message-ID: <32965@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 8 Jul 89 05:46:10 GMT
References: <8907071717.AA01377@crash.cts.com>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 30

In article <8907071717.AA01377@crash.cts.com> pnet01!pro-nsfmat!pro-europa!henryh@nosc.mil writes:
>The problem with Apple II slots is that they are "hardwired" and not smart.
>Each card has its own page of memory for a driver, and it isn't relocatable
>(at least not very easy to be relocated without tricks) [...]

WHAT isn't relocatable?  The memory assigned to slot N?  If it was, where
would you relocate it to, and when and why?

>Phantom slots is where a card can somehow (I really don't know how this works)
>locate its driver (or fool the machine into going to it) at those pages of
>memory.  

Yeah.  It just decodes the address lines directly and responds when it
sees the address range it's looking for (instead of responding when it sees
the line on its particular slot tell it to).

>This "absoluteness" is the reason why there are "traditional" places to put
>cards (the 5.25 drive into slot 6, the 80 column card in slot 3, etc).

Nope; there are standards for the convenience (or sometimes laziness) of
software.  Most peripheral cards work fine in any slot.

 --Dave Lyons, Apple Computer, Inc.          |   DAL Systems
   AppleLink--Apple Edition: DAVE.LYONS      |   P.O. Box 875
   AppleLink--Personal Edition: Dave Lyons   |   Cupertino, CA 95015-0875
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   Internet/BITNET:  dlyons@apple.com    UUCP:  ...!ames!apple!dlyons

   My opinions are my own, not Apple's.