Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!pprg.unm.edu!topgun.dspo.gov!lanl!cmcl2!adm!smoke!gwyn From: gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: IIGS capability question Message-ID: <10836@smoke.BRL.MIL> Date: 28 Aug 89 06:01:23 GMT References: <470@ncelvax.UUCP> Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn) Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD. Lines: 126 In article <470@ncelvax.UUCP> charles@ncelvax.UUCP (Charles R. Lindsey Jr.) writes: >What specifically does it take to upgrade a IIGS, in terms of memory >and speed, to have essentially a color mac? Please e-mail products >and prices to acheive this. Please report your dealer to Apple's regional office (or send a letter to Cupertino); it's dealers like that who are helping kill the Apple II line. Most Apple dealers I've dealt with have at least one employee who specializes in the IIGS; always try to identify such an individual and get chummy with him. I'm posting my configuration suggestions rather than mailing them directs, for a couple of reasons. (1) I'm not sure that ncelvax.UUCP is a valid domain address; (2) a general discussion may be useful to others. The "optimum" IIGS configuration necessarily depends on your needs and constraints. I'll assume that you're willing to spend whatever it takes to meet your needs, and that you plan to use the dickens out of your IIGS. Base IIGS: keyboard, mouse, CPU box, some amount of RAM. You absolutely MUST expand to a total of 1.25MB RAM (or more) or you'll bump into the limits while doing ordinary useful work. I have 2.25MB and find that it has always been sufficient. If you write programs that use huge arrays, you may need more. Beware: Apple's IIGS memory expansion card only accommodates 1MB. Larger capacity is available from several third-party vendors (mine is an MDIdeas OctoRAM, unique in taking SIMMs). You absolutely MUST have a color RGB monitor. Apple's is fine if you're not trying to pinch pennies. AE's Transwarp GS more than doubles the speed of the CPU for most uses. Whether or not you need the increased speed depends on what you plan to use the IIGS for. Generally I'd recommend it. There is also a card that emulates an IBM PC ("Transporter"). It is probably more cost-effective to buy a PC clone (in addition to your IIGS) if you need PC compatibility; however, if desk space is at a premium the card (and IBM-compatible disk drive) might be helpful. If you want to play arcade games, you need a joystick. This should be Apple's (//e-compatible), because others cheat on the circuitry and may not work with some programs. A "mouse pad" (sponge-rubber backed fabric) is highly recommended. If you don't have TWO Apple 3.5 drives (the ONLY 3.5" drive I recommend), you'll regret it. You need Apple 5.25 drives (the ONLY 5.25" drive I recommend) ONLY if you have existing Apple II floppies you need to continue to use. One Apple 5.25 drive is sufficient unless you play a lot of 8-bit Apple II games like Ultima, Wizardry, etc. where two drives are much more convenient. You almost certainly will need a large ("hard") disk. Mine is an Apple HD20SC (20MB, uses Apple's SCSI interface card), which is expensive. (Actually I also have a 5MB ProFile, not recommended these days.) If you do a lot of programming or plan to get involved with a lot of graphics and/or sound digitizing, you'll need more disk. 80MB is not unreasonable. 170MB is probably too large, due to ProDOS filesystem limitations coupled with partitioning limits. There are several third- party disk vendors. At present there is not much need for a CD-ROM player. This may change in the next year or two. If you have a SCSI interface, Apple's CD-ROM drive should be easy to accommodate when you decide you need it. I don't recall hearing of any FAX interfaces for the IIGS, but there may be some. If you're really into music, you probably need a MIDI interface; Apple's is okay. There are also stereo cards and sound digitizers available from third-party vendors. You should evaluate these in person before buying, as some of them have too much hum. Some people like to get the Bose amplified speakers, while others already have a stereo system and would rather use that. If you're not much into sound, you may still benefit from using Walkman-style lightweight headphones (the jack on the back of the IIGS provides MONO sound on both channels). Apple sells a Video Overlay Card that allows superposition of computer display and video, although I haven't figured out a good use for it. Image digitizers are available from various third-party vendors. You almost certainly need a printer. Apple's ImageWriter II is fine, and is better supported by IIGS applications than other types. Often a printer stand is useful. Mine is a fairly simple plastic contraption whose main role is to hold a paper supply and catch the output. I recommend getting a printer buffer (preferably Apple's), to reduce the time your computer spends waiting for the printer to finish. For access to information services and BBSes, a modem would be handy. 2400/1200/300 bps models are best for most uses. I use Anchor Automation's 2400E, but others available for similar prices (~$250) should work just as well. Hayes AT command set support is recommended. Although not strictly necessary, I find the MDIdeas "Conserver" (now being sold by AE) very handy. In addition to a cooling fan, it holds two Apple 3.5 drives and has three sets of AC outlets controlled by separate front-panel switches. Make sure you get the adapter cable needed for daisy-chaining off the second Apple 3.5 drive, if you have Apple 5.25 drives; there isn't room behind the drive for the usual connector. Apple's internal fan is NOT recommended, due to the noise it adds to the sound circuits. There should be a glossy Apple II product catalog/magazine (including third-party vendors) at any Apple dealer. I forget its exact title. A+/Incider magazine also has lots of IIGS add-on ads. Software is another story. Some people think every IIGS owner should have AppleWorks GS, but personally I have no use for it. System Software 5.0 (should come with your IIGS, also available from information services) provides a Finder and basic file/disk-handling tools, but no real programming facilities (I don't count AppleSoft BASIC). Beyond that, it would depend on your intended usage. For programming, I recommend Orca/C and Orca/M (Orca/Pascal if you really want Pascal), although there are other good products available. It is important to cooperate with the Apple IIGS Programmer's WorkShop (APW), which is the "official" IIGS application development environment; Orca/* are so far as I can tell fully APW-compatible. There is a lot of IIGS freeware/shareware available, mostly via information services. There are some really good commercial IIGS games, too. Dungeon Master, Alien Mind, and Xenocide are recent ones that immediately come to mind. I'm sure you'll hear from a lot of others on this subject!