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From: toddpw@tybalt.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Apple IIGS Rom 3: How do I get one, reasonable price?
Message-ID: <1990Apr13.001001.9226@laguna.ccsf.caltech.edu>
Date: 13 Apr 90 00:10:01 GMT
References: <18492.apple.net@pro-sol>
Sender: news@laguna.ccsf.caltech.edu
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Lines: 37

johnn@pro-sol.cts.com (John Nishinaga) writes:

>It would not be a wise idea to sell your ROM 1 GS for a ROM 3.  The main
>reason is compatibility.  Rom 3 GS contains the System Disk 5.0 tools in RAM. 
>Because of this, ROM 3 doesn't work with all the GS software because some of
>the old software used illegal tool calls (something I don't have the tech
>knowledge to explain).

1. Rom 3 has all the tools in ROM, not RAM. (picky picky)
	This is actually a damn nice feature to have.

2. GS software that doesn't work with ROM 3 is NAUGHTY software -- the Tools
	aren't the problem, it's the built-in firmware... Demos like Nucleus
	make assumptions which Apple has expressly told developers NOT to make.
	Things like Smartport entry addresses and undocumented system vectors
	and such. Nucleus does not need to make these assumptions, they are
	evidence of either shortcutting or lack of tech notes on the FTA's
	part and they are not producing perfect software because of it.

Software that does things which crash on a ROM 3 machine are, in my not at
all humble opinion, no better than copy protection because they are too
hardware specific. I found that FTA stuff is impossible to use with a
Unidisk, and cannot be moved to a hard drive easily... This gives me
severe pause when I consider diverting some of my meager funds into
shareware fees.

However, I agree that there is no point in buying a ROM 3 just to "keep up"
with technology... why is that important? Don't bother with the ROM unless
it is cheap enough to move to and provides you with abilities that you deem
are worth the price.

For most of us, the ROM 3 was NOWHERE NEAR the improvement we wanted to see
at the price it would cost. It's about time Apple did to the entire Apple II
product line what they just did to the SCSI card.

Todd Whitesel
toddpw @ tybalt.caltech.edu