Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!apple!dlyons
From: dlyons@Apple.COM (David A. Lyons)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: IIgs ROM revisions -- Esoniq
Message-ID: <51125@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 3 Apr 91 16:20:51 GMT
References: <8359@crash.cts.com>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA
Lines: 43

In article <8359@crash.cts.com> aford@pro-mansion.cts.com (Adam Ford) writes:
>In-Reply-To: message from MQUINN@UTCVM.BITNET
>
>Well, look at the ROM 01 then ROM 02 then ROM 3.  The ROM 02 was killed off
>fast.  My friend has an 02.  Software companies (acording my dealer) took
>shortcuts, and used loop holes to make software for the ROM 01.  Some of
>these things (i.e. PaintWorks GOLD) cannot be used on ROM 3, because of the
>companies, NOT because of Apple.  I am saying, if a company makes a product
>that requires software, the software would proabbly be better than if it
>was made from a different company.
> 
>Adam 

Eh?  The only three ROM versions for the GS are ROM 0 (the first one, from
which you could and can get a free upgrade to ROM 1), ROM 01 (which says
"ROM Version 01" on the bottom line of the screen when you boot), and
ROM 03 (which says "ROM Version  3" on the bottom line of the screen when
you boot).

There was never a ROM 02; it was skipped so that starting with 3 "ROM N"
would be the Nth version, not the (N+1)th version.

In the case of PaintWorks Gold, I believe it *does* work on ROM 3 with
a simple (one-byte?) patch available on many services (and probably posted
here in the past); at least, the patch makes it work if you have enough
memory on your ROM 3 machine--you probably need at least 1.5 megs.

Ideally, third parties write their programs perfectly and they continue to
work on future hardware, future ROMs, and future system disks.  It doesn't
always happen that way.

If I had a way to write the toolbox so that *future* incompatibilities
would show up in the present, that would be an amazing help.  A big problem
is applications that aren't really doing something "right," but there's no
good way to detect it ahead of time.
-- 
David A. Lyons, Apple Computer, Inc.      |   DAL Systems
Apple II System Software Engineer         |   P.O. Box 875
America Online: Dave Lyons                |   Cupertino, CA 95015-0875
GEnie: D.LYONS2 or DAVE.LYONS         CompuServe: 72177,3233
Internet/BITNET:  dlyons@apple.com    UUCP:  ...!ames!apple!dlyons
   
My opinions are my own, not Apple's.