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From: heff@bsdpkh.UUCP (Paul K Heffner)
Newsgroups: net.micro.apple
Subject: 80-column on the Apple ][
Message-ID: <190@bsdpkh.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 28-Mar-86 14:44:36 EST
Article-I.D.: bsdpkh.190
Posted: Fri Mar 28 14:44:36 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 29-Mar-86 16:18:26 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T-IS (SDSS), Orlando Fl.
Lines: 47


     I've been reading the discussion of Apple ][ 80-column video
boards with interest and would like to inject my two cents worth.
I bought my ][+ in '78 back when you had a choice between the
plain ][ (integer basic only) or ][+ (Applesoft in rom!!) In the
years since, the 80-col issue has never been resolved in a way
I would consider satisfactory. Practically anybody who is used to
working with VDT terminals will probably become disgusted with the
unacceptably slow response of the cards available. The situation
seems to be just as bad on the ][e (and to me this is inexcusable
considering the 80-vid on the ][e is completely memory mapped and
should be extermely fast!!). 

      Probably the best example of how dimly the Apple ]['s video
is regarded is the fact that when Digital Research (the folks who
market CP/M) decided to release their own Z-80 board to run CP/M
on the apple they put independent video circuitry right on their 
card in order to avoid having to tangle with the ]['s snail-vid.

     O.K. I've done enough bitching, so what's my solution? Well,
it really depends on how you use your computer. After buying and
dumping several 80-col boards over the years, I found the most
satisfactory solution is to pop a communications serial board in
slot 3 and use an external terminal. I found an old Perkin-Elmer
Owl 1200 terminal for next to nothing and run it at 9600 baud.
As I do most of my work with the Apple Pascal system or CP/M
(both of which work GREAT with terminals) I have no problem with
this set up. It even allows me to keep my color monitor on the
normal apple video output with no interference whatsoever! I can
write turtlegraphics routines over on the terminal and watch the
graphics results on the apple vid and debugging (or whatever) info
simultaneously on the term.

     The only problem is Applesoft, which doesn't easily talk to
terminals without special coding. Most current 80-column boards
trick the applesoft interpreter by intercepting display related
calls (HOME, etc.). If Applesoft is your thing, the terminal
trick is probably not for you. (The Mbasic with the CP/M card
could make you swear off Applesoft forever, though!!!) If so, grit
your teeth and watch that sloooooooow video scroll by...


					Paul Heffner
					AT&T-IS, Altamonte Springs, Fl.
					{ihnp4,akgua,attmail}!bsdpkh!heff

my work on my Z-80 board or in Apple pascal