Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!cs122aw From: cs122aw@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Scott Alfter) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: The Apple IIf Message-ID: <1990Feb23.190539.18534@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> Date: 23 Feb 90 19:05:39 GMT References: <900222.14492460.054933@UWEC.CP6> Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana Lines: 40 In article nagendra@bucsf.bu.edu (nagendra mishr) writes: >One thing I think you are all forgeting > >the iif needs a good internal fan. Seems trivial, but I'd hate to have to >get rid of my kensington and look for another fan and surge system. Indeed. I don't know about the GS, as far as heat buildup goes, but I have a IIe on the way to becoming "optioned out," with five of eight slots filled. Things were getting a bit toasty in the case, so I decided to stick a fan under the keyboard, where it can blow air out through the bottom of the case. I'd imagine that the increased circuit complexity of a "IIf" would generate enough heat without any cards installed that a fan would become a "must." >Making it a portable would also be nice. give it the a batarry backup rom >disk like the Tandy's. I know the Tandy's really suck, but the idea of DOS >on rom is a good idea. Booting from a rom disk would probably eliminate >needing a second floppy drive. > >Here's an idea. I don't know how it would far in applicativity, but >how about somehow having a configure option on the system disk which you >would let you tell the system exactly what you wanted to have installed in >the system. Once this is done, the system copies the memory image onto >disk. This way, when you boot up, you the system fast loads the memory >image into memory and you're up and running in a very short amount of time. Here's an idea for getting the system disk into memory: make an EEPROMdisk. The hardware (basically an EPROM burner, with extra circuits for erasing EEPROMs and selecting between the several EEPROM chips) could be built into the computer easily enough. When you figure out how you want your system set up, push a button and you burn a system disk into the EEPROMs. If you change your mind (or get a new system, as happens semi-frequently with Apple), push another button to erase the EEPROMs and start over again. EEPROMs have several points in their favor: they don't require continuous power like SRAMs, and they can be erased electrically, instead of by using ultraviolet radiation as with ordinary EPROMs. Scott Alfter------------------------------------------------------------------- Internet: cs122aw@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu _/_ Apple II: the power to be your best! alfter@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu/ v \ saa33413@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu ( ( A keyboard--how quaint! Bitnet: free0066@uiucvmd.bitnet \_^_/ --M. Scott, STIV