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Some cassette command examples:
* To read Apple 1 BASIC from cassette
E000.EFFFR
* To write a BASIC program to cassette, with BASIC's default LOMEM= setting of 2048
4A.00FFW800.FFFW
* To read a BASIC program from cassette, with LOMEM=768
4A.00FFR300.FFFR
== BASIC ==
Once Apple 1 BASIC is loaded into memory, it can be started with the Monitor command
E000R
This will start BASIC from scratch, removing any existing BASIC program and data. To return to BASIC from the monitor while preserving the current program and data, use the command
E2B3R
The BASIC prompt is a ">". Apple 1 BASIC is generally similar to Apple II Integer BASIC, but without the latter's graphics commands.
===== Known Issues =====
* The cassette interface and $E000-$EFFF DRAM are always included; they cannot be switched off.
* The DRAM at $E000-$EFFF is not included in the RAM configured by MESS's -ram option, due to limitations in how MESS presently manages configurable RAM.
* Optional cassette interface is included and emulated.
* 4 KB of DRAM is mapped to $E000-$EFFF. This is required for Apple 1 BASIC.
===== History and Trivia =====
The Apple 1 was a kit computer that was introduced and sold in small quantities in 1976.
Steve Wozniak ("Woz"), who worked for Hewlett-Packard at the time, wanted to build his own computer. He could afford neither the Intel 8080 (the most popular microprocessor at the time) nor the Motorola 6800 (his own preference). Therefore, he decided to build his computer around MOS Technology's new 6502 chip, which was quite compatible with the Motorola 6800 but far less expensive. He proceeded to write a BASIC interpreter for the chip, and then turned to designing the computer that would run it, using an earlier paper design for the Motorola 6800.
The resulting computer was easier to use and more affordable than many other kit computers of the time, sporting a keyboard interface and TV-compatible video terminal circuitry, all on a single circuit board. To keep costs down, the video memory was implemented using shift registers rather than RAM, with the downside being a slow display rate (60 characters per second). However, this was still much faster than the 10-character-per-second electromechanical Teletypes used with many early home computers. Wozniak's computer also used new, more compact 4-kilobit dynamic RAM chips instead of the 1-kilobit static RAMs used by most other designs. Wozniak promoted his computer and enhancements for it at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, California.
Steve Jobs, who had worked with Woz on the game "Breakout" for Atari, convinced Woz to try to market and sell the computer. Together they formed the Apple Computer Company. Paul Terrell, the owner of The Byte Shop, a new local computer store, was interested in this
computer, but only if it was fully assembled and came with a cassette interface, so Wozniak designed one.
Normally, the Apple 1 was sold "naked", simply as a circuit board, without a monitor, power supply, keyboard, tape drive, etc. These would be added by the owner. Wozniak and Jobs assembled about 200 systems and sold about 170 of them. Most of these were later traded in to Apple for Apple IIs and were destroyed. About 30 to 50 are still in existence.
This machine was so popular that Jack Tramiel of Commodore (!) offered to buy Apple. Apple was, at the time, a major purchaser of MOS 6502 processors and Commodore owned MOS Technologies. Wozniak wanted $15,000 more than Tramiel offered. Needless to say, the deal fell through.
//(info from old-computers.com)//
===== Links =====
* Apple 1 Owners Club -- http://www.applefritter.com/apple1
* Apple History -- http://www.apple-history.com/
* Apple ][ History -- http://apple2history.org/history/ah02.html
* Apple 1 Manual -- http://emulation.net/apple1/manual/apple1manx.html
* Apple 1 at old-computers.com -- http://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=67