Titan of the intelligentsia, our Professor aids the computer-afflicted and ill-at-keys. The Professor is here to enlighten you on various Apple topics. He will answer all the questions that cannot possibly be answered by any other computer-literate human (because he knows it all).
After having enjoyed several issues of Softdisk G-S, I've finally smacked up against my first real problem with one of the offered programs.
This problem concerns the What A Poster! (W.A.P.) program from issue #18. What A Disappointment! When I tell it to print an APF graphic that has a 16-grey level palette, W.A.P. instead prints out the graphic using a completely different color palette. Of course, this results in an unrecognizable printout on my non-color printer.
The hardware I'm using is a Grappler Plus parallel card with an HP LaserJet IIP printer. Since I'm using a laser printer, I'm also using Vitesse's Harmonie printer driver (the only one that supports a parallel-interface laser).
Other graphics programs that I use (DeluxePaint, Platinum Paint, some shareware) have no problem using this hardware/printer driver combination to produce a correct 16-grey level printout. Why doesn't W.A.P. simply use the graphic file's own palette instead of substituting its own?
On a different subject (but as long as I've got your attention, what the heck?), do you know why there are no IIgs word processors that support laser printers? By that, I mean a word processor that can download soft fonts to the printer memory and then select them. Programs that use the IIgs system fonts (like WordWorks) are fine, but the system fonts look coarse and blocky on a laser printout╤sort of like a dot-matrix printout.
When I want to print a letter on the laser printer, I have to go to MS-DOS (via my PC Transporter) and use WordPerfect. I would much rather use the more-enjoyable IIgs software to do this! Any ideas, Prof?
Cregg Steffler
Belleville, IL
Dear Cregg,
I ran What A Poster! from issue #18 on my GS and printed to our Apple LaserWriter Plus. It printed a 16-grey level palette without a single problem. Without the same hardware setup, it is impossible for me to troubleshoot your problem in-depth. Sorry.
As for your second question, if you know that the LaserWriter has a particular font built-in to it, you can just use that font. For example, our LaserWriter Plus has Geneva built-in (among other fonts) and I tend to use Geneva in WordWorks Pro whenever I'm printing to the LaserWriter. If your setup doesn't work this way, then something is wrong.
I could not get Minstrel to run on my computer. I used the file copier on the SDGS to install it on my hard drive. I keep getting an error message saying: ╥The sound chip is in use. Try another application.╙ (I didn't write the exact wording down). Also, with Minstrel installed in the Desk Accs folder, I could not run my Paintworks Gold Program. When I took it out of Desk Accs, Paintworks Gold ran fine.
Brenda Claussen
Valparoise, IN
Dear Brenda,
Are you using the Sonics Control Panel from Quality Computers? If so, it has a bug that causes Minstrel to report that warning. I've heard that they are fixing the problem, so you may want to contact them about it.
If you don't have Sonics, then what programs are you getting that error message in? Programs that use sound (like HyperCard and HyperStudio) will force Minstrel to report that message. On the other hand, you should have no problem using Minstrel in programs like Finder or our Softdisk G-S shell.
PaintWorks Gold has many known problems. One of those is that it requires certain portions of memory (a very bad thing for any program to do) and that is why it fails╤Minstrel just happens to be loading in those portions of memory.
How does one get all the World Tour pieces working together? AppleWorks GS Page Layouts do not print out well on a laser printer. How about some good live art that does? How about helping AWGS live up to its potential╤at least equal the robustness of AppleWorks 3.0? Same for the GS applications. Including digitized images would be useful. Consider linking up with other A2 disk-based publications and going CD-ROM as an alternative option.
Frank Lowney
Gray, GA
Dear Frank,
Wow! That sure was a mouth╤full!
Linking all the World Tour pieces together is as simple as putting all the maps in the same folder and then running World Tour. In the past, we have had an Installer script to install the entire World Tour program. Recently (as of issue #32) we added a script to only install the map so you could more easily collect an entire tour of the world.
You're correct about the page-layout/laser problem. I have seen several examples of subscriber printouts. Your suggestion about ╥live art╙ is a good one. We will take it into consideration when purchasing or creating artwork.
I'm not sure what you mean by ╥same for the GS applications?╙ All of our programs are full Apple IIgs desktop programs that take full advantage of the desktop interface. The only exception to this is, of course, games.
Digitized images of what? Help us by giving us some ideas as to what kind of imagery you'd like to see.
CD-ROM distribution is not very realistic at this time. An extremely small number of GS owners have CD-ROM drives and there is no way that we could possibly recover the cost of pressing a CD. A more likely possibility (but in no way close to reality) is Softdisk having a CD of all of our products, from IBM to Mac to Apple on the same CD. That way we have a much larger audience for the disc and it makes it easier to justify the cost of pressing the CD.
When I printed Spencer's Corner to see what it looked like on paper, the dialogue box said it was rendering two pages. On screen, I only saw one page. When printed, the second page was blank. This has never occurred with Spencer's Pages before. I have printed out Spencer's Corner each month.
I couldn't get InstantDA to work. I kept getting the error message saying: ╥The Application InstantDA can't be found for this document.╙ I tried using Quick Time DA from SDGS #1 and Minstrel from SDGS #26. InstantDA could use more explicit instructions on how to use it. It wasn't clear exactly what I was to double click to install the NDAs.
Brenda Claussen
Valparoise, IN
Dear Brenda,
I have seen Spencer's print on two pages before (for no good reason), but I could not reproduce it this time. I printed using AppleWorks GS, Platinum Paint and Paint 256. All of them rendered and printed the images perfectly. Try it again and let me know the exact circumstances if (when) the problem occurs.
InstantDA Docs? Hmm, we thought the instructions were pretty clear. We'll just have to try harder next time. In any case, Bryan has rewritten them this month and you can find them in the text for Easy Eyes. Since Easy Eyes is an NDA, we are publishing InstantDA again on this issue.
I was reading Professor Know It All and I came across a letter, on issue #24, and it asked you about Dark Designs 1, 2 and 3. I was wondering if you could answer these questions below:
I have found the Ebonstone, the NetherWorld and the Pit in Dark Designs 3, but not the WarLord. Could you tell me where to find him?
How in the world am I going to beat Aggressor!? In Dark Designs 2, he just keeps healing himself with the God Hammer! And, he is immune to Magic Missle, Lightning Bolt, Fire Ball, Flame Strike, Death Ray, and Dispel Undead! Please tell me how!
How am I supposed to win Dark Designs 1 if they don't give me enough gold at the start? And even if they did, how am I supposed to kill creatures, such as Medusas, Minotaurs, Air Elementals, etc.?
I thought maybe I should blast them with a Death Ray, but it didn't work. Please tell me how to kill them.
Donovan Collins
Yakima, WA
Dear Donovan,
In Dark Designs 3, you have to explore the Pit level thoroughly. You might have to map it on graph paper to be sure you find the shimmering gate to the next level. You also need to find a key, usually in the Pit, but it belongs to a monster who moves around.
In Dark Designs 2, you need to find the Holy Sword and armor. They're on the Ground Floor (level 1) in the north-west corner. You must descend to level 3 to find the staircase up to the proper section of level 1.
You have to be very careful in Dark Designs 1. When you need healing, leave the dungeon to get your spell points, re-enter the dungeon so your priest can heal the party, then leave to get your spell points back. This helps preserve your gold. For single powerful creatures, the best spell is Lightning Bolt. Use Flame Strike on large groups.
I love Softdisk G-S, however, I usually catch up with the issues during vacation time.
Is there a way to install all your fonts on one system disk for AppleWorks GS? I have several system disks to handle the fonts. Why isn't your disk compatible with any printer?
I use AppleWorks GS, but haven't found the technical support I need. I love my IIgs, but in my classroom there are 6 brand new Macs. I refuse to learn yet another computer, and am instructing my students to learn it on their own. Is it true the Apple IIgs will not support a scanner?
P.S. I also love your technical support. I've called several times.
Elaine Foulger
El Centro, CA
Dear Elaine,
There's no reason, other than disk space, that you can't use all of our fonts on the same disk. Since fonts tend to really eat up disk space, you'll probably need a hard drive to do this.
I'm not sure what you mean by not being compatible with any printer. The System Disk that we currently ship contains printer drivers for the ImageWriter. If you are using a different printer, you'll need the appropriate driver. As of last count, Softdisk G-S is compatible with almost a dozen different printers (and probably dozens more of ╥clone╙ printers that we don't have access to).
The Apple IIgs does support a scanner quite handily. To date there are at least three companies that have hand-held scanners for the IIgs. Apple's own flat-bed scanner also works just fine, the only problem is that there isn't much software for Apple's flatbed scanner.
This is a two part question. First, can you explain the differences between ROM 01, ROM O2 and ROM O3 for the Apple IIgs? I have ROM version 01 currently, but would like to upgrade to 03. I understand the chip is a free upgrade, but can you tell me where I can go to get one? Second, I've tried several Apple dealers here in New York, but they don't sell the Apple II line anymore, so they can't be bothered upgrading a free chip. Going to an Apple dealer and talking about the IIgs gets me treatment as if I were a leper. I hope there is another source. Please help me!!!!
Thanks for answering this letter, and keep up the good work. My son and I look forward to each new issue.
Les Reiss
New Hyde Park, NY
Dear Les,
While there were three different ROM versions, you have the wrong numbers. The three vesions were ROM 00, ROM 01 and ROM 03. You can tell what version you have by looking at the bottom of the screen as your computer starts up ╤ the ROM version will be there briefly before the ╥Welcome to the Apple IIgs╙ screen comes up.
There are actually very few ROM 00s around; Apple only manufactured a small amount of them. If you have a ROM 00 GS, your Apple dealers are required to upgrade it for free.
The ROM 01 is a GS with 256K of RAM and 128K of ROM. There is no option of upgrading from a ROM 01 to a ROM 03.
The ROM 03 has 1 MB of RAM and 256K of ROM.
What happened to the ROM 02 you ask? Programmers are a strange lot; they count from 0: 0,1,2,3 etc. So, to a programmer the first GS was the ROM 00, the second the ROM 01. But, since that confused non╤programmers who are used to counting from 1 they were nice enough to call the third GS the ROM 03 instead of the ROM 02.
I'm a recent subscriber to Softdisk and Softdisk G-S. I'm about to enter college in order to get a degree as a computer programmer. So, I was wanting to know which computer language is used the most in your submissions? Also, which language is the best to know as a professional programmer?
Next, I want to ask about hard drives for the IIgs. Which is better: A drive that can function with any type of computer (Apple, IBM, etc.), or one designed for that specific computer? Do you have any tips on deciding how large (100 MB, 200 MB, etc.) a hard drive to purchase? Also, what is a SCSI card?
Finally, I want to know your opinion on the future of Apple II computers and computers in general.
Barry Zapalac
Austin, TX
Dear Barry
╥Best╙ is a relative term. All professional programmers are capable of working in a number of languages. Also, the type of computer you plan on working with is very important. The languages used on a personal computer differ greatly from that used on a Cray super╤computer. In general, Pascal and C are always going to be ╥required.╙
We get a lot of submissions in Pascal, C and 65816 assembly ╤ no one language dominates.
Without a doubt, get a SCSI-based hard drive. That way it can follow you to other computers when the time comes. It makes no sense to buy a hard drive that can only be used on a GS, then in a couple of years buy another hard drive because you switched computers when a SCSI drive would have saved you the cost of a second drive. SCSI stands for Small Computer Systems Interface and is just a standard for hooking up all kinds of devices (such as hard drives) to computers. Almost all personal computers support the SCSI standard. I'd buy the largest hard drive you can reasonably afford. What seems large today will be tiny tommorrow. I'd go for 200 MB if you can afford it, else the 120 MB drives are pretty reasonable.
My opinion? Apple II forever! The Reality? I think the Apple II will be around for some time to come. Not in the mainstream though, but as a hobbyist and old-timer's machine. I don't see much of a change for a couple years - and as we all know two years in the computer industry is like two decades in any other industry.
My opinion on computers in general? Watch Star Trek: The Next Generation, take a look at Apple's forthcoming Personal Digital Assistant technology - that stuff is the future.
I hear Two Shay Software has ╥Easter Eggs╙ in their programs. I couldn't find any. Also, what happened to the back issues we could win at the bottom of some articles?
Brett Shapiro
Santa Anna, CA
Dear Brett,
Try clicking on the name of the program in the main screen (for example, try clicking on Moku). With other programs, you may have to hold down the option or control key while it loads (or quits or something). Programmers are always coming up with clever new ways to hide messages, graphics, etc. Look around, you may be surprised!
One of the problems we have here at Softdisk is the lack of reader response. Less than 1% of our readers return the Report Card and without that feedback we have a lot of trouble trying to figure out what you want (we aren't mind readers!). The free-issue-if-you-find-this-message was an idea to get users to return Report Cards so we could get a better idea of what you guys wanted. Unfortunately, most people simply wrote down that they found the easter egg and never even bothered to fill out the Report Card! It kinda defeated the purpose.
This letter is more about asking for advice than it is solving technical problems. I'm a college student and I have your basic GS system. My computer has 1.25 MB of RAM and 2 (3.5-inch) floppy disks. Lately, I find the speed of my GS too slow and disk swapping time consuming. Plus a review of the new System 6.0 in Scarlett stated that for best results, one needs at least 2 MB of RAM as well as a hard drive. So I'm planning a major overhaul of my system. For speed, I was thinking of getting either the Transwarp GS with 32K cache or the Zip GS 9 mhz with 32K cache. But I'm not sure which brand is the best, regarding problems with compatibility with GS software and hardware. I also plan to add 2 MB of RAM. I saw a better deal with CV Tech's GS memory than Q-RAM GS, which uses the SIMMs chip. Again, I'm not sure which is the best for my computer. Last, but not least, which hard drive should I get - the 40 MB Vulcan Gold or the 40 MB external hard drive from Quality Computers?
I'm searching for quality but being a college student, I'm on a tight budget. So a deal on prices is a plus. Also, if you have any other suggestions about other hardware that would improve the performance of my GS, I'd appreciate it.
Cielita Briones
San Pablo, CA
Dear Cielita,
I'd go with the Zip, CV Tech memory card and the external 40 MB drive from Quality Computers (if possible, I'd get a larger hard drive though - 40 MB is gone in no time!).
Take a look at Inside View on Softdisk G-S #27. In that column Zak discuss's hard drives and memory cards. You might find some useful information there.
My system consists of the following: IIgs, ROM 01, Original AE Memory Card with 1.5 MB memory (that is the max the board will hold), Vulcan 40 MB HD, MDIdeas stereo card and conserver.
I am considering the following purchases to improve my system. Additional memory, Transwarp or Zip Chip, AEs Vulcan Gold cache software upgrade.
Questions:
1. Which would give the best performance upgrade per dollar to my current system?
2. Are there any compatibility problems with either accelerator card?
3. Are there any memory cards that will still allow me to use my current card in conjuction with it? The ad I read for CV Tech's GS Memory Board said you could piggyback an Apple, 1 MB board, but nothing about my board.
4. How much memory do you recommend?
5. My hard drive is partitioned into 4 sections and I have had problems with running a number of programs from it. I have gotten AppleWorks to run by moving it to the second partition from the third but this has not worked with the rest of them. If you have any suggestions that would allow me to run them from my HD, I would appreciate the help.
I would like for all future purchases to work with my hard drive and I am considering the following: Printshop Companion, Dragon Wars, Transylvania 3, a GS specific typing tutor and others for the GS. Could you send (or put on Softdisk), a list of available GS specific software with information on what equipment and software it will work with? I am not concerned with copy protection as long as I can load it on my HD. I hope this isn't too much at once, but I would appreciate any help or advice you could give.
Walter E. Todd
Unit 15244, Box 599 APO AP
Dear Walter,
Nothing's too much from a dedicated subscriber/letter writer like yourself. The best performance upgrade is hard to determine. I'd say that the order of importance in your case would be a Zip GS followed by the CV Tech memory card and finally the Vulcan upgrade.
There are no real problems with either the Zip GS or the TransWarp GS. I prefer the Zip GS because it has less components, draws less power, generates less heat, is cheaper, and faster.
The CV Tech memory card can indeed piggyback cards. Be sure to contact them prior to purchasing their card to ensure that it'll work with your AE card. If you were to get a 2 MB card, that would give you a total of 3.5 MB - a comfortable amount. Memory is very inexpensive today so you may want to consider getting a fully stocked board. If you choose to do this, you might opt for the Q-Ram and SIMMs. That way you can reuse the SIMMs in any future computer you buy.
Under System 5.0.4, ProDOS 8 programs (such as AppleWorks Classic) would not run from any but the first two partitions. This has been fixed with System 6.0 - updating should solve your problem.
Sorry, but we just don't have the manpower to put together a list of all GS software. There are over 10,000 Apple II titles alone and probably another 5,000 shareware programs. There is simply no time (or disk space!) to compile the type of list you are looking for. My advice would be to contact a local user group. That way you can ask fellow Apple II users about their experience with a particular program.
