Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!microsoft!brianw
From: brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: New GS ROMs
Message-ID: <7434@microsoft.UUCP>
Date: 18 Aug 89 18:27:17 GMT
References:  <8908172215.aa29717@SMOKE.BRL.MIL>
Reply-To: brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby)
Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA
Lines: 41


Well, I was going to say: what's wrong with just putting a double size
ROM on the older GSs?  But since I haven't looked inside a GS lately,
I'm not sure that there IS a larger ROM designed yet (there are a few
ROMs which are so big that they operate in four pages, you write the
upper address bits into the ROM data, then read from the current page
until writing a new page selection; these ROMs probably wouldn't work on
the GS without a major rework).

So instead: what's wrong with putting the extra ROM on a peripheral card?
Or on a tiny daughter board plugged into the existing ROM socket?  Of
course, one would have to provide the extra address line to the ROM, but
an awkward solution is better than buying a new GS.

On the subject of ROM copying: Apple has the right to charge for the
added work that went into ROM 03.  I don't think that Henry Ford would
be giving away the 1989 ThunderBirds to original purchasers of the
Model T (yes, that is an exaggeration).  Apple also has the right to say
that copying said ROM is illegal and prosecutable.  But they also have
the right to give permission to copy it because they own rights to it.
My example is any new ProDOS 8 System Software, which can be copied by
dealers for owners of older ProDOS 8 disks.  If Apple were to choose to
allow copying (EPROM burning) of ROM 03 code for owners of the Apple II
GS, then everything would be kosher.  It's in their ballpark.

I want to check if I'm right here - older GS's can achieve the same
functionality that is in the new ROM 03, but all the patches have to
be stored in RAM (any idea how much space? around 128K? or less?).  On
the new GS (what DO we call it anyway?, enhanced?) more RAM is left free
until new OS patches start appearing to override the code in ROM 03.

No, I don't own a GS, just an aging Plus.  But, I am interested in a
10 MHz, 16 Mbyte, 16 bit system at some point in the future.  I have a
10 MHz 65C802 in my Plus, but I have no idea how to run it at full
speed (short of redesigned the GS).

Brian Willoughby
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