Text File | 1990-10-31 | 7.7 KB | 113 lines | [50] Apple IIgs Word Processing (0x5445)
PROFESSOR KNOW╨IT╨ALL
Our in-house genious answers questions that have baffled the world since time began. You may sleep better at night with the knowledge that someone, in fact, knows-it-all. (I know I do.)
I have been attempting to install the CAPLET Font on my AWGS systems disk and found I could not because there was not enough memory available. I am using the AWGS.System 1.1 which requires GS/OS System and apparently this font cannot be installed. I was told the two units are not compatible. Any suggestions?
Dr. R.R. Schroeder
Kirkland, WA.
Dear Dr. Schroeder,
Basically, Dr. Schroeder your system disk is full. Here is a list of your possible solutions:
1. Buy a hard drive.
2. Delete a few files from the system disk.
3. Use a public domain Font/DA installer
4. Buy a hard drive.
5. Buy a hard drive.
6. Buy a hard drive.
If you ever want to take the jump from casual user to power user, a hard drive is the first step. While item ╥2╙ is a viable solution, it's short term. What is going to happen next month when you want to install another font or a really cool desk accessory? With out a hard drive, you'll have to use some font/DA installer to pull the files off another disk on the fly. It sort of defeats the ╥easy to use╙ aspect of the Apple IIGS.
I have a CT-40 hooked to an Apple High Speed SCSI card. The font folder in my system file has over 2.5 megs of files in it. That's close to three 3.5" disks just for fonts. I am NEVER at a loss for a typeface or size and you should see the quality of my page layout documents!
Hard drives have been coming down in price for the past year. After a quick scan of the latest InCider/A+ here is a list of prices from Quality Computer (The IIgs users friend in the business):
AMR: CMS:
20 Meg 549.95 20 Meg 495.95
45 Meg 649.99 40 Meg 675.95
60 Meg 729.95 60 Meg 699.95
Chinook: Applied Engineering's Vulcan Drives:
20 Meg 495.95 20 Meg 519.95
40 Meg 675.95 40 Meg 649.95
80 Meg 1,395.95 100 Meg. 1,285.95
All the above drives, with the exception of the Vulcan drives, are SCSI (Small Computer System Interface, pronounced SCUZZIE) devices that require a SCSI interface card. Apple's High Speed SCSI card sells for 109.95 from Quality (Can you tell where we shop for our GS goodies?) and the new RamFast/SCSI card will run you about 199.95. The Vulcan drives have their own interface card so if you get a Vulcan there is no need to buy anything else. Is that good? Well, yes and no. While the added expense is a problem, the speed gained from the new High Speed SCSI card is worth every penny.
While I'm on my soapbox (something these people actually pay me to do) I want to address you folks who have only 768k of memory, or worse..... less. Do you realize that for as little as $30.00 (shipping included) you could have a real GS and not just a big IIe. You don't know how hard it is to take a GREAT GS game and have to decide what features will have to be ripped out so that it will work on those 768k IIe's in a GS box.
Do yourself a favor, call Quality Computer (you would think I get paid for such blatant favoritism) and order a set of 256k chips for those empty sockets on your Apple's Memory Expansion board. Don't sell your computer short give it the memory it needs to run the programs being written for it. At $30.00 you have no more excuses.
--Professor Know-It-All
Quality Computers: 1-800-966-1508 or 1-800-443-6697 Be sure to tell them Softdisk G-S sent you.
I have been having a problem saving the current screen from "Picture Grabber" as a hi-res. graphic. Please give me some advice. Am I doing something wrong or does Softdisk offer something that will do the same thing as the Picture Grabber program ?
Steve Lamansky
Ankeny, IA
Dear Steve,
I assume (While most people get into trouble when they assume things, I do not. I know it all!) you are talking about the DOS 3.3 Picture Grabber that was on an issue of UpTime. That program was a bit of a funny thing. All it did was show you one of the two hi-res pages and let you save the one with the picture on it to disk.
In ProDOS things get weird. If the program you are running is a BASIC program it would be quite easy to save. If not, you are out of luck.
In order for the program to save a file to disk, BASIC.SYSTEM would have to be loaded so you could type things like:
]?CHR$(4)"BSAVE PIC,A$2000,L$2000"
The problem with this is that when BASIC.SYSTEM is loaded (or any system file for that matter) it first loads into memory at $2000 and extends past $4000 or hi-res page 1 and 2. So whatever graphic you had is now gone.
Of course it could be done with Super hi-res graphics...in fact it has been done with SHR graphics. There are two CDAs that allow you to save whatever is on the SHR screen to disk. Currently, we are working on a project that will allow you to do this. Look for it on a future issue.
So, if it's plain old hi-res you are talking about, the answer is that it can be done with difficulty, but we don't have any plans to do it. If it's SHR screens you reference, it's on the way!
When I try to format an 800K 3.5" disk in the GSOS finder, the computer will ask me whether to format the disk with 800K 2:1, 800K 4:1, or 400K 2:1.
What's the difference between them ? What is the purpose? Also, I love the icons for the applications. How can I design my own icons to use on programs in the finder? Finally, I am having a problem fitting more than one or two desk accessories on a system disk. (same for fonts) Is there any way to put the DA's on a seperate disk to load them?
Mike McCarthy
Chappaqua, NY
Dear Mike,
Your computer is giving you a choice between the various interleaves available. If you plan to simply use the disk in Appledisk drives in your own computer the best one would be the 800K 2:1. Interleaving is basically the number of sectors a disk skips between stored data. At 2:1 the drive is reading and writing data to every other sector. At 4:1 the drive is reading and writing to every fourth sector. (twice as slow!) The only reason for you to use the 800K 4:1 is when you have a Unidisk drive set up with your Appledisk drive. The only reason to use the 400K 2:1 is if you plan on using some of the older Mac programs or applications.
There are several different ways to create your own icons for the desk top or applications. Most of them are shareware (or guiltware as I like to call it) programs available from GEnie, Compuserve or America Online. If you don't have a modem give the folks at Public Domain Exchange (800-331-8125) a call and ask for IconEd or DicEd both are great Icon editors. If you do have a modem and an account on one of the major consumer services go to the software libraries and search on the program names listed above.
Your last question brings us to a back issue! (see Subscriptions Section) On G-S #10 there is a program called Desk Accessory Runner that will allow you to keep your DA's on a seperate disk. Of course if you have only one disk drive, this can be a pain. I suggest you see the reply to the first question and start saving some pennies.
