Little Bits
By Andrew Roughan
Copyright (c) 1995 Apple Users' Group, Sydney
Republished from Applecations, a publication of the Apple Users' Group, Sydney, Australia.
o I bought an Apple CD300 CD-ROM drive recently for use on my Apple //gs, Macintosh IIsi and my mother's 486. I was uncertain whether the device would work effectively with the x86 because Apple places custom chips in their internal devices so that they work better with Macintoshes, sometimes to the detriment of their ability to be used with other computers.
Everyone I asked either didn't know (Apple Technical Support included) or seemed to be of the opinion that the CD300 would not work very well with an x86. After I posted a message on the internet SCSI newsgroup, half a dozen people replied saying that they were successfully using the CD300 device on x86's under various operating systems. I bit the bullet and bought an Adaptec DMA SCSI host adapter which, thankfully, is working very well.
So what's my point? Well, there's two lessons here. Firstly, an investment in a CD-ROM maybe more worthwhile if you can use it on multiple computers, and secondly, the on-line services provide contact with people who've often already done what you're trying to do and who are willing to share that knowledge with you.
o Apple's new on-line service, eWorld, is now available in Australia. I sent away for the Starter kit (Macintosh computers only at this time) to discover what Apple is providing for Apple // owners.
As I expected, there's not a lot available. I could not find any Apple // related topics for discussion and companies which I knew had Apple // products, such as Seven Hills Software, were advertising only their Macintosh products.
The current system software, including HyperCard 1.1, System Disk 3.2 and System 6.0.1, is available for downloading. However, the descriptions do not actually describe what the software contains or what it does. For example, who can tell me what Apple //gs CD Setup 5.1 is?
I was interested to see that the Apple // software had a consistent download count of over 13. So there must be 13 other Apple // users on eWorld. Although it is relatively early in the eWorld life cycle, I'd suggest that if you are only interested in Apple // information then you'd probably be better off investing in GEnie.
The desktop environment allows eWorld to be navigated with ease so I was very shortly caught up exploring the depths of some obscure company's product line. But beware! Time is a very precious commodity. Charges for eWorld consist of a monthly minimum fee of US$8.95, as well as the hourly usage fee. The first two hours of use are US$7.95 per hour. Each additional hour is US$12.90. Pricing is based on one minute increments.
The eWorld Starter Kit is available by calling tollfree 0014-800-124-137. The Starter Kit comes with a registration number and password which enables you to connect to eWorld for the first time. A new subscription receives a usage credit of US$26.00 which effectively gives you two hours of free on-line time and no initial monthly charge.
If you have access to a Macintosh and a modem, eWorld is definitely worth a look. However, I'll be cancelling my account once my two free hours are used.
o Vitesse have announced FAXination, fax software for the Apple //gs. FAXination acts like a GS/OS print driver, therefore any desktop application which uses the GS/OS Print Manager can now have its output sent as a fax. FAXination requires GS/OS v5.0.4, or higher, 1.5MB RAM, and a hard disk drive. System 6.0, or later, and 2MB RAM is highly recommended! FAXination -ONLY- supports external FAX/Modems.
The current price is US$49.95. This price is good until FAXination begins shipping (hopefully by January 15, 1995), then the price goes up to US$79.95.
Vitesse, Inc.
P.O. Box 929
La Puente, CA 91747-0929
818-813-1270
or II Series Software on (02) 606-9343.
o Vitesse has also announced that Wolfenstein 3D will soon be available for the Apple //gs. Wolfenstein 3D is a graphic shoot'em'up adventure which was the precursor to the current Doom range of games for the PC. The //gs version is not shareware like the PC and Mac versions and comes with the full 90 levels. The current price is US$39.95. That price is good until it ships (hopefully in the later part of February), then the price goes up to US$49.95. There is also an additional US$5 shipping and handling charge
o Tony Diaz from Alltech Electronics has announced that the SoundMeister stereo sound card for the Apple //gs is finally shipping. AllTech took over the product from Econ Technologies last year. The price is US$69.
Alltech Electronics
619-721-7733
Tony is also trying to build a SoundMeister Pro sound card to determine whether or not it works and whether production would be feasible. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
o Zip Technology has apparently resurfaced as:
MCTA
5601 West Slauson Avenue
Suite # 190
Culver City, CA. 90230
310 568-2002
o Bill Basham is still selling DiversiTune, DiversiCopy, DivesiCache, DiversiKey and song disks:
William W. Basham, M.D.
10400 Connecticut Ave., #407
Kensington, MD 20895-3910
o DigiSoft Innovations has announced pricing of their soon to be released "Golden Orchard" CD-ROM. The CD holds over 600MB of Apple // related files including System Software, System additions, TrueType fonts, disk images, applications, graphics, sounds, music and source code. Golden Orchard will ship in February for US$65. Those on the advance email list can save US$5. To get yourself on the list send email to:
jagaroth@leland.Stanford.EDU
o Byte Works, Inc. is now shipping version 1.2 of Quick Click Calc, it's spreadsheet and business graphics program for the Apple //gs. The new version adds lots of new features, and fixes all of the problems reported by customers in the initial releases. Among the many improvements there is support for international money and number formatting conventions.
Version 1.2 is being sent free of charge to anyone who purchased Quick Click Calc 1.0 or 1.1, as long as you ordered the program directly from Byte Works or registered the program. If you haven't received your upgrade by now, contact Byte Works.
Quick Click Calc is US$60. Call for shipping charges.
Byte Works, Inc.
8000 Wagon Mound Dr. NW
Albuquerque, NM 87120
(505) 898-8183
MikeW50@AOL.COM

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