Well, we tried hard to make the whole projects simple to use, but somehow some questions remains on what emulation is, how to manage the files, what if something goes wrong to name but a few. So here comes the answers to most of them... 

USING THE EMULATORS 

 What is an emulator ? 

Technically speaking, it is merely a software which allows a computer to recreate the behaviour of another computer. The hardware aspects are entierely handled by a logicial basis. A virtual computer is then operating into a dedicated operating system (which is here Mac OSX). 

This means that under an emulator session, the programs can be used as if they were used under the real thing. 

 What are image disks ? 

They are duplicates of physical disks into files. Image disks are simply documents. Image disks can also be created of any size as long as the operating system can manage them (such as hard drive, CD-Rom, 5 1/4 floppies...). 

So under Mac OSX, you can not longer use floppies. However, you can transform your floppy into a file which becomes an image disk. Thus under emulation, you can carry on using your data as you were working on the real support. 

 What are the ROM ? 

Any emulator needs to get access to a piece of software which was inside the original Apple IIgs computer. This part of the memory is called ROM (Read Only Memory). Several versions of the ROM were created (ROM00, ROM01 and ROM03) by Apple for this computer. 

Whithout any ROM, the emulator can not work at all. Therefore a file containing this internal software must be put with the emulator. This is why this file need to be put in the same folder than the emulator itself. 

 How do I get the ROM file ? 

We cannot and will not provide the file. It is copyrighted by Apple Computer and we have not right to use it. To use an Apple IIgs ROM, you are supposed to own legally this computer and make an image of the ROM. In the other hand, you may find a copy of this file on some places on the Internet... 

 What is if the emulator doesn't start ? 

This simply means that one of the required files is missing or that the Macintosh you are using does not match the system requirements (that is a Macintosh running Mac OS X 10.2 at least). Read the files given with the emulator to see if any of these two options are not correct, because the emulator should work... 

 What if I want to customise the emulator ? 

The first time you use the emulator, it works with a default configuration. However, you can change options to modify the behaviour of your virtual Apple IIgs as you want, by adding for example more memory, faster speed, full screen or many others tricks for having the best experience. 

And if the emulator does not perform as wished, see the part on what if some functions do not work. 

USING IMAGE DISKS 

 Where can I get then image disks ? 

All the emulators come with one image disk, to show that the program works well. However, one image disk is not good enough and surely more will be needed to get access to the classic softwares you loved so much. Two options are then available to have more of them. Either you can transform your Apple IIgs floppies into proper image disks by using some programs either on Mac OS or on GS/OS. Either you download files from some Internet sites we provide on the "Links" section. 

 Which sort of old programs can I get ? 

All of them, from games to desktop publishing. From great FTA Demos to GS/OS applications. Look for the "Links" section of the website to have access to these files. And if there is a program you have which is not listed there, please make an image disk of it and share it with the rest of us. 

And for the same reasons we cannot distribute the ROM file, we cannot give old software for copyright reasons. Except the ones on the website because the authors have agreed to do so. 

 Why do I need to swap image disks all the time ? 

Well, think about what are image disks once again... They are a copy of the original support. This means that if you had many floppies, you'll have many image disks. If the program was on many floppies, you have to change them as you were doing with the Apple IIgs. And as in the original version, you could merge many floppies on an hard drive, so you can merge some image disks into a bigger image disk. 

 Why are they so many standards of image disks ? 

In fact, they are not so many of them, but two different things to understand. You have the file format and the original format. 

The "file format" is used by the operating system for the image disk. It could be .2mg, .dc, .image, .img. This gives the information to the emulator of how to use the file, just like a quicktime movie has the .mov extension. The various formats have each some characteristics which are useful at one stage, some can be exchanged, some cannot. 

The "original format" is the nature of the support. Floppy disks were either on Dos 3.3, Pascal or Prodos file systems. This is the way to organise the information on the support. So the emulator needs to follow these ways in order to find and use the right information. 

 Can these two formats be mixed ? 

Sure they can and most of the time, they are. So you can have an ".dc" file which contains Prodos 8 data. Or a ".2mg" file containing GS/OS data. Or any combination of these two families. However you cannot change the "original" format. You can take some files from a Dos 3.3 and under emulation put them into a GS/OS file, but if you change the "original" format to another one, it is like formatting the support : everything will be deleted... 

 Can I swap files from emulation to another environment ? 

Sometimes. For some programs, you can cut and past some data from an application under emulation to another one on Mac OSX. However a program written for the Apple IIgs will not work on Mac OSX ! You need an emulator to run the Apple IIgs program and then explore the data created. 

REGARDING EMULATION 

 Why do we have various emulators ? 

Just because they are many people trying to make virtual Apple IIgs ! Emulation is quite hard to perform well and they are many paths which can be followed in order to get the wished results. Plus the fact that an emulator depends of the operating system where it will be used, so an emulator for Mac OSX can be different from the one on Windows... And it will be definitely different from an Atari emulator. 

 Why some functions or software do not work ? 

Well, having the perfect emulation is the Holy Grail we will all achieve one day  Even if emulating an Apple IIgs with today's Macintosh is made simplier, it is still a question of rendering. Controlling all the speeds, characteristics or dirty tricks made by some (just think about the FTA Demo...) need to perform a lot of testings and calculation. So it may happen that some very special programs do not work. It is just then to understand why and to patch the right part to be even more compatible. 

Regarding the functions, the emulator intends to allow all the things the original Apple IIgs had, plus some cool features added to make it a better experience. And a lot can still be added ... 

 What will be the future of emulation ? 

Emulators like KEGS-OSX, are just programs made to keep the Apple IIgs computer somehow alive. This is in fact what emulation is about. To allow old softwares to be used again and to keep these old fantastic computers part of our memory. As long as there will be people wishing to remember the good old days, there will be Apple IIgs emulators ...

