
From: "Mike" <moose@move.NOSPAM.to.SPAMMENOT>
Date: Thu, 22 April 2004 17:56
Subject: WTD: Sunracer

These two Public Doman, educational, Solar Car "games" were released for the
Apple ][ back in the late 1980's.

Here's some information about them :

[ ] GM SUNRAYCER (double-sided, Public Domain, ~1987).
In 1987, the General Motors Sunraycer was the winner out of 24 solar
powered cars in a race across the continent of Australia. This program
explains the principles of solar energy and the winning ideas used in
designing the GM Sunraycer. You will also be given the opportunity
to take the controls of the Sunraycer and try to qualify for the
pole position in the race.  This software was made especially for
Primary School students.

[ ] SOLAR RACER CONSTRUCTION KIT (Public Domain, ~1987).
In this simulation, you build and test your own solar racer making the
same types of decisions that the designers of the Sunraycer had to make.
You choose the parts of your car (type of frame, battery/motor, and
solar panel), then try out your racer on one of fourteen available
test tracks in different kinds of weather.  This software was
made especially for Secondary School students.

Unfortunately, these files on Asimov and related mirrors / sites :
- cue c13_gm sunraycer disk 1.zip
- cue c14_gm sunraycer disk 2.zip
- sunrace2.dsk.gz
- sunracer.dsk.gz

contain disk images that appear to be damaged or corrupt - they will not
load or work with the various emulators (Apple PC and AppleWin - I've tried
various versions of each, and various emulation options).  
(In fact, the pairs of zips contain disk images with precisely the same data).

Sadly, there are no text files with these images to indicate who might have
created them, so I cannot follow this up with the person who created them.

I've spent many hours searching the net high and low for working disk
images, and none have been found (yet).

So, if anyone can email me disk images, then that would be very much
appreciated.

Alternatively, if anyone can send me Apple ][ floppy disks containing this
software, then I'll convert it to a disk image using my Apple ][c and upload
them to Asimov - you would need to send the disk images to me in Australia
though - I'd be more than happy to pay for the postage.

Alternatively, the disk images of these disks are apparently on the "The
Open-Apple / A2-Central on CD-ROM" - does anyone have this.  Do the
Sunraycer disk images on this CD work ?  Or are they corrupt as well ?

Failing that, has anyone purchased any software recently from any of these
guys :

Kula Software :
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/kulasoft/education.html

Kagi:
http://order.kagi.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?storeID=ZS3&&

How reliable are they ?

Can anyone help ??

TIA,

Mike "Moose" O'Malley
____________________________________________________
 Moose's Software Valley - Established July, 1996.
 WEB: http://move.to/moose
 Email: moose@move.NOSPAM.to.SPAMMENOT
 (Remove the "NOSPAM." and ".SPAMMENOT" to email me.
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