As followers of my del.icio.us links may have noticed, there was a hysterically funny tutorial on using the Apple //e as a serial console making the rounds a few weeks ago. It was from this tutorial that I learned about ADTPro, a kick-ass modern copy program for the Apple //e (not to be confused with classic copy programs for the Apple //e). What can you say — in 2007 — about actively developed, GPL-licensed software for the Apple //e? It rocks my world. It’s so actively developed, there has actually been a minor update since I last installed it. (Sadly, there is no apt-get for the Apple //e.)
Anyway, once I dug my Apple //e out of my attic and bought a bunch of Apple //e hardware and waited and waited and installed it and configured the dip switches properly… seriously, what can you say, in 2007, about configuring dip switches on a serial board plugged into slot 2 of the computer you grew up with? I’m as giddy as a schoolboy. What was I saying? I have no idea.
This: I have backed up my Apple //e disks. Mostly DOS 3.3 and Apple Pascal disks, since the ProDOS ones were mostly just AppleWorks documents which I transferred to 400K 3.5″ floppy disks, and later 800K floppy disks, which I later converted to disk images on an pre-iMac Macintosh (i.e. one with a floppy drive). I repeat: I have backed up my Apple //e disks. I’ve been meaning to do this for about 25 years now, and now I’ve done it. And to verify them, I’ve successfully installed KEGS and booted the disk images that I transferred from my Apple //e.
Other than the stupid text adventures, silly graphic effects, and volumes of bad poetry and short stories, there might be something in that collection worth publishing.
I think the modern world has a fair grip, still. Either that, or my C64 was really missing out :)
Comment by Robin — Monday, August 20, 2007 @ 9:37 pm
I did this myself about five years ago, without ADTpro. I loaded AppleShare on a Mac IIci, booted my IIgs over a serial cable with AppleTalk into ProDOS, and was able to see my IIci hard drive just fine from the IIgs. From there, I ran a disk imaging program (I forget which) and saved the output on the IIci.
For those wanting to try this at home, I think it’s worth mentioning that I spent my Apple ][ career on a ][+ running DOS 3.3, but the IIgs running ProDOS is able to read and manipulate these disks just fine.
Frightening to think that a decade of my Apple ][+ time, a shoebox filled with 5-1/4" disks, weighs in at just under 5 megabytes.
Comment by Jeff — Tuesday, August 21, 2007 @ 10:10 am