Shareware Solutions II Volume 1 Issue 1 1993 07 Kohn Joe US

Shareware Solutions II An Exciting Apple II Journey Into The Future Volume 1, Issue 1 July, 1993 From the Publisher's Desktop Welcome to the premiere issue of Shareware Solutions II. Although Shareware Solutions II is brand new, Shareware Solutions was born nearly five years ago, when it first appeared as a regular feature column in “The Apple IIGS Buyer’s Guide”. When that magazine went out of business, Shareware Solutions moved to inCider/A+, where it happily resided for almost three years. Being a Contributing Editor to inCider/A+ was very gratifying, and I’m elated and proud of all that I was able to accomplish with my writing. Through the Shareware Solutions column, I was able to promote the use of low cost and free Apple II software, and was able to convince many who had never used freeware or shareware software before to give it a try. With inCider/A+’s Grapevine column, I was able to promote the use of modems and online services, BBS’es and the Internet. I was able to provide an on-going resource guide to those currently using modems, and hopefully provided some incentives and encouragement for Apple II users to purchase modems and to enter the wonderful world of online telecommunications. Through the many hardware and software reviews that appeared in inCider/A+, I hope that I was able to provide Apple II users with thorough and objective evaluations of new products. With many feature length articles in inCider/A+, I tried to offer comphrensive comparisons that would help Apple II users to plan their purchases wisely. Td like to publicly offer a word of thanks to Dan Muse, Paul Statt and Bill Kennedy for giving me the opportunity to write for inCider/A+ and for providing lots of advice, encouragement, support, and friendship. I’m especially thankful to Executive Editor Eileen Terrill, for being there when I needed her, and for being able to figure out what I really meant to say, and could often say it a hundred times better than I ever could have. Td also like to offer thanks to the thousands of inCider/A+ readers who, over the years, sent me letters; your feedback and encouragement was a constant source of inspiration. All things must pass, and now that inCider/A+ has ceased publication, many of the fine traditions started in that magazine will be continued in Shareware Solutions II. Shareware Solutions II will continue to provide timely information about new and classic public domain, freeware and shareware software, and will continue to provide subscribers with low cost access to that software via the mail. Shareware Solutions II will also continue to provide Apple II news, hints, tips, and other general information that should help many Apple II users, educators, and hobbyists to continue using their current Apple II computer systems well into the next century. Thank you for your trust and continued support, and I honestly and truly hope that you find Shareware Solutions II to be a worthwhile, fun, and educational Apple II journal. It’s important for the Shareware Solutions II readership to provide feedback. Please tell me what you like about this newsletter, and what you don’t like about it. Most importantly, if you do like Shareware Solutions II, tell your friends about it, and encourage them to subscribe. Although I feel quite at home with the Apple II computer, using one to desktop publish a newsletter is something entirely new for me. For that reason, Shareware Solutions II will start out as a bi-monthly publication, with the eventual goal of becoming a monthly newsletter. There are sure to be a few unexpected delays, but hopefully, those will be overcome in short order. When Apple Computer Inc first proclaimed “Apple II Forever”, I actually believed them, and have been trying to do my part ever since. With your help and support, you and I, working together, can help to turn that marketing slogan into a reality! The exciting Apple II journey into the future has only just begun! Shareware Solutions IT I Shareware Solutions IT Volume 1, Issue 1 Shareware Solutions II is published bi-monthly by Joe Kohn, 166 Alpine Street, San Rafael, CA 94901. Writer/Publisher: Joe Kohn All contents of Shareware Solutions II copyright (©) 1993 by Joe Kohn. All rights reserved. (Nothing may be re-printed or reproduced, in whole or in part, in any media without the prior written consent from Joe Kohn. Available by subscription only, the North American rate is $25 for a 12 issue subscription; for overseas air mail delivery, the cost for a subscription is $40. Shareware Solutions II comes with a pro-rated money back guarantee. Make all checks or money orders out to Joe Kohn. US Funds Only. Sorry, but no charge cards, purchase orders or COD orders will be accepted. This newsletter was created entirely with an Apple IIGS. All articles written in AppleWorks v3.0. Page Layout prepared in AppleWorks GS. Printing was done on a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet IIP Plus, connected to the IIGS courtesy of Vitesse’s Harmonie. TrueType fonts courtesy of WestCode Software's Pointless. 2 Shareware Solutions IT Grapevine Apple Sales and Repairs In November, 1992, there was a meeting at Apple Computer Inc, at which time Apple made it known that the Apple IIGS was going to be discontinued. That meeting, now known as “Operation Apple Storm”, was attended by the Apple II Product Manager and a number of San Francisco Bay Area Apple II “activists”. At that meeting, John Santoro, the Apple II Product Manager, made it known that Apple was considering some type of Apple II mail in program for sales, service and repairs. Lo and behold, that plan has recently become a reality. In the Summer, 1993 edition of The Apple Catalog (available by calling 1-800-795-1000), Apple is offering the Apple Ile by mail order. An Apple Ile computer is available for $629, and “The Apple Ile System” is available for $1386. Included with the Ile System is the Ile computer, a SuperDrive controller card, an Apple 3.5" SuperDrive disk drive, an Apple Mouse with controller card, and a 13" color composite monitor. AppleWorks v3.0 is being bundled with both offerings. The small print indicates that these offers expire September 30, 1993. Should any Apple II products need repairs, owners can now call 1-800-SOS-APPL (1-800- 767-2775) and choose from three alternatives. The “on- site/in-house service” option will dispatch a service technician to the customer’s location. Apple’s goal is for repairs to be scheduled within 4 hours and completed within 2 business days. This service applies to those who live within 60 miles of an Apple Authorized Service Provider. If on-site repair isn’t an option, Apple will arrange for its “Mail In Service” and will schedule pick up and delivery of the broken product at no charge to the customer. Apple’s goal is for repairs to be completed within three business days from the time of pick up. Apple’s “Carry In Service” will simply inform customers of the location of their local Apple Authorized Service Provider. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Apple actually discourages Apple II owners from taking advantage of this new service. In a phone call placed to 1-800-SOS-APPL, the customer service representative stated that it would actually be less expensive for an Apple II owner to search their local newspaper’s classified ads and purchase a complete used system rather than pay for Apple’s repair. That service representative predicted that a fully configured used Ile system, with monitor and disk drives, would actually cost less than having a Ile motherboard replaced by Apple. Sculley Steps Down Apple Computer Inc. announced on June 18, 1993 that John Sculley is stepping down as Chief Executive Officer so that he can focus on pursuing business opportunities for the company. Sculley, who will remain on as Chairman or the Board, will be succeeded as CEO by Michael Spindler, Apple’s current president and chief operating officer. Burger Bill “Burger Bill” Heineman, the programmer responsible for porting the smash hit game — Out Of This World - to the IIGS, continues to be a very productive IIGS programmer. He is currently working on an update to Vitesse’s Harmonie that will include a IIGS printer driver for Apple’s StyleWriter ink jet printer. Projected to be completed by the Fall, that driver will work with the discontinued StyleWriter I, but not with the newly released StyleWriter II. Beta testers are already reporting that the driver yields much better printed output than the StyleWriter driver that is supplied by Apple as part of System 6 and 6.0.1. Burger Bill also reports that he’s nearing completion of “Mario On Typing” a IIGS typing tutor program that should be ideal for use in the classroom to help teach keyboarding skills. With a projected retail price of $59.95, it’s expected that Mario On Typing will be available from Big Red Computer Club on or about September 1, 1993. Lastly, Burger Bill’s GS/OS version of Ultima I may have finally found a publisher and may soon be available from Big Red Computer Club. Wanting to see if it could be done, Bill disassembled the old classic Ultima I game, and created a totally new updated IIGS version of the game, complete with stunning super hi res graphics and a_ beautiful sounding SynthLab musical soundtrack. First shown to the world at the 1992 KansasFest convention, the IIGS version of Ultima I dazzled all who saw it. Unfortunately, Origin Systems was not eager to license Ultima I for sale to the [IGS community, but after nearly a year of legal wranglings and negotiations, the ink is almost dry on the contract. Stay tuned for details. The FTA A major Apple IIGS mystery has been solved. The author of the IIGS freeware Super Mario like game, Wonder Bulla in Terrific Land, is none other than Mr Z, former associate member of the FTA. Speaking of the FTA, the founder and former president of that France based programming group, Olivier Goguel, sends greetings to the Apple II community from Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, where he is currently studying English at the University. Easter Eggs Apple II programmers love to insert hidden messages, often referred to as Easter Eggs, into their software. A recent Apple IIGS freeware music utility created by Dave Tribby, WaveLab, has an interesting Easter Egg that can be activated by holding down the Open-Apple key while accessing the About option found under the Apple Pull Down Menu. In what looks like a wall covered with graffiti, there’s a cryptic message that says: “Joe - Find any Easter Eggs?” Writers have also been known to insert Easter Eggs into their articles. In the June, 1993 issue of inCider/A+, take a look at page 15. Above the description of ShadowWrite, a IIGS freeware word processing New Desk Accessory, there’s a screen shot displaying a IIGS Finder Desktop. Right in the center of that screen shot is a small graphic of a woman that the author of the article wanted to honor. Hard Drive Repairs Should your hard disk drive develop problems, chances are very high that Larry Beyer can fix it. Larry will work on any Apple II hard drive, but specializes in fixing hard drives that no other technician will touch. Whether you have a broken ProAPP, a failed Profile, a dead Inner Drive, or any other inoperative hard drive, contact Larry by telephone between the hours of 9:30AM and 1PM Central Time. Larry is very knowledgeable, and can sometimes even perform hardware diagnostics and quick fixes over the phone. As an example, a member of my local user group accidentally formatted his hard drive, and over the telephone, Larry was able to provide easy to understand instructions that allowed 98% of all the data to be retrieved. Contact: Larry Beyer B & D Computer Repair 6115 S. Massasoit Ave. Chicago, IL 60638 312-735-9010 Making IIGS Music The premiere Apple IIGS shareware music program, SoundSmith, has just gotten a whole lot easier to master thanks to two Canadian SoundSmith enthusiasts —- Gareth Jones and Alan Crout. Although neither are affiliated with Huibert Aalbers, the Shareware Solutions II 3 programmer who created SoundSmith, both are very well versed in all the ins and outs of using SoundSmith to create beautiful sounding music, and they are sharing their expertise in the form of a $15 (or $17 Canadian) booklet entitled “Exploring SoundSmith”. This 76 page booklet is well written and informative, and was created and printed using an Apple IIGS. With lots of hints and tips, screen shots, and an appendix that describes many other Apple IIGS shareware and freeware SoundSmith enhancements and _ utilities, “Exploring SoundSmith” is an excellent starting off point for aspiring computer musicians. You can get a copy of “Exploring SoundSmith” by sending a check or money order to either of the two authors. Contact: Gareth Jones #1, 3872 Sunset St Burnaby, B.C. CANADA V5G 1T3 or Allan Crout 102 - 215 Mowat St New Westminster, B.C. CANADA V3M 4B1 OCR ona Ile WestCode Software recently upgraded InWords, their popular Optical Character Recognition software that allows Apple II owners to use their hand held scanners to scan words from the printed page. Several users of Apple Ile computers that had RamWorks cards installed reported problems with InWords 1.1 that resulted in system crashes. Before you could say the words 4 Shareware Solutions IT “optical character recognition software”, WestCode released a free update, InWords 1.1.1, that is available upon request to all Tle users experiencing problems with the RamWorks memory cards. If you are a Ile user and a registered owner of InWords 1.1, contact: WestCode Software 15050 Ave of Science, Suite 112 San Diego, CA 92128 619-487-9200 Quadriga Quadriga is the code name for a major new software product due to be released by Quality Computers. Tentatively titled “The Works 4.0”, this product was designed to be what AppleWorks 4.0 could have been if Claris was still active in the Apple II world. Quadriga’s product manager is Randy Brandt, one of the authors of AppleWorks 3.0, and his chief programmer is Dan Verkade of DoubleData, ReportWriter, and SuperForms fame. Randy refers to Quadriga as “The Mother of All Patch Disks”. The Quadriga feature list is incomplete at press time, but there are enhancements planned for all modules. Tentatively planned for an October 1, 1993 release, Quadriga will have TimeOut and Init Manager already built- in. There will be three smoothly integrated desktops allowing up to 36 files on the desktop, three separate clipboards with one for each module, and each clipboard will be fully editable. There will be mouse support, an on-screen clock will be included, and HP DeskJet support will be built- in. There will be an auto-save feature and a screen blanker will be included. In the Word Processor module, there will be split screen editing, a glossary feature that allows easy formatted input from data base files, and an improved mail merge. In the Data Base module, the number of categories per record will be increased from 30 to 60, and the number of characters per category increased from 1024 to 2560. In the Spreadsheet module, the current column’s width will be displayed on screen, functions will be selected from a pop-up list during formula entry, date formatting will allow date math, and a “3D” feature allows spreadsheets to access other spreadsheets. Randy Brandt plans to unveil Quadriga at this summer’s Apple II Developer Conference in Kansas City. More details to follow next issue. Logo Update Logo, a graphic oriented computer language for children, is in wide spread use in classrooms around the world, and computer using educators should be thrilled to learn of a new non-profit organization that publishes a new newsletter that promotes and supports Logo. The 16 page Logo Update publication provides information about Logo User Groups, Logo conferences, Logo books and resources, and even contains sample Logo code. Published three times a year, a subscription to the Logo Update is available for free. Contact: Logo Foundation 250 West 57th St New York, NY 10107-2603 212-765-4918 A Very Special Offer In the press release announcing this newsletter, a very bold statement was made that promised subscribers would get more byte for their buck. That was not just an empty promise. In the first of many special offers that will be offered to subscribers, Seven Hills Software has agreed to offer subscribers a special discount of nearly 50% on all the Apple TIGS software they distribute. To take advantage of the special Shareware Solutions pricing, just contact Seven Hills and identify yourself as a subscriber to this newsletter. They will then extend to you the following pricing: TITLE PRICE Disk Access v1.0 $25 Drive Cleaner GS v1.0 $21 Express v2.0 $25 Font Factory GS v2.0 $20 Formulate v1.0 $25 GraphieWriter III v1.1 $65 Independence v1.1 $20 Kangaroo v1.3 $25 ShoeBox v1.1 $30 SuperConvert v3.0 $20 The Manager v1.0 $40 TransProg III v1.1 $20 For orders that are shipped within the United States, there will be an additional charge of $3.50 per order for shipping and handling. For orders that are shipped outside the United States, Seven Hills will offer to ship your package using any method of your choosing, and will then add the exact amount of that shipping charge. For orders within the United States, Seven Hills will accept payment by check, money order or credit card. For orders outside the United States, Seven Hills will only accept a credit card for payment. For more information, contact: Seven Hills Software 2310 Oxford Road Tallahassee, FL 32304 904-575-0566 (Voice) 904-575-2015 (Fax) America Online, AppleLink or GEnie address is: SevenHills CompuServe address _ is: 75300,1743 This offer is only available to subscribers. ‘ Modem Madness Watergate Revisited If you have an interest in politics, and you’re old enough to remember the Watergate scandal, you might want to have your modem dial The Pinnacle BBS at 703-620-9881 in Virginia. That’s the online home of the G. Gordon Liddy Radio Show Forum. Heated political discussions seem to be the order of the day on this BBS that is devoted to, and visited by, the most infamous of all the Watergate Plumbers. Proline Novice Manual Morgan Davis’ Apple II based Proline Bulletin Board System is a networkable BBS that links more than 100 systems together and provides a way for users to send and receive Internet email and to partake in Usenet newsgroups. Although Proline is menu driven, some of the more sophisticated aspects of using a networked BBS that’s connected to the Internet can be confusing to first time and novice callers. It was for that reason that Michael Porter wrote “The Proline User’s Guide” a 50 page manual that provides a detailed overview of Proline that answers just about every question a new Proline user could ever possibly have. Pricing had not been finalized at press time, but Michael Porter expects it will be in the $10 to $12 range. For more information, contact: Michael Porter 231 E San Fernando St #4 San Jose, CA 95112 408-288-8937 TIC Tech Support Don Elton, the author of the Talk Is Cheap (TIC) telecommunications program is now offering technical support via the Internet. Dr Elton provides this technical support through what is known on the Internet as a “mailing list”. If you have access to Internet email and would like to subscribe to the TIC mailing list, send your request via email to: pro-tic@pro-carolina.oau.org Dr Elton recently informed Shareware Solutions II 5 mailing list subscribers that he is currently working on an update that will include VT-100 terminal emulation. Now that TIC is no longer actively marketed by Quality Computers, Don Elton is considering, once again, making updates available to registered owners via modem. Online Price Wars A price war has broken out among all of the major online information networks, making it more affordable than ever for Apple II owners to enter the wonderful new world of online telecommunications. Here’s a brief run down of current charges: America Online has recently instituted a new fixed monthly rate of $9.95, which includes access to all of America Online’s services for 5 hours each month. Long distance surcharges, if applicable, are still in effect. After the first five hours spent online during any particular month, additional time will be charged at $3.50 per hour. Additionally, America Online is dropping its surcharge for daytime usage. Contact: Quantum Computer Services 8619 Westwood Center Dr. Vienna, VA. 22182 1-800-827-6364 CompuServe’s Standard Pricing Plan costs $8.95 per month and includes unlimited connect time to such services as news, sports, weather, online shopping, online reference libraries, online databases, stock quotes, online games, electronic mail, and travel and leisure information. Visiting any of the computer forums, including the Apple II area, costs an additional $6 per 6 Shareware Solutions IT hour if accessing at 300 baud, $8 per hour if accessing at 1200 or 2400 baud, and $16 per hour if accessing at 9600 baud. Contact: CompuServe PO Box 20212 Columbus, OH 43220 1-800-848-8199 Delphi, although one of the oldest online services, has never really been that popular within the Apple II community, but that’s about to change. Delphi has recently added over 5,000 Apple II files to their Applesig download library, offers full access to the Internet, and has some very attractive pricing. Currently, Delphi offers two pricing plans; both plans are valid only for night or weekend access. The 10/4 Plan costs $10 per month and includes 4 hours of use each month. Additional use is $4 per hour. The 20/20 Advantage Plan costs $20 per month and includes 20 hours of use each month. Additional use is $4 per hour. Full access to the Internet is available for an additional $3 per Contact: month. General Videotex Corporation 1030 Massachusetts Avenue Fourth Floor Cambridge, MA 02138 1-800-695-4005 GEnie has recently instituted a new fixed monthly rate of $8.95, which includes four hours of nighttime or weekend online connect time access. After those four hours are used up, additional use is $3 per hour. Daytime use of GEnie carries a $9.50 per hour surcharge, and there is a $6 per hour surcharge for 9600 baud access. Contact: GE Information Services 401 N. Washington St. Rockville, MD 20850 1-800-638-9636 Save Money on GEnie When using any of the commercial online services, subscribers are charged by the amount of time they spend online. In order to help users get online and offline in the shortest amount of time possible, a number off-line message handlers have been developed for use on CompuServe and GEnie. They allow subscribers to completely automate their online sessions so that they can quickly retrieve electronic mail and forum messages, and allows them to respond to those letters or messages off-line, when the clock is no longer ticking. In an effort to make GEnie’s Apple II Round Table Area (A2) more attractive, the A2 staff has recently purchased the rights to two full featured shareware off- line processors and made them available as freeware. Using an off-line processor insulates a subscriber from ever having to use a GEnie menu, and thereby grants even a novice complete control over the system. It also helps to cut down enormously on online connect charges. Co-Pilot, by Ken Gluckman, requires an Apple IIGS and either Point To Point, ProTerm, or Talk Is Cheap. While all those programs are ProDOS 8 based, Co-Pilot is a GS/OS program that acts as a “front end” to the other programs. All messages are read or prepared using the built-in super hi res word processor. You just choose with your mouse what you want to do while online and where you want to go, and Co-Pilot will take you there, quickly and efficiently. Co-Pilot is available for downloading from the A2 library as file #20878. GEM, by Tom Hoover, is an AppleWorks Classic based program that serves as a “front end” to Point To Point, ProTerm, or Talk Is Cheap. GEM, which works with Apple Ile, IIe or IIGS systems, requires Appleworks v3.0 and a minimum of 512K of RAM memory. A hard drive is strongly recommended, but it will work if you have a 3.5" disk drive. If using GEM, you'll even be able to spell check your out- going email by using AppleWorks built-in spell checker. GEM is available for downloading from the A2 library as file #20978. In a mutual effort to “support those who support the Apple II’, the A2 Sysop (System Operator), Dean Esmay, has given Shareware Solutions II permission to make a package containing both off-line GEnie message handlers available to subscribers. They come with complete documentation and both programs are available on one 3.5" disk. "Offline Genie" is available from Shareware Solutions II for $5. Once you're connected to GEnie, stop by A2’s Bulletin Board, Category 28, one of the current online homes of Shareware Solutions II, and say hello. Lost Classics Revisited Last year, GEnie’s A2 librarian, Tim Tobin, stunned the Apple II world when he was able to get a number of formerly commercial Apple II software titles to be re-released as freeware. That first round of Lost Classic releases included such big sellers from the early 1980’s as AppleWriter, Raster Blaster, and Electric Duet. The latest round of Lost Classics has just been released; this time though, all the work was done by A2’s companion forum, A2Pro. A2Pro, which is shorthand for Apple II Programmer’s Forum, is currently headed by someone who probably knows as much about programming the Apple II as anyone, Matt Deatherage, a long time Apple employee who works in Apple’s Developer Technical Support department. Appropriately enough, the latest batch of Lost Classics should be of great interest to programmers. A2Pro has obtained the exclusive rights to distribute the articles and source code from the classic hacker journal “Apple Assembly Line,” written and published by Bob Sander- Cederlof. All 92 issues of the magazine, dating from October, 1980 to May, 1988 are currently being made available in A2Pro’s download library. If you want to learn how to program an Apple II computer in assembly language, this is great stuff you can’t afford to miss. A2Pro has also been given the exclusive rights to distribute all twenty issues of 8/16-Central, the disk-based programming journal of a few years back that was published by Resource Central and edited by Jay Jennings. This newer magazine on disk includes numerous articles on animation, high-level language programming on the Apple IIGS, and other current Apple Ile/IIe and Apple IIGS programming topics. These two journals together represent over twelve years of accumulated Apple II programming knowledge and, due to copyrights, you won't find them on any other online service or bulletin board. Signature GS Patch If you've recently purchased Seven Hills’ “The Manager” or Procyon's “Switch-It” GS/OS multi-tasking utility systems, you should be aware that a problem exists running either of those when Quality Computer's Signature GS is installed. There is, however, a new patch available online, named Sigma, that allows Signature to co- exist peacefully with those two utilities. It can be downloaded from the new files area on America Online's Utilities forum or from GEnie's A2 Library where it is located as file #20979. At press time, Quality Computers was only making the Sigma patch available for downloading via modem, but at some later date, it should be available to all registered Signature GS owners. Online Addresses If you’d like to contact Shareware Solutions II by email, it’s easy. If you have an account on America Online or The Well, direct your email to joko. If you have an account on CompuServe, direct your email to 76702,565. If you have an account on GEnie, direct your email to J.KOHN. If you’re on the Internet or have access to an Internet mail gateway, you can direct your email to 76702.565@compuserve.com, to joko@well.sf.ca.us, or direct it to joko@aol.com. Shareware Solutions IT 7 Apple Expo West Wandering down the aisles at the Apple Expo West, an Apple II consumer trade show held in San Francisco in late April, one notable cliche kept springing to mind: “history repeats itself”. Held at Brooks Hall, the same facility that housed the very first West Coast Computer Faire where the Apple II was first introduced in 1977, comparisons to Steve Wozniak were evident everywhere this show attendee turned. Wozniak, who created the machine that changed our lives 16 years ago, built the first Apple II in a garage, made millions of dollars, and became a legend in his own time. As evidenced at Apple Expo West, the Apple II marketplace has come full circle, and we are seeing a return to the garage. Gone are the large companies; they’ve been replaced by teenagers and young adults, by hackers and aspiring engineers, and it was at Apple Expo West that we got to meet many of these dining room table designers and new garage entrepreneurs who are now writing the software that we use and are building the hardware peripherals that we'll soon be plugging into our Apple II's. Some in attendance may have felt a bit of the dreaded doom and gloom because a lot of large companies, like Apple and Broderbund, Claris and Applied Engineering, were noticeably absent from Apple Expo West. Many of us, however, are simply ecstatic about the recent turn of events in the Apple II world. Many of us are actually thrilled that we can now buy affordable software and hardware, and some of us even like the idea of sixteen or seventeen year olds 8 Shareware Solutions IT owning companies that produce great Apple II software. Relative to AppleFests of the past, Apple Expo West was sparsely attended; there were only 5,300 paid admissions. As at many trade shows, there were bargains galore, lots of fascinating panel discussions, and a sense of camaraderie and excitement. There were some companies we’d never heard of before who were showing off new Apple II equipment and there were the old stalwart companies that have supported the Apple II for years. There were many grandmothers in attendance, and there quite a few young children strolling the aisles. The five thousand show goers came with a sense of apprehension, not knowing what to expect, but many of them left with shopping bags filled with new Apple II hardware and software, and with a sense of renewed hope. Those that attended Apple Expo West were treated to a Sweet Sixteen party that was invigorating, fun and exciting. As show goers entered the underground facility, the first booth they saw was for “Mac Computing”, the new monthly magazine published by A+ Publishing. A+ is, of course, the division of IDG Publishing that produced inCider/A+ magazine for more than 10 years. They were passing out copies of both Mac Computing and inCider/A+, but it should have been obvious to all just where the future would lead A+ Publishing. On the bright side, had A+ Publishing continued to show the same zeal and relish for the Apple II as it showed for the Macintosh, you wouldn’t be reading Shareware Solutions II today. Near the entrance was Alltech Electronics (602 Garrison St, Oceanside, CA 92054. 619-721- 7733), a California company that specializes in selling hard to find, older and rare, Apple II peripherals and accessories. Between the brand new ADB trackballs and the $19.95 IIGS carrying cases was the most famous and fabled of all Apple IIGS computers: Tony Diaz’es portable IIGS. Tony created his masterpiece by gutting an Otrono 15 pound IBM portable. Inside went a IIGS ROM03 motherboard, a ZIP GS accelerator board and a 40 megabyte hard drive. Seeing a IIGS portable with a 5" amber screen was quite a thrill for everyone who stopped by the Alltech booth. Located on the next aisle was The Apple Resource Center (ARC, 1014 Central Ave, Tracy, CA 95376. 209-832-4300). Although relatively unknown, The ARC buys and sells used Apple equipment, offers relatively inexpensive Apple II repairs though the mail, and are a source for many Apple II component parts that are not readily available anywhere else. The ARC is capable of performing diagnostics to the chip level, so they can often fix a broken computer by replacing a single chip. Of special interest was an item for IIc owners, called the Video 7 Grayscale Enhancer. If you have a IIc connected to a monochrome monitor, you'll want to get one of these $15 video enhancers, as it will greatly improve the resolution of your monitor. In addition, the ARC had Star Trek mouse pads, used 80 column cards, 5.25" disk drives, and complete Apple II computer systems for sale. Looking at the ARC booth was in some ways akin to visiting a museum dedicated to the Apple II. Both Alltech and The ARC are committed to the Apple II computer and are a great source of new and used peripherals, parts and software. Next time youre looking for Apple II equipment, keep both of them in mind. Because they both purchase equipment from liquidators and Apple dealers who are going out of business, they might not always have the exact item you want in stock, but could have it just a few days later. The Bay Area Apple User Group, a San Francisco based Apple II user group, is an organization that was started by Ernie Moore with the express goal of bringing AppleFest back to San Francisco. In many ways, Ernie got his wish, but it was a bittersweet victory. It was Ernie who arranged and set-up the now infamous “Operation Apple Storm” meeting held in November, 1992 that was attended by the Apple II Product Manager and several Apple II “activists”. It was at that meeting that the demise of the Apple IIGS was first announced by Apple. Due to the fact that Ernie Moore surreptitiously taped that meeting, the BAAUG became the first user group in Apple’s history to have their official status revoked. Although the BAAUG is the only Apple II user group in a city of 750,000, it seems as if the revocation of their status dealt the final death blow to the group. Although they were not soliciting new members, BAAUG let Paul Parkhurst (Parkhurst Micro Products, 2491 San Ramon Valley Dr, Ste 1-317, San Ramon, CA 94583. 510-837-9098) share the booth in order to publicize the newly updated telecommunication’s program — ANSITerm v2.0. ANSITerm v2.0 is a IIGS terminal program with lots of bells and whistles that in some ways resembles a color version of ProTerm. ANSITerm allows TIGS modem users to dial into IBM based Bulletin Board Systems and view the online color ANSI graphics, and it does quite a nice job displaying them. Additionally, it has many other features including a powerful editor, a complete macro language, VT-100 terminal emulation and an enormous scrollback buffer. It’s lovely to look at, and it works very well. Big Red Computer Club (423 Norfolk St, Norfolk, NE 68701. 402-379-4680) had a small booth that was chock filled with new Apple II software titles. BRCC, which started out as an Apple II User Group, had a change of focus about two years ago, and is now the largest publisher of Apple II software in existence. They now publish nearly 200 software titles, with some of their games available for as little as $10. Of special interest was an all-new updated JIGS version of the classic animation construction set FantaVision, and their new TIGS Lost Treasures of Infocom set of 20 classic adventure games in one package. BRCC had so much software for sale at phenomenal prices that it was difficult to wade through the crowd to get to see BRCC’s table. They did have bargains galore, and if you’ve never seen one of BRCC’s software catalogs, you owe it to yourself to contact them and request that free catalog. DigiSoft Innovations (PO Box 380, Trumbull, CT 06611. 203- 375-0837) shared a booth with Lunar Productions (1808 Michael Dr, Waukesha, WI 53186. 414-549-9261), and both groups had new and innovative Apple IIGS software for sale. DigiSoft, a company owned entirely by Jim Maricondo, a 17 year old high school student, produces Twilight II, a most amazing Apple IIGS screen blanker, while Lunar Productions produces IIGS tools and utilities for programmers and “power users”. Twilight II displays some incredibly dazzling animated special effects during a user defined period of keyboard inactivity. Twilight II serves two purposes: it prevents phosphor burn, and it displays awesome impressive animated graphics. Phosphor burn is a real problem for computer monitors that are left on all the time. Sooner or later, what’s displayed on screen will become indelibly etched onto the screen. Many computer users think phosphor burn is the invention of some marketing hype, but just visit a video arcade and look at the screen on an older game, and you'll see words permanently etched onto the screen. Twilight II, often referred to as T2, solves the problem of phosphor burn. So would turning off your computer monitor, but that’s not too much fun. T2 works with GS/OS software and with ProDOS 8 software, and includes 40 breathtaking animations that are beautiful and elegant works of animated art. Right after T2 came out, I contacted Jim Maricondo, and wrote: “who needs the FTA when we have DigiSoft”? If you want a screen blanker that will knock your socks off, Twilight II is it. Shareware Solutions IT 9 Sharing the booth was Mark Wolfgram of Lunar Productions, showing off their flagship product - Foundation. Mainly for programmers, Foundation is a Resource Editor. Since System 5.0, Resources have made programming easier, because things like pull down menus do not need to be programmed from scratch. Using a Resource Editor, it’s easy to create or to change the words that are displayed in a pull down menu, or to change words contained, as an example, in an “About This Program” menu option. Not for the feint of heart or for novices, Foundation is a very powerful tool for IIGS programmers. DreamWorld Software (PO Box 830, Iowa City, IA 52244) was displaying their two products, DreamGrafix and DuelTris. DreamGrafix is a full featured IIGS Paint Program that does everything all other IIGS Paint programs do, plus has the distinction of being the only paint program in existence that allows users to create or edit IIGS graphics that contain 3,200 different colors. Graphics with that many colors can best be described as photo-realistic. The other IIGS Dreamworld product must surely have the distinction of being the only shareware game ever displayed at a large Apple II trade show. DuelTris is a phenomenal one or two player Tetris style game, where players manipulate falling blocks to create solid rows. Dreamworld has released several different versions of DuelTris; the shareware version, which is available from Shareware Solutions II, contains the full game but lacks a high score module. Upon payment of a $15 shareware fee, registered owners receive a new 10 Shareware Solutions IT version that saves high scores to disk. Upon payment of a $20 shareware fee, registered owners receive the same new version that saves high scores to disk, plus a jewel case that’s similar to the cases that hold Compact Disks. In all versions, game play is stellar, and I have gone on record calling DuelTris one of the best Apple IIGS shareware games ever released! Econ Technology (99 N. Central Ave, Suite B, Oviedo, FL 32765. 407-365-4209), a two year old Apple II company, had a booth displaying a slew of new Apple JIGS hardware and software products. They were exhibiting their Pegasus series of internal hard disk drives for the IIGS, a series of SCSI based drives with a capacity ranging from 42 megabytes all the way up to a staggering 525 megabytes. Econ also displayed their brand new SoundMeister stereo amplifier and digitizer and their new DigitalSession software, which combined, allows IIGS owners to digitally record and edit stereo sounds from television, radio or directly from a stereo system. On the software side, Econ was showing off AutoArk, a utility that compresses disk files, effectively giving a 20 megabyte hard drive the capacity to store 30 or 35 megabytes of data. They were also exhibiting Universe Master, a GS/OS desktop based disk management system, that among other things, allows users to recover damaged files. In between talking to Fest attendees about their own products, D. Proni, the owner of Econ, found some time to discuss the Signature GS software that he designed for Quality Computers, and hinted that he was also working on software for Quality that would allow IIGS owners to use Fax/Modems to send and receive Fax transmissions. The National AppleWorks User Group (Box 87453, Canton, MI 48187. 313-454-1115) had a booth that was staffed by local San Francisco Bay Area members of NAUG. Ten times per year, NAUG publishes The AppleWorks Forum, a 32 page newsletter that is devoted to AppleWorks Classic. The newsletter is filled with articles that generally teach and inspire AppleWorks users into using their favorite program for new and extraordinary purposes. As a daily user of AppleWorks, I often think “I didn’t know I could do that with AppleWorks” after digesting each issue of the AppleWorks Forum. NAUG also maintains a huge library of AppleWorks related public domain, freeware and shareware disks. NAUG’s 60 page public domain catalog is a must-have resource for anyone using AppleWorks. Parsons Engineering (5010 Rimhurst Ave, Covina, CA 91724. 909-394-0025) is a brand new company producing hardware for the Apple II, but their chief software designer is none other than Bill Heineman. Parsons offered Expo attendees a first look at their brand new Focus Hard Cards and at their low cost IIGS RAM expansion card. Available in either 40 or 80 megabyte capacity, the Focus Hard card is completely self contained on an interface card that fits into a slot on either a Ile or IIGS system. The card itself is quite thin, and it does not interfere with any other slot based interface cards. They even come with operating system software on them, so that they are essentially “plug and play”. The 40 megabyte version was offered at $299.95 and the 80 megabyte was offered for $399.95. If you don’t yet have a hard disk connected to your Apple Ile or IIGS, you might want to consider contacting Parsons Engineering. Parsons Engineering also proved that this is the year of the low cost RAM expansion card, as they were offering a 4 megabyte RAM card for the IIGS for only $124.95. If you own a IIGS with only 1 megabyte of memory, now’s the time to think about getting more memory, because your IGS will behave much much better the more memory it has available. RezTek (2301 Cotton St, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. 707-573-9257) was displaying a most remarkable Apple IIGS hardware product that many had heard rumors of, but virtually no one had ever seen before. Under development for several years by Bill St Pierre, RezTek’s legendary TurboRez GS is a IIGS video enhancer that adds three new super hi resolution video modes to a JIGS, giving it stunning new graphic capabilities. The TurboRez provides the IIGS with the ability to display graphics with 256 colors per scanline at any one time, out of a total palette range of 1/4 million colors. The demos that were running on the TurboRez were simply astonishing, and the prototypes of the software that will be provided with the TurboRez were astounding. Projected to cost $300, the TurboRez will breath new life into the IIGS, and open up new vistas for computer using artists and programmers. Unfortunately, the TurboRez has been under development for nearly 4 years, and is not quite ready yet. If and when it is available for sale, it’s going to generate quite a lot of excitement. Come to think about it, it already generated a lot of excitement at Apple Expo West! Quality Computers (20200 Nine Mile Road, St Clair Shores, MI 48080. 313-774-7200, 800-777- 3642) the huge Apple II mail order company, software publisher and magazine publisher had the largest booth at Apple Expo West, but they didn’t seem to have quite as many products for sale as they had at previous Apple II trade shows. They caused quite a stir nonetheless, as they gave away thousands of copies of their new II Alive magazine, giving many Expo goers their first exposure to the last of the 8-color glossy Apple II magazines. Quality plans to send out a video to all II Alive subscribers, and they were busy interviewing every Apple II developer they could. Tm certainly looking forward to seeing that tape. You already have a subscription to II Alive, don’t you? Roger Wagner Publishing (1050 Pioneer Way, Suite P, El Cajon, CA 92020. 619-442-0522, 800- 421-6526), whose HyperStudio is the premiere IIGS hypermedia authoring system, caused quite a commotion with the first public demonstration of the Macintosh version of HyperStudio. Just like its IIGS counterpart, Mac HyperStudio provides non-programmers with an elegant yet easy to use system to create interactive software that can contain and combine text, graphics, sounds, animations, video or music. Both versions are so easy to use that many of the demos running throughout the weekend were actually created by 7-10 year olds. If you’ve never seen HyperStudio for the IIGS, you owe it to yourself to contact Roger Wagner Publishing, and to order their 10 disk “HyperStudio Demo Kit and Resource Guide”, available for only $10. If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine what 10 disks can do? It has the potential to change your life! Resource Central (PO Box 11250, Overland Park, KS 66207. 913-469-6502) is, in many ways, an Apple II publishing empire. It also serves as a clearing house for virtually all Apple II books, and has become the distributor of all the Apple II technical and programming resources formerly available from the Apple Programmers and Developers Association (APDA). Resource Central also publishes the highly respected Apple II Journal “A2-Central” as well as several disk based magazines; one dedicated to HyperStudio (Studio City), one dedicated to HyperCardGS (Script Central), and one dedicated to AppleWorks and UltraMacros (TimeOut Central). As if that weren’t enough, Resource Central also manages the A2 Round Table area on the GEnie information online network, and also sponsors the annual KansasFest Apple II developer's conference. Resource Central’s flagship publication, A2-Central, has been published monthly since January, 1985. Unfortunately, after Apple Expo West Shareware Solutions IT v0 concluded, the decision was made to cease publication of the paper based version of the newsletter, but to continue on with the disk based version. In a special offer to readers of Shareware Solutions, all 8.5 years of back issues are available, in a bound volume, for only $29.95, which includes shipping anywhere in the world. To take advantage of that special offer, contact Resource Central and identify yourself as a Shareware Solutions subscriber. You won’t be disappointed. Sequential Systems (1200 Diamond Circle, Lafayette, CO 80025. 303-666-4549, 800-999- 1717) has been producing hardware for the Apple II since 1984, but until the past year was relatively unknown to the general Apple II community. Then, they released a dependable 4 Megabyte IIGS RAM expansion card that sells for less than $150, and now are the talk of the town. With more than 20 low cost products, including RAM cards for the IIc, ImageWriter network compatible buffers, 80 column cards for the Ile, and hard disk drives for the IIc, Sequential seems to cover all the bases with affordable products. Seven Hills Software (2310 Oxford Road, Tallahassee, FL 32304. 904-575-0566), is one of the largest publishers of IIGS software, and they were at Apple Expo West talking up their latest products: The Manager, a very slick IIGS multi-tasking utility that allows users to have several different IIGS programs open simultaneously in Finder desktop windows, allowing them to easily switch back and 12 Shareware Solutions IT forth between them; and Spectrum, their soon to be released JIGS telecomm software that is being touted as the next generation of terminal software with every bell and whistle known. The Manager is currently available, but Spectrum has suffered from numerous delays, and is not expected to be completed until at least August. Of course, Seven Hills was answering questions about GraphicWriter, Kangaroo, TransProg and other software that they publish, but it was clear that it was The Manager and Spectrum that they were most excited about. Softdisk Publishing (PO Box 30008, Shreveport, LA 71130- 0008. 318-221-2173) has been publishing an Apple II disk based publication for the past 11 years, and an Apple IIGS disk based publication for nearly 4 years. In both versions, Softdisk includes a good mix of software, including games, utilities, graphics, productivity and educational programs. For the past 2 years, each issue of Softdisk G-S has even carried a review written by yours truly. At Apple Expo West, Softdisk was showing off their latest monthly IIGS disk which contains Rescue Rover, a wild new arcade game by Bill Heineman, and were also passing out their latest catalog, which lists the contents of all back issues. Looking through that catalog, it was amazing to see the number of formerly commercial games from the mid 1980’s that had been licensed by Softdisk. Softdisk is a great source for new Apple II and TIGS software, and I’d probably say that even if I hadn’t been involved with them for the past two years. Vitesse (PO Box 929, La Puente, CA 91747-0929. 800-777-7344, 818-813-1270) had just released a IIGS printer driver for the Hewlett-Packard 500c color ink jet printer, and it seemed as if most show attendees who stopped by the Vitesse booth had a question or two about using the Harmonie printer drivers with Hewlett-Packard brand printers. This show attendee was much more interested in getting some official confirmation to the rumor that Vitesse would be releasing some type of hardware enhancement that would turn the hand held Quickie grayscale scanner into a scanner capable of saving color images. A Vitesse representative confirmed that there were plans to offer Quickie owners a low cost add-on, available for about $25, that would allow color photographs to be scanned and saved to disk with all their glorious colors intact. The proposed add-on would actually be a set of three color filters that would require the Quickie scanner to be passed over an image three times. It was anticipated that these filters would be available sometime during the summer. Stay tuned for further details. If you missed Apple Expo West, you can always attend Apple Expo East, scheduled to be held in Boston, October 1-3, 1993. To my understanding, Boston in October is beautiful, with the Autumn leaves changing colors and lobster season in full swing. Perhaps the Red Sox will even be in the pennant race then. If you go to Boston, maybe we'll even have a chance to meet at Apple Expo East, and get to talk about the glorious future of the Apple II. A First Look: IIGS System 6.0.1 With none of the fanfare usually accorded the release of a new version of IIGS System Software, System 6.0.1 has arrived, nearly eleven months after it was announced at the 1992 Apple II Developer’s Conference. Like System 6.0, System 6.0.1 is supplied on six 3.5" disks, and it is recommended that it be used on systems that have 2 megabytes or more of RAM memory. Although it can be run on systems that only have 3.5" disk drives, a hard drive is required to use all of the various components of System 6.0.1. Although many of us never encountered them, there were nearly 150 problems in System 6.0 that have been fixed. Much more than just a “bug fix”, System 6.0.1 includes many new features; some of the changes are merely cosmetic, while others add to the functionality of GS/OS and to the Finder. Many of the changes are documented in Teach word processing files included on the System Tools 2 disk. At the top of the new feature list is the new MS-DOS File System Translator (FST). Just as System 6.0’s Mac FST allows disks formatted on a Macintosh to be read on a IIGS, the MS- DOS FST allows some disks formatted on IBM or clone computers to be recognized by the IIGS Finder. The FST is read-only, a one way street that allows certain MS-DOS disks to be read by the IIGS, but the IIGS cannot save data or files to those disks. Due to the differences in disk formats, not all of us will be able to use the MS-DOS FST, as it requires certain hardware that most IIGS owners do not have. In order to use the MS-DOS FST, you'll need to have either a SuperDrive connected to a SuperDrive Controller Card, a Floptical disk drive connected to a RAMFast, or a removable Syquest cartridge system connected to a RAMFast. With the supported hardware, it is now possible for those who work on MS-DOS computers during the day to take work home from the office, and complete the work on the IIGS. Once System 6.0.1 is installed, certain changes will be noticeable before the Finder even appears. If you have Initialization files installed that display their own “boot icons”, all of them will now be displayed, rather than just one line of icons. That is just a cosmetic change, but there is another new startup option that is just incredibly useful. When System 6.0.1 first starts up, if you hold down the “8” key, ProDOS-8 will load instead of GS/OS. That makes it much quicker and more convenient to run ProDOS-8 based software without having to wait for GS/OS to load. Other enhancements to System 6.0.1 include a brand new driver for /RAM5 that makes using a RAM disk much faster than ever before, a removal of the 128K file size limit that the Teach word processor used to have, a beefed up clipboard that now allows digitized sound files to be cut and pasted and even played back from the clipboard, and keyboard navigation that allows Finder windows to be used and manipulated from the keyboard. System 6.0.1 includes lots of additions that make using the Finder more efficient. If you have Finder windows set up to display files in a “list view”, rather than displaying files by their icons, you can now click on the words Name, Size, Kind, or Last Modified in a window’s menu bar, and the Finder will instantly change the way the files are listed. Copying a feature from the Macintosh Finder, System 6.0.1 includes “magic routing”, an enhancement that allows Fonts, Desk Accessories, and Inits to be dragged to the System folder, where they will be “magically routed” to the correct subdirectory within the System folder. Unfortunately, that feature does not work properly. Several of the Apple IIGS Software Engineers that created System 6.0.1 had dragged their System folders onto the Finder Desktop, and hadn’t tested to make sure that magic routing worked when the System folder hadn’t been dragged on to the Finder Desktop. The Icon for the System folder under System 6.0.1 is a white folder with a multi-colored Apple. When an Init or DA file is dragged to the System folder, that folder will turn yellow. When it is yellow, no additional files will be routed to the correct sub-directory. However, if you close the Window to your main directory, the white folder with the Apple will re-appear, and magic routing will work again. If you use this feature, please be aware of the limitations, and check your System folder to ascertain whether files are stored in the correct location. Or, you can always drag your System folder to your Finder Desktop. Another small problem that some are experiencing after Shareware Solutions IT 13 installing System 6.0.1 is seeing an error message during GS/OS startup that says “AppleTalk Not Connected” and then the system just stops loading. Apparently, some updates from System 6 that are generated by using the Installer’s Easy Update option also install AppleTalk related files. It’s advised, therefore, that if you don’t have an AppleTalk network set up to take a precaution, after the Easy Update is finished, by clicking on the Installer’s Custom option, and then Remove all AppleTalk and AppleShare related files. Unfortunately, when new versions of the IIGS System Software are released, there are bound to be a few problems with older software. So far, the incompatibility reports are few and far between, and the biggest problem concerns WestCode Software’s Pointless. WestCode has been informed of the problem and is trying to determine why the problem is occurring, but in the meanwhile, offers a work around solution. If you have Pointless and System 6.0.1, when you go to access the Choose Font pull down menu item that’s displayed in word processing programs, your system will freeze. WestCode has determined that the problem will not manifest itself if, for every TrueType font you have installed, you also have a bit mapped font installed. That’s an easy enough solution to deal with. Just before installing System 6.0.1, go to the Pointless Control Panel, and save each one of your TrueType fonts as a bit mapped font. A 1 point bit mapped font will be sufficient, and each one of those only takes up 2K of disk space. Minor problems have also been reported with Quality Computer’s Six Pack set of System 6.0 enhancements. Cdev Alias no longer works, and the Menu Bar Alarm Clock still works as a clock, but when calling up the Alarm Clock NDA, the window is blank. The author of Six Pack promises a quick fix for registered owners. As System 6.0.1 arrived just before press time, there just was not enough time to permit a complete evaluation. The above comments are presented as an advisory of known problems, and are not meant to scare anyone from using System 6.0.1. So far, despite the relatively minor problems encountered, System 6.0.1 seems to be a major update to GS/OS that adds many new features and fixes many minor problems with System 6.0. As has happened with every IIGS System Disk ever released, we find that some older programs “break”, but so far, those have been few and far between, and the programmers of the problematic software have been informed of the anomolies, and promise to fix those problems. Although System 6.0.1 will be a subject covered in detail in future issues, if you’d like to try System 6.0.1, Apple Computer Inc has authorized Shareware Solutions II to distribute it to subscribers of this newsletter. To get System 6.0.1, send $15 to Shareware Solutions ($3 extra for overseas delivery), and you'll be able to see for yourself if the long wait for System 6.0.1 was worth it. Customized Icons and If you use System 6.0 or 6.0.1 on a IIGS, have you ever run an application program only to find out that it overrode and replaced all your custom icons? If so, welcome to rIcons, the new type of Finder Icon introduced with System 6. rlIcons are stored in the resource fork of an application, and once an application with rlcons is launched, those rlIcons are copied to the invisible Desktop 14 Shareware Solutions IT file in the Icons folder, and the Desktop file’s Icons will always take precedence over your old System 5 style icons. What’s a IIGS user, who has lots of System 5 style Finder Icons, to do? According to GEnie’s A2 Icon expert, Lunatic, a Resource Editor such as Foundation will allow you to modify or delete rIcons. Bryan Pietrzak of System 6 Softdisk feels, and I agree, that the average IIGS user doesn’t want to buy a resource editor just to change icons. Pietrzak hints that rlcon editors may exist in the near future, but until they do, there are two work around solutions that can be achieved using freeware and shareware utilities. The first suggestion, according to Lunatic, is to bypass launching applications with rIcons directly from the Finder. He suggests using QuickLaunch, a freeware utility from Seven Hills Software. QuickLaunch is a Finder Extra that let’s you launch programs from a Finder Pull Down Menu. Rick Millus offers another alternative using George Wilde’s $20 shareware program UtilityWorks. The following may sound a little confusing, but it really is a very straightforward operation, and it works just fine. If you don’t like being forced to use other people’s icons, try out Rick’s method. Rick advises to first go to the Finder’s Special Menu, and look under the Preferences option. One of the options is to “Hide Invisible Files”; change that to show invisible files, and then open the Icon folder and drag the Desktop file to the Trashcan, and empty the trash. He then suggests making a backup copy of an application that contains rIcons; you'll know if a program has rlcons if, upon launching it, you see the thermometer bar and the message “Updating Desktop File”. Next, make sure that the icons you want to use are contained in a single icon file. That can be done using the shareware Icon editors - DicEd or IconEd. Then, launch UtilityWorks and _ choose “Create rBundle” from the Edit menu. Find the copy of the application program in the Edit rBundle window and choose it. A dialog will come up saying that the program already has an rBundle. Delete it. Next you will be asked for the icon file you wish to use for your rBundle. Double click on your own icon file. The Edit rBundle screen shows the first icon, both large and small. Click on the arrow keys to move to each icon within the icon file. Leave the first row of buttons set at “Owns File”. When you come to one that you want to add, click the “Add to rBundle” to add the displayed icon to your new rBundle. When you have added all the icons you want, click on “OK”. Quit UtilityWorks and launch the application by double clicking on it’s icon from the Finder. Finder will copy your new rBundle to the Desktop file and launch the program. At this point you can quit the program and get rid of your old icon file. Finder will not bother you again with the Desktop file dialog and your custom icons will be shown. Then delete the modified application program and copy the saved original version back to your hard drive. When Finder checks the rBundle of the original application program and compares it to the Desktop file, it will be satisfied. Thanks Rick for that very useful advice. UtilityWorks is, in general, a very useful desktop based integrated set of GS/OS utility programs. It requires a IIGS with at least 1.25 megabytes of RAM, and System 6.0. Among some of UtilityWorks’ many features includes a_ built-in word processor that can load in Text, Teach, WordPerfect, AppleWorks or AppleWorksGS files. It can display just about any type of IIGS graphic including GIF graphics. It can display $C2 animations. It has a filetype changer, and can catalog and print out the contents of all your disks. It can display information about your TIGS system, which helps when trying to describe your problems to a tech support person. It can display and print the contents of any font file, including Bit Mapped and TrueType fonts. It can back up your hard drive. It can bulk format disks en masse. It can be used as a mouse driven editor for AppleSoft BASIC programs, and much more. UtilityWorks comes with complete documentation that, if printed out, would be over 100 pages. As an example of just how useful UtilityWorks can be, I used it to retrieve all the data from a 100 page AppleWorks GS word processing file that had somehow gotten corrupted. When the file was loaded into AppleWorks GS, a “Fatal System Error” message was displayed, but UtilityWorks loaded it right in, and allowed me to save the file as an ASCII document. NOTE: UtilityWorks is available from the Shareware Solutions Disk Library for $5 for the two disk set. It is also included on the 5 disk set “Enriching System 6” that includes numerous utilities, including QuickLaunch, that will change the way you use the Finder. Enriching System 6 is $15. Add $3 for overseas delivery. The two icon editors mentioned above are available on the “Icons, Icons, Icons” collection of icons, icon editors, and icon utilities. The Icon disk is $5. If you'd prefer to get UtilityWorks from the author, send him $28, and you'll get two disks and a nice looking manual. His address is : George Wilde, 24402 Broadwell Ave, Harbor City, CA 90710. « Shareware Solutions IT I5 About the Shareware Solutions Library For the past 18 months, readers of inCider/A+ have been able to order disks from The Shareware Solutions Disk Library. That library is currently being made available to subscribers of Shareware Solutions II. There are four types of software available from the library: Apple System Software, Public Domain Software, Freeware and Shareware. Shareware Solutions has a license with Apple Computer Inc to distribute disks of their copyrighted software, including the ProDOS System Software for Apple Ile and IIc computers, and GS/OS, the Operating System for the IIGS. That license only applies to the software; no written documentation is provided with Apple System Software. Public Domain software is provided with “no strings attached”. It is not copyrighted, and there are no restrictions placed upon it. You can freely modify the software, incorporate it into another program, or do whatever you want with it. You'll know if a program is public domain if there is not a copyright notice when you first run it. Freeware Software is similar to public domain software, but with one major difference; freeware is copyrighted by the author of the software. In essence, the author grants Shareware Solutions a license to distribute freeware, and gives you a license to freely use it. Shareware software is copyrighted, and when you first run a shareware program, you'll see a notice that says that you're free to try out the software for a limited period of time, and at the end of that trial period, you’re asked to send a shareware fee directly to the author of the software. In most cases, that fee is just $5 or $10. Upon payment of that fee, some shareware authors may send you a note of thanks, some may send you printed documentation, some may send you a disk with other software on it, and some may send you nothing. Shareware Software is “honor system software”. You are not obligated to pay shareware fees if you don’t like the software, or if it doesn’t work quite right on your system. But, if you do like a shareware program and continue to use it after the limited trial period, please send the shareware fee to the author of the software. The fees charged by Shareware Solutions for these disks is just a shipping and handling fee, to cover the costs incurred to acquire the software and to cover the cost of disks, mailers, and postage. You are still obligated to pay shareware fees. Shareware Solutions believes in providing just as much software as possible on each disk, and in providing instructions and in making each disk easy to use. All software has been screened to make sure it works and that it is free of any type of computer virus. Due to the many models of Apple II computers, and due to the many different configurations of RAM memory, Shareware Solutions cannot guarantee that all software will work on all computers. Where there are special requirements, they are generally noted. Some programs require a joystick, some require large amounts of RAM memory, and some may not work with Apple II “clones”. Software for He, IIc and IIGS Apple II System Disk v4.0.1: For 128K Enhanced Ile, IIc, IIc+. Latest System Disk and System Utilities. Specify 5.25" or 3.5". $5. Make The Switch Ile: This collection of programs allows you to download, via modem, some Mac and MS-DOS graphics and text files and convert them for use on your Apple II. Please specify 5.25" or 3.5" disk. $5. 16 Shareware Solutions IT Summer Fun I: This is a huge collection of more than 40 ProDOS-8 based games. There are a number of “clone” games on this disk; games that look and play just like the kind at your local arcade (Q*bert, Tetris). This is a “Best of ProDOS games” collection, as there’s incredible variety and a little bit of everything. Summer Fun I is supplied on 3.5" disk, or 5.25" disks; please specify with your order. $5. High Stakes: This is a collection of ProDOS-8 based card games for Ile, IIc, or IGS computers. Available in 3.5" or 5.25" disk format. Please specify disk size. $5. French Connection: This is a double sided 5.25" disk containing 2 of the best “clone” games ever released for the Apple II. Tetris 2 is a Tetris “clone” with 10 more levels than the original game, and Flobynoid is a “clone” of the smash hit Arkanoid. Both fast action arcade games work on Tle, IIc, or IIGS computers, and require a joystick. A 5.25" disk drive is also required. (Not compatible with Laser 128) $5. Crossword Assistant: Create beautiful looking crossword puzzles on an ImageWriter II. Freeware. Works with 128K Enhanced IIe, IIc, IIc+ and IIgs. Available on 3.5" or 5.25" disk. Please specify. $5 Space Wars II: Games for Enhanced 128K Apple Ile, IIc, IIc+ or IIGS. Includes the freeware Star Trek: First Contact strategy game, and three colorful shareware arcade shoot ’em up games: Battle Zone, Creature Features, and Ship Zone. Available on 3.5" or 5.25" disk. Please specify. $5 AppleWriter: The first of The Lost Classics to be re-released as Freeware. This is a powerful word processing program for Apple Ile, IIc and IIGS computers. Includes an online Help system, but no documentation. Available on either 5.25" or 3.5" disk. Please specify. $5. Lost Classic Games: This 5.25" double sided disk includes 2 great Lost Classic games from the early 1980’s. Mystery House was the very first hi-res adventure game ever created by Sierra Online. Raster Blaster is Bill Budge’s incredible game of pinball that looks and plays just like the real thing. A joystick is required. This disk will work with any Ile, IIe or IIGS computer. $5 Lost Classic Music: A freeware Lost Classic from Paul Lutus, this is a fun music program dating from the early 1980’s. If you have a Ile or IIc, this disk ought to bring a great big smile to your face. Use it to listen to a dozen “pre-recorded songs” or use it to create your own. 5.25" disk only. $5. DB Master v5: This database program for the Ile, IIc, or IIGS used to cost over $200, but is now available as shareware. Without a doubt, this is the most powerful database system ever developed for the Apple II family. Includes sample database files and documentation. Specify 3.5" or 5.25" disks. Requires one 3.5" disk drive or two 5.25" disk drives! $5 Command.Com: This is a ProDOS-8 shell that simulates the command line interface of MS-DOS. It can be used by people who already know how to use IBM computers, and it will give them total command of ProDOS. Because of its built in Help system, it can also be useful to those who want to learn about MS-DOS, but don’t want to buy an IBM or clone. The shareware fee has been dropped to only $20. No documentation. Command.Com works with 128K IIe, IIc and IIGS computers. Available on either 5.25" or 3.5" disk. Please specify. Requires one 3.5" disk drive or two 5.25" disk drives! $5. Apple II History: A fascinating 23 chapter electronic book that details the history of the Apple II family of computers. Available on either 3.5" or 5.25" disk. $5. Defender: One of the all-time great Apple II freeware shoot ’em up arcade games. A joystick is required. Available on 5.25" disk only. $5. Legends of the Three Kingdons: A wild and wacky swords and sorcery adventure game. Supplied on two double sided 5.25" disks. $5. Balloon’s Software Math Games: Supplied on a double sided 5.25" disk only, this disk contains Mental Arithmetic Games, and Numbers Games #1. $5. Newton’s Apple: Six 5.25" disks filled with high quality educational freeware. Subject areas include: Bridges and Tension, The Effects of Cocaine, Probability, Mirrors, Inertia, Neon Lights, and Tooth Decay. Since the Newton’s Apple series is appropriate for classroom use, all six Newton’s Apple disks are available in a special low-cost package of six 5.25" disks, available for only $15. IIGS System Software IIGS System Disk 6.0.1: Recently released 6 disk set. $15. (Add $3 for overseas postage) TIGS System Disk 5.04: This 2 disk set allows IIGS users with just 1 Megabyte of RAM to run GS/OS and use most of the JIGS software available in the Shareware Solutions Disk Library. $5 for both disks. Shareware Solutions IT I7 Software for the IIGS Way Cool GS: A fun collection of Desk Accessories and Initialization files that allows you to customize the way your IIGS desktop looks, feels and operates. This disk was compiled prior to the release of System 6.0, but 95% of the programs still work just fine with System 6.0. Requires System 5.0.4 or later. A hard drive is recommended, but not required. $5. Make The Switch GS: This collection of programs allows you to download, via modem, some Mac and MS-DOS text files. graphics, digitized sound files, and icons, and convert them for use on your IGS. $5. Summer Fun II: This is a 3 disk collection of some wonderful Apple IIGS software. It includes Baseball Trivia, FTA Beyond Fun (A tetris-like game), CompuTix, Mah Jongg, Floor Tiles, Quintette, Space Whiskey, XPurpose and the FTA’s Blue Helmet. Two disk drives, or a hard drive, are recommended but not required. 1.25 megabytes of RAM and System 5.0.4 or later is required. $10 for the 3 disk set. (Add $2 for overseas delivery) Bouncin’Ferno I: This is a IIGS Marble Madness type of game from the FTA. It is incomplete, but it is still quite playable and quite enjoyable. Comes with 4 playable levels, and includes an Editor to create your own new levels. $5. Bouncin’Ferno 2: The long- awaited follow up to the FTA’s great IIGS game. This disk contains the two Grand Prize winners of the contests sponsored by inCider/A+. Bouncin’Ferno 2 is a GS/OS program that is hard drive 18 Shareware Solutions IT installable. It includes music, new levels to play, great graphics, and is compatible with the game levels included with the original game. Requires a [IGS with 1 megabyte of RAM memory. $5. The Last Word: A collection of the best GS/OS freeware and shareware word processing programs, including several True Type Fonts (you must own WestCode Software's Pointless to use TrueType fonts). Includes standalone word processors and New Desk Accessory word processors. $5. Royal Flush GS: The ultimate collection of IIGS card games. Includes virtually every high quality IIGS shareware card game ever created. 3 disk collection. $10. (Add $2 for oveseas delivery) Enriching System 6: A 5 disk collection of enhancements for the Apple IIGS. Requires System 6 or later. Included are Desk Accessories, Finder Extras, Initialization Files, System 6 Utilities, Patches and Fixes for several System 6 “bugs”, rSounds for the Sound Control Panel, UtilityWorks, Documentation and complete Instructions. With Enriching System 6, you'll be able to store and run DOS 3.3 software from any hard disk drive, listen to music from the Finder, view graphics by double clicking on them, view text files by double clicking on them, add musical soundtracks to any GS/OS program, quit from one program to another bypassing the Finder, automatically blank your screen to prevent phosphor burn in, launch programs from the Finder with a single keystroke, install Desk Accessories, Inits and Finder Extras “on the fly”. And, much much more. 2 Megabytes of RAM and a hard disk drive is recommended. $15. (Add $3 for overseas delivery) Sensei GS: The ultimate IIGS Karate game, with beautiful graphics, great music, and wild sound effects. Requires IIGS with 768K of RAM memory and a joystick. $5. Print Shop GS Graphics: A collection of 250 general purpose color images for use with The Print Shop GS. Includes ShowPic, a New Desk Accessory, that will allow you to view all the graphics in slide-show fashion. Requires Print Shop GS. $5. Who Am I?: An interactive history lesson about famous 19th century people. Includes a dozen scanned photographs by Civil War era protographer Matthew Brady. This is a HyperStudio based hypermedia program, but you don’t even need to own HyperStudio to run it; just startup the disk. Requires IGS with 1 megabyte of RAM memory. $5. Space Cluster GS: A super Galaxian like shoot ’em up fast action arcade game with music and sounds. A joystick is recommended. Requires a IIGS with 1 Megabyte of RAM. $5. Solarian GS: An addicting shareware super Space Invaders game with digitized sounds, great graphics and nonstop action. Requires IIGS with 1 megabyte of RAM. $5 Space Wars GS: Includes a Space Invaders game, a Missile Attack game, and Space Arrow. A little arcade shoot ’em up fun combined with a little strategy. Requires a IIGS with 1 megabyte of RAM . $5. Tetris Potpourri GS: Included on one 3.5" disk are the FTA’s Beyond Columns, MultiTris NDA, Quadomino NDA, 3-D Tris, and Antetris. This is not a startup disk; System 5.0.4 or later is required. Available for $5. Columns GS: Kenrick Mock’s wonderful and challenging $10 shareware Tetris game that’s complete with a musical soundtrack. Requires 1 Megabyte of RAM and System 5.0.4 or later. $5. GS <-> IRC: A three part animated freeware demo that includes DuoTris. Can be played against another player. Requires System 6.0 and 1.25 megabytes of RAM. Available for $5. VIAD (Vocabulary In All Directions): A fabulous $10 Shareware Tetris variation with stunning animations, music, and challenging game play. Each falling block contains letters, and you'll try to form words from the falling blocks. Supplied on two 3.5" disks. Requires System 6.0 and 1.25 megabytes of RAM memory. Available for $7. Add $2 for overseas delivery. DuelTris: This might very well be the best Apple IIGS game ever released. It’s one or two player Tetris, playable against another person or against the IIGS. Beautiful graphics, music and game play. Upon payment of the shareware fee to the author of the program, you'll receive a newer version that lets you save high scores. Requires System 6.0 and 1.25 megabytes of RAM. $5. Music GS: A 5 disk collection that contains all the latest generation of IIGS music programs, including Sound Smith, NoiseTracker (by the FTA), soniqTracker, and MODZap. It also contains System 6 Finder Extensions that allow you to play back SoundSmith songs or synthLAB songs, just by double clicking on the song files. There are also utilities, such as AudioZap, that will allow you to extract instrument files from SoundSmith songs and there is a sampling of great sounding pre-recorded SoundSmith, MOD and NoiseTracker songs. $15. Add $3 for overseas delivery. The Wall: A 3 song sampler from Pink Floyd’s The Wall, complete with animation. Requires System 5.0.4 or later. Bulla 1: One of the FTA’s last works, this 8 part demo disk contains animations, music, and source code for the incomplete Bulla game. qeanites 1 megabyte of RAM. 5. Freeware Fun GS: Includes Bulla 2 - two different Mario Bros style games, SpyHunter GS - a phenomenal freeware car racing game, and Bowling GS - a great IIGS bowling simulation. All freeware; all fun! Requires 1 megabyte of RAM and a joystick. $5. Strategy GS: Nine wonderful TIGS strategy games, including Amazing, Ant War, Bomb, Brain Teaser, Dr Mario, PlasmaLab, Rubik Cube GS, Shove It, and Yahtzee. Requires at least 1 megabyte of RAM and System 5.0.4 or later. $5. Pente GS: Kenrick Mock’s latest and greatest shareware challenge, Pente is a super hi res board game based on the ancient game of GO. Played on a grid, you and your computer opponent try to place 5 pieces in a row. Complete with beautiful graphics, music and sound effects. Requires System 6.0 and 1.25 megabytes of RAM. $5. Plotting - Once thought to be written by the FTA, Plotting is an incredible $25 shareware IIGS strategy arcade game. In one or two player mode, the goal is to eliminate blocks from a pile by shooting at them with similarly marked blocks. Remove all the blocks and move up to the next challenging level. Includes a level editor and has a two player timed tournament mode. Complete with music and amusing animations. $5. Virtual Art Gallery is a mind boggling futuristic freeware IIGS graphics display program. It works with any standard IIGS graphic file, and converts graphics to grayscale and displays them as if they were hanging on a wall in a multi- dimensional kinetic maze. More than 20 NASA space age graphics also included on disk. System 5.0.4 or later required. 1 Megabyte of RAM required; 2 megabytes and an accelerator recommended. $5. Ordering Disks When ordering disks, please specify all disks by name, and indicate whether you want 5.25" or 3.5" disks. Some software for the Ile and IIc is only available on 5.25" disks. GS software on 3.5" only. Payment by check or money order, US Funds only. Payable to Joe Kohn, send to 166 Alpine St, San Rafael, CA 94901. USA Shareware Solutions IT 19 hl i il Wh al i tT mr I lh i Ht ih ue ANNI IIa —— at i" |) Any q ast ant Joe Kohn Shareware Solutions I 166 Alpine Street San Rafael, CA 94901 FIRST CLASS — AIR MAIL