Information AboutApple Iigs |
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BACKGROUND The IIGS was released in September 1986 . It was intended to compete with personal computers such as the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST at the time of its release and was somewhat popular with schools, but Apple failed to promote and update the IIGS, preferring to focus on the Macintosh instead. The IIGS lacked compelling features over its competitors and increasingly fell behind other personal computers over its lifetime, and Apple ceased production of it in December 1992 . HARDWARE FEATURES The Apple IIGS was an innovative computer with many improvements over the older Apple IIe and Apple IIc . It emulated its predecessors by utilising a custom Chip called the Mega II and used the new Western Design Center 65816 16-bit Microprocessor running at 2.8 MHz , which was faster than the 8-bit 6502 and 65C02 processors used in earlier Apple IIs and also allowed the IIGS to use more RAM . It also included enhanced graphics and sound, which led to its name. The graphics of the IIGS were the best of the Apple II series, with new Super High Resolution (SHR) video modes. These included a 640×200-pixel mode with 2-bit palletized color and a 320×200-pixel mode with 4-bit palletized color, both of which could dip in to a 4,096 color palette. By changing the palette on each scanline, it was possible to display up to 256 colors or more per screen, which was quite commonly seen within game and graphic design software. Audio was generated by a built-in sound and music synthesizer in the form of the Ensoniq Digital Oscillator Chip (DOC), which had its own dedicated RAM and 32 separate channels of sound, which were paired to produce 15 voices, in Stereo audio. The IIGS could support both 5¼-inch and 3½-inch Floppy Disk s and, like the IIe before it, had several expansion slots. These included seven general-purpose expansion slots compatible with those on the Apple II, II+, and IIe, plus a memory expansion slot that could be used to add up to 8 MB of RAM. The IIGS, like the IIc, also had dedicated ports for external devices. These included a port to attach floppy disk drives, two Serial Port s for devices such as Printer s and Modem s (which could also be used to connect to a LocalTalk network), an Apple Desktop Bus port to connect the Keyboard and Mouse , and Composite and RGB video ports. Hardware revisions Although Apple never introduced a substantially enhanced version of the IIGS after its initial release, it did create several slightly revised hardware versions.
Hardware versions from ROM 01 onward display the ROM version at the bottom of the screen when starting up. Graphics modes In addition to supporting all graphics modes of previous Apple II models, the Apple IIGS introduced several new ones through a custom Video Graphics Chip (VGC), all of which used a 12-bit palette for a total of 4096 possible colors, though not all 4096 colors could appear onscreen at the same time.
Each scan line on the screen could independently select either 320- or 640-mode, fill mode (320-mode only), and any of the 16 palettes, allowing graphics modes to be mixed on the screen. This is most often seen in graphics programs where the menu bar is constantly in 640-pixel resolution and the working area's mode can be changed depending on the user's needs. Like other Apple and Mac computers, the IIGS lacked Sprites . Later on, video cards such as Sequential Systems' Second Sight added SVGA modes allowing 24-bit color to the Apple IIGS. Audio features The Apple IIGS' sound was provided by an included Ensoniq ES5503 DOC wavetable sound chip, the same chip used in Ensoniq Mirage and Ensoniq ESQ-1 professional-grade synthesizers. The chip allowed for 32 separate channels of sound, though most software paired them into 16 stereo voices, as did most of the standard tools of the operating system (the MIDISynth Tool Set grouped 4 channels per voice, for a limit of 7-voice audio). The IIGS is often referred to as a ''fifteen''-voice system, though, since one stereo voice is reserved by the OS at all times for timing and system sounds. Software that doesn't use the OS, or uses custom-programmed tools (most games and demos do this), can access the chip directly and take advantage of all 32 voices. A standard 1/8" headphone jack was provided on the back of the case, and standard stereo computer speakers could be attached there. However, it provided only mono sound through this jack, and a third party adapter card was required to produce true two-channel stereo, despite the fact the Ensoniq and virtually all native software produced stereo audio (stereo audio was essentially built-in to the machine, but had to be demultiplexed by third party cards). Expansion capabilities The IIGS was highly expandable. The expansion slots could be used for a variety of purposes, greatly increasing the computer's capabilities. SCSI host adaptors could be used to connect external SCSI devices such as hard drives and CD-ROM drives. Other mass storage devices such as adaptors supporting internal 2.5-inch IDE hard drives could also be used. Another common class of Apple IIGS Expansion Cards was accelerator cards replacing the computer's original processor with a faster one. A variety of other cards were also produced, including ones allowing new technologies such as 10BASE-T Ethernet and CompactFlash cards to be used on the IIGS. Development and codenames Apple's first internal project to develop a next-generation Apple II based on the 65816 was known as the "IIx." The IIx project, though, became bogged down when it attempted to include various coprocessors allowing it to emulate other computer systems. Early samples on the 65816 were also problematic. These problems led to the cancellation of the IIx project, but somewhat later a new project was formed to produce an updated Apple II. This project, which led to the released IIGS, was known by various codenames while the new system was being developed, including "Phoenix," "Rambo," "Gumby," and "Cortland." Influence on later computers The Apple Desktop Bus, which for a long time was the standard for most input peripherals for the Macintosh, first appeared on the Apple IIGS. Though including a professional-grade sound chip in the Apple IIGS was hailed by developers and users both, and hopes were high that it would be added to the Macintosh, it drew a lawsuit by Apple Records . As part of an earlier trademark dispute with the record company, Apple Computer had agreed not to release music-related products. Apple Records considered the inclusion of the Ensoniq chip in the IIGS as a violation of that agreement. Though the IIGS was allowed to keep the Ensoniq, Apple has not included dedicated hardware sound synthesizers in any of its Macintosh models (though of course, third-party products exist). SOFTWARE FEATURES Broadly speaking, software that runs on the Apple IIGS can be divided into two major categories: 8-bit software compatible with earlier Apple II systems such as the IIe and IIc, and 16-bit IIGS-specific software, most of which runs under the Apple IIGS System Software and takes advantage of its advanced features, including a Macintosh-like Graphical User Interface . 8-bit Apple II compatibility The Apple IIGS was almost ''completely'' backward compatible with older Apple II computers, so users wouldn't be left with large libraries of useless software. The IIGS could run all of Apple's earlier Apple II , ProDOS 8, and Apple Pascal . It was also compatible with nearly all 8-bit software running under those systems. Like the Apple II+, IIe, and IIc, the IIGS also included Applesoft BASIC and a monitor (which could be used for very simple assembly language programming) in ROM, so they could be used even with no operating system loaded from disk. Apple IIGS System Software The Apple IIGS System Software utilized a graphical user interface (GUI) very similar to that of the Apple Macintosh and somewhat like GEM for PCs and the operating systems of contemporary Atari and Amiga computers. Initial versions of the System Software were based on the ProDOS 16 operating system, which was based on the original ProDOS operating system for 8-bit Apple II computers. Although it was modified so that 16-bit Apple IIGS software could run on it, ProDOS 16 was written largely in 8-bit code and did not take full advantage of the IIGS's capabilities. Later System Software versions (starting with version 4.0) replaced ProDOS 16 with a new 16-bit operating system known as GS/OS . It better utilized the unique capabilities of the IIGS and included many valuable new features. The Apple IIGS System Software was substantially enhanced and expanded over the years during which it was developed, culminating in its final version, System 6.0.1, which was released in 1993. Graphical user interface The IIGS system software provided a Mouse -driven graphical user interface using concepts such as Window s, menus, and icons. This was implemented by a '"toolbox" of code, some of which resided in the computer's ROM and some of which was loaded from disk. The IIGS GUI was very similar to that of early Macintoshes. One major application could run at a time, although other smaller programs known as Desk Accessories could be used simultaneously. The IIGS had a Finder application very similar to the Macintosh's, which allowed the user to manipulate files and launch applications. By default, the Finder was displayed when the computer started up and whenever the user quit an application that had been started from it, although the startup application could be changed by the user. Extensibility The IIGS System Software could be extended through various mechanisms. New Desk Accessories were small programs ranging from a calculator to simple Word Processor s that could be used while running any standard desktop application. Classic Desk Accessories also served as small programs available while running other applications, but they used the text screen and could be accessed even from non-desktop applications. Control Panels and initialization files were other mechanisms that allowed various functions to be added to the system. Finder Extras permitted new capabilities to be added to the Finder, drivers could be used to support new hardware devices, and users could also add "tools" that provided various functions that other programs could utilize easily. These features could be used to provide features never planned for by the system's designers, such as a TCP/IP stack known as "Marinetti." Multitasking Capability An interesting feature of the IIGS was that multitasking was possible. A UNIX-like multitasking kernel was produced, called GNO/ME, which ran under the GUI and provided preemptive multitasking. In addition, a system called The Manager could be used to make the Finder more like the one on the Macintosh, allowing major software (other than just the "accessory" programs) to run simultaneously through cooperative multitasking. EMULATION It is easy to find emulators for the Apple IIGS as there is a good fan base for it. The website: "The Apple IIGS Gaming Memory Fairway" http://www.whatisthe2gs.apple2.org.za/the_fairway/index.html is a good example for the fan base and a place where you can download an emulator and lots of games. TRIVIA
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