[HEA]    _____________________   ___                                   _    |___   ______________| |   |                                 | |        |  | _             |   |                                 | |        |  || |            |   |                                 | |        |  || |            |   |                                 | |        |  || |            |   |   ____ _   _ _   _   ______     | |        |  || |            |   |  / __ \ | | / \_/ \  | ___ \    | |        |  || |__   ____   |   | / /  \  | |  /\ /\ \ | |  \ \   | |        |  ||  _ \ |  _ \  |   | \ \__/  | | | |_|| | | |__/ /   | |        |  || | | || |_||  |   |  \___/|_| |_|    |_| | ____/    |_|        |  || | | || |__   |   |____________________  | |         _        |__||_| |_|\____/  |________________________| | |        |_|                                                      | |         Lighting Your Apple II Path                  | |                                                      |_|-----------------------------------                       >>> WELCOME TO THE LAMP! <<<                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~           THE BEST OF THE A2 BULLETIN BOARD ON Syndicomm Online          AND THE BEST OF THE DELPHI A2 AND A2PRO MESSAGE BOARDS           "Teaching the Apple II user how to fish since 1998" :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The Lamp!            An Onipa'a Software Production        Vol. 7, No. 4 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Publisher................................Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. Editor.....................................................Lyle Syverson Internet Email, Publisher.........................thelamp@sheppyware.net Internet Email, Editor................................lyle@FoxValley.net ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::                            TABLE OF CONTENTS                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                             April 15, 2004HIGH ABOVE THE ROCK RIVER---------------------------------------------[OPN]     Lively Discussions     In the Future for the Apple II'sA2 FORUM AT Syndicomm Online (A2Central.com) DISTILLATIONS------------[DAS]     What Would You Call a New Apple II Print Publication?------------[NAP]     Morgan Davis Chat Very Successful--------------------------------[MDS]     Morgan Davis Chat Transcript in A2 Library-----------------------[MDC]     About the Acronym "URL"------------------------------------------[URL]     About the Acronym "DVD"------------------------------------------[DVD]     The Game "Archon"------------------------------------------------[TGA]     Port These Game Engines to the IIgs?-----------------------------[PGE]     Online Guides for Classic Apple Games----------------------------[OGA]     Monitors With the Apple II's-------------------------------------[MA2]     ifconfig Available-----------------------------------------------[ICA]     Juiced.GS - The Movie :) ----------------------------------------[JTM]     Pre-KansasFest Issue of Juiced.GS in Production------------------[PKJ]     Individual Issues of Softdisk G-S Now Available------------------[SDG]     The KEGS Emulator------------------------------------------------[TKE]FEATURED THIS MONTH---------------------------------------------------[FTM]     The Computer as an Object of Learning: Time for Something New          By Greg HedgerILLUMINATING THE LAMP-------------------------------------------------[ITL]     An overview of GEnieLamp A2 and The Lamp!          This series will continue next monthANNOUNCEMENTS FROM SYNDICOMM------------------------------------------[ANS]     To Sign up for Syndicomm Online----------------------------------[TSU]     Announcement System Updated--------------------------------------[ASU]     Syndicommotion for April 2004 released---------------------------[SAR]LETTERS TO THE EDITOR-------------------------------------------------[LTE]     No Letters to the Editor This Month     An InvitationKFEST 2004------------------------------------------------------------[KFF]     KansasFest 2004--------------------------------------------------[KF4]     Registration is Now Open for KFest 2004--------------------------[KFR]EXTRA INNINGS     About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN]                                [*] [*] [*]READING THE LAMP!   The index system used by The Lamp! is designed to make"""""""""""""""""   your reading easier.  To use this system, load thisissue into any word processor or text editor.  In the index you will findsomething like:EXTRA INNINGS     About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN]To read this article, simply use your search or find command to locate[INN].  There is a similar tag at the end of each article: [EOA].[OPN]-------------------------------         HIGH ABOVE THE ROCK RIVER |------------------------------------From The Editor"""""""""""""""by Lyle Syverson <lyle@FoxValley.net>                            Lively Discussions                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     High Above The Rock River, the Community Room serves as a setting formany meetings, both formal and informal.  When two or more people gettogether there will be conversation... sometimes this leads to a livelydiscussion.  Once in awhile someone will change or modify their opinion.More often, all of the participants will maintain their opinions.  Yet,there is a feeling of satisfaction at having been a part of the discussion.     Would you like to have a chance to express your opinion on some aspectof the past, present, or future of the Apple II computers?  Send a LetterTo The Editor of _The Lamp!_  See the LETTERS TO THE EDITOR section fordetails.     Would you like to have the chance to enter into Lively Discussionsface to face with other Apple II enthusiasts?  See the KFest section ofthis issue to learn how you can arrange to attend KFest this year.                     In the Future for the Apple II's                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     In this issue we feature an article by Greg Hedger.  He lives in St.Louis.  He developed Adventure Alive, Artillery King, and is working onAA2.  He tells us where he has been with the Apple II's and what he wouldlike to see in the future for the Apple II's.[EOA]ASCII ART BEGINS_________  _                     _                                      _|__   __| | |                   | |                                    | |   | |    | |                   | |                                    | |   | |    | |___     ____       | |       _____   __ ___ _   _ _____   | |   | |    | ___ \   / __ \      | |      /____ \  | v   v | | v ___ \  | |   | |    | |  | | | /__\ \     | |       ____| | | /\ /\ | |  /   \ \ | |   | |    | |  | | | _____|     | |      / ___  | | || || | | |    | | |_|   | |    | |  | | | |_____     | |____  | |__| | | || || | |  \___/ /  _   |_|    |_|  |_| \______|     |______| \____^_| |_||_||_| | |\____/  |_|                                                            | |                                                            | |                                                            |_|ASCII ART ENDS[EOA][DAS]----------------------------------------------DISTILLATIONS FROM The A2 FORUM at Syndicomm.com  |                                  (A2Central.com) |---------------------------------------------------by Lyle Syverson <lyle@foxvalley.net>[NAP]WHAT WOULD YOU CALL A NEW Apple II PRINT PUBLICATION?"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""If you were starting a new Apple II print publication, what would you callit?(No use of the word "Apple" in the name, please)RyanChief Sysop(A2.RYAN, Cat 2, Top 8, Msg 479)>>>>>"""""An 8-bit, 16-bit or both type of publication? Mark Percival - Apprentice Delivered by Spectrum v2.5.3 & SOAR v1.0b11 The Apple ][ Fanatic and Wednesday Night RTC Host "Midweek Madness!" from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Pacific Time(MARK, Cat 2, Top 8, Msg 480)>>>>>"""""Both 8-bit and 16-bit.Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.comOwner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com                     Building communities, bit by bit.(SYNDICOMM, Cat 2, Top 8, Msg 481)>>>>>"""""How about "Return to Eden"(MARGARET, Cat 2, Top 8, Msg 483)>>>>>"""""How about "Retro II"?Kim(KIMHOWE, Cat 2, Top 8, Msg 484)>>>>>"""""Hmmm, how about:II the FutureBack II the FutureHarvest IIAndy(AWMOLLOY, Cat 2, Top 8, Msg 486)[EOA][MDS]Morgan Davis CHAT VERY SUCCESSFUL"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""I wanted to thank Carl and Sheppy and the rest of the Chat crew for makingthe Morgan Davis Chat so successful.I'm heartbroken that I was unable to make it.  Warning:  Don't say "We'rehaving problems with our upstream provider" in my presence and you won'tfeel my fingers around your throat.  B-{)We have a transcript though, and while it's not the same as being there, itmakes for very interesting reading.  Editing looks to be minimal, so itshould be in our libraries soon.I'm still trying to contact future guests with mixed results, but if youhave an Apple II celebrity you'd like to meet online, please feel free tomake suggestions.  Contact information is handy if you have it.  B-{)Once again, thanks and see you in Chat!KirkA2Central.com RTC Manager(A2.KIRK, Cat 2, Top 8, Msg 489)[EOA][MDC]Morgan Davis CHAT TRANSCRIPT IN A2 LIBRARY""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""We have a new upload in the a2central.com_archives/Chat_Transcriptsdirectory:File: MorganDavis.03272004.txtSize: 36037Date: Apr 03Enjoy an evening with Morgan Davis, programmer of such wonders as ProLineBBS and MD-Basic.  One of Apple II's pioneers, Morgan introduced many AppleII users to the Internet and Usenet through his BBS network and proves tobe an extraordinary chat!Uploaded by Kirk Mitchell.Tony Ward, A2 Librarian(A2.TONY, Cat 2, Top 37, Msg 28)[EOA][URL]ABOUT THE ACRONYM "URL""""""""""""""""""""""""I always thought URL was an acronym for Universal Resource Locator.  TodayI read that the 'U' stands for Uniform.  Have I been horribly misguided allthese years?-Ken(KGAGNE, Cat 11, Top 11, Msg 73)>>>>>"""""Ken,I punched URL into OmniDictionary on the Powerbook and got the following...From WordNet (r) 2.0:URLn : the address of a web page on the world wide web [syn: uniform resourcelocator, universal resource locator]From Jargon File (4.3.0, 30 APR 2001):URL /U-R-L/ or /erl/ n. Uniform Resource Locator, an address widget thatidentifies a document or resource on the World Wide Web. This entry is hereprimarily to record the fact that the term is commonly pronounced both/erl/, and /U-R-L/ (the latter predominates in more formal contexts).From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03):URLUniform Resource LocatorFrom Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (Version 1.9, June 2002):URLUniform Resource Locator (WWW, RFC 1738)It looks like there were more votes for "Uniform", but it seems more thanjust you thought it was Universal.DainWith Help from OmniDictionary(A2.DAIN, Cat 11, Top 11, Msg 74)>>>>>"""""It is officially Uniform Resource Locator; this is the first time I'veheard anyone call it anything else. :)Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.comOwner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com                     Building communities, bit by bit.(SYNDICOMM, Cat 11, Top 11, Msg 75)>>>>>"""""I have alternatingly called them Uniform and Universal.  I think I once didresearch for an article and found that it's supposed to be Uniform.RyanChief Sysop(A2.RYAN, Cat 11, Top 11, Msg 76)>>>>>"""""So essentially, URL is anything but uniform.(KGAGNE, Cat 11, Top 11, Msg 77)[EOA][DVD]ABOUT THE ACRONYM "DVD""""""""""""""""""""""""It's like the DVD acronym. It started out as Digital Versatile Disc, buthas come to be more widely known as Digital Video Disc because that's whatit's mostly used for.Tony Ward(A2.TONY, Cat 11, Top 11, Msg 78)>>>>>"""""I thought it was originally Digital Video Disc, and some people tried tochange it to Digital Versatile Disc, but it didn't stick.Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.comOwner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com                     Building communities, bit by bit.(SYNDICOMM, Cat 11, Top 11, Msg 79)>>>>>"""""Do a Google search on "what does DVD stand for" and you'll find that everyreference says Digital Versatile Disc. It makes since, since the DVD formatis not limited to video storage.Tony Ward(A2.TONY, Cat 11, Top 11, Msg 80)[EOA][TGA]THE GAME "ARCHON""""""""""""""""""Can anyone confirm for me that the old Apple game Archon, by ElectronicArts, supposed modem play?  What about the Amiga or Commodore 64 versions?Thanks,-Ken(KGAGNE, Cat 14, Top 1, Msg 104)>>>>>"""""Ken,I just pulled "Archon" off the shelf and booted it up, to check for you.There is NO modem option.  The instructions also include boot up info forAtari, Amiga, C64, IBM, and Mac.  None of them seem to support modems.Considering that the copyright date is 1983 and 1984, that is not toosurprising.Just for yucks, I also booted up "Archon II: Adept".  Also no modem. Thecopyright date is 1985.                           MT Steve(S.BERNBAUM, Cat 14, Top 1, Msg 105)>>>>>"""""I'm pretty sure neither had a modem option; I certainly don't remember themhaving such a thing.Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.comOwner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com                     Building communities, bit by bit.(SYNDICOMM, Cat 14, Top 1, Msg 106)[EOA][PGE]PORT THESE GAME ENGINES TO THE IIgs?""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""I ran across additional game engines for software that was never availablefor the IIgs:Nuvie - Ultima VI Engine.  http://nuvie.sourceforge.net/SCUMMVM - Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion Virtum Machine.http://www.scummvm.org/ .  For those who are unfamiliar with SCUMM, it wasused by many LucasArts games.Geoff(GEOFF, Cat 14, Top 2, Msg 72)>>>>>"""""Porting some of these engines would be very cool.  The trick is whether theengines can be rigged to cope with the lower screen resolution of the IIgs.Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.comOwner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com                     Building communities, bit by bit.(SYNDICOMM, Cat 14, Top 2, Msg 73)>>>>>"""""One solution would be to use a Second Sight display.  The SDL (SimpleDirectMedia Layer) Library could get ported to handle a cross platform API.An Apple IIgs version of the SDL could also be modified to pretend that ahigher resolution (and color bit depth) exists and it could downgradegraphics/colors for native GS resolutions.Geoff(GEOFF, Cat 14, Top 2, Msg 74)>>>>>"""""Downgrading graphics on the fly would be computationally expensive andwould render just about any game unplayable, I would think.  You'd prettymuch have to do it ahead of time, which then means substantial changes tothe game engine's rendering code.Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.comOwner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com                       Building communities, bit by bit.(SYNDICOMM, Cat 14, Top 2, Msg 75)>>>>>"""""Requiring hyper accelerated speeds such as what is provided by emulatorswould make the on-the-fly downgrading a moot point.Geoff(GEOFF, Cat 14, Top 2, Msg 76)>>>>>"""""Requiring an emulator seems like cheating to me. :)Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.comOwner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com                     Building communities, bit by bit.(SYNDICOMM, Cat 14, Top 2, Msg 77)>>>>>"""""I hate to say it, but the number of people with an SS card is quitelimited. If a game is only playable on an emulator, you'd be better offjust playing ScummVM on your real computer with the correct graphics.ScummVM already works for MacOS, Windows, XWindows, etc.If there are any good tile-based games, it might be better to port them touse the GTE engine.  That looks pretty interesting to me.Kelvin(KWS, Cat 14, Top 2, Msg 78)>>>>>"""""Agreed.  There's not much point to developing something that requires anemulator or Second Sight to play.  Not only is the Second Sight prettyuncommon, but it's not very good, either.Still, there are probably some open source type games that could be portedand made to work reasonably well.I, for one, would love an Apple II version of the old "Empire" conquestgame.  Even one that runs on the text screen the way they did in the olddays.Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.comOwner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com                     Building communities, bit by bit.(SYNDICOMM, Cat 14, Top 2, Msg 79)[EOA][OGA]ONLINE GUIDES FOR CLASSIC Apple GAMES"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Online guides for a plethora of classic Apple games are provided byenthusiast and writer Andrew Schultz.  His full catalogs is here:http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/3574.html(KGAGNE, Cat 14, Top 4, Msg 8)[EOA][MA2]MONITORS WITH THE Apple II's""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Since I have 3 Apples, 1 Amiga, and 1 X86 comp I want them to all work on1 monitor. I have thought this out. my computers outputs are:     //E Composite     //C+ Composite     //GS RGB     Amiga 4000T RGB     X86 VGASo first I need:     Composite Switch     VGA SwitchThen I need to convert the signals to VGA:     Composite to VGA + scandoubler?     RGB to VGA + scandoubler     Amiga Video card W/ScandoublerAlso cables so I can connect this mess.I can get the amiga card a CybergraphiX 64/3d for about $200Now Composite to VGA... this seems like it would work:     http://www.spyhiddencamera.com/products/30/vga801c.htm $185.95 CNDRGB to VGA seems more difficult... I think this might work... (I would justneed to make my own adapter)...     http://www.ihse.de/english/238-1f.htmDoes anybody have a IIgs video port pinouts?(TECHNERD, Cat 17, Top 17, Msg 12)>>>>>"""""OK I found the pinout for the apple III & IIgs:     pin 1 Gnd Red     pin 2 Red     pin 5 Green     pin 6 Groun Green     Pin 9 Blue     pin 13 Ground BlueNow making that cable would be fun!! :-)(TECHNERD, Cat 17, Top 17, Msg 13)>>>>>"""""Now the VGA switcher is easy.  All I need is a 3:1 or 4:1 vga switcher...something like this:     http://www.knoxvideo.com/Products/kv_Pres_VGA.asp#enhanced(TECHNERD, Cat 17, Top 17, Msg 14)>>>>>"""""I have yet to find a cheap scan doubling solution that appears to workwell.  It's unfortunate, because if there was one, I'd probably buy two orthree.Ryan(A2.RYAN, Cat 17, Top 17, Msg 15)>>>>>"""""Most of the ones I have seen have been $600 to $1000 dollars.... way toomuch!!  But only if I could find one in a kit form!(TECHNERD, Cat 17, Top 17, Msg 16)>>>>>"""""I really would like to have a scan doubler that works well and isn'tabsurdly expensive.  My last working GS monitor is starting to go now.Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.comOwner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com                     Building communities, bit by bit.(SYNDICOMM, Cat 17, Top 17, Msg 17)>>>>>""""">> I think this might work... http://www.ihse.de/english/238-1f.htm <<The description for says it does not convert any synchronization signal.This means that the VGA monitor must support a horizontal sync rate of15.75 kHz (which modern ones do not).  You would still need something likea scan doubler in addition.A solution that is guaranteed to work is to use a Second Sight video cardon the IIgs.Geoff(GEOFF, Cat 17, Top 17, Msg 18)>>>>>"""""http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=243&products_id=3166&This link looks promising but what is Component? I have heard of YUV, RGB,Composite, & S-Video.The other way to output the IIGS video is to buy a Multisync monitor thatcan accept a 15khz sync signal ie a NEC Multisync 3d monitor would butthese monitors are getting hard to find.This might work as well with a little creative rewiring to makeup for pindifferences and socket sizes.These look good also:http://www.ncsx.com/ncs1201/xrgb-1.htmof course at 200 bucks a pop it is a little steep (Price found on Froogle)http://www.amigastuff.co.uk/partnumber.asp?Code=scandub1&Page=type1(TECHNERD, Cat 17, Top 17, Msg 19)[EOA][ICA]ifconfig AVAILABLE""""""""""""""""""I got my lanced gs working on my reconfigured network.  To celebrate, I'mplanning to migrate some of my partially finished projects from theconfines of my hard drives to the www.  Eventually :)The first one is a commandline (gno/orca) utility to connect/disconnectmarinetti: ifconfigusage:ifconfig up -- tell marinetti to connect to the networkifconfig down -- tell marinetti to disconnect from the networkifconfig status -- ask marinetti if we're currently connectedSource included.  Get it while it's hot:     http://www.syndicomm.com/~kws/iigs/Kelvin(KWS, Cat 20, Top 11, Msg 9)[EOA][JTM]Juiced.GS - THE MOVIE :)""""""""""""""""""""""""I came home this afternoon to find Juiced.GS in my mailbox. I was anxiouslyawaiting to read the SIS review.  This would be the first time that SIS wasreviewed by someone who did not beta test it.  I think Ryan hit it right onthe money.I also enjoyed the cover: the praise, the heartfelt love, the pureenjoyment of it.  And the screams of agony.Geoff(GEOFF, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 537)>>>>>"""""Makes me want to go and rent the movie...Steven Weyhrich <IX0YE>--<Apple II Historyhttp://apple2history.org(A2HISTORY, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 538)>>>>>"""""Steve,May I suggest something slightly better like....Dude, Where's My Car?  OrMeatballs III.  :)The worst part about getting a Juiced.GS issue is the inevitable wait forthe next issue.  Thanks for the hard work guys.Dain(A2.DAIN, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 539)>>>>>""""">> Thanks for the hard work guys. <<You're welcome.Hopefully we'll have something funnier on the next cover :-)RyanEditor in Chief, Juiced.GS(A2.RYAN, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 540)>>>>>""""">> I think Ryan hit it right on the money. <<Wow.  To be told that by the programmer is pretty rare.  That's highpraise, Geoff, thanks.>> I also enjoyed the cover: the praise, the heartfelt love, the pureenjoyment of it.  And the screams of agony. <<And the beatings.  Let's not forget the beatings.RyanEditor in Chief, Juiced.GS(A2.RYAN, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 541)>>>>>"""""As a demo of SIS, it was OK, but it was only funny if you were there. :)Mine finally arrived, by way of Alliance, NE, according to the postmark onthe back of the envelope. It must have stuck to someone else's copy. Carl Knoblock - Telephone Tech - Mon  15 Mar 04  7:20:35 pm cknoblo@cox.com - Via Spectrum v2.5.3 & SOAR v1.0b10 KFest 2004, July 20-25, 2004 - 127 days till KFest On cable via LANceGS & Marinetti 2.0.1 - Thank you, Richard. A2 RTC Staff - Sunday Night House Party - carlk@syndicomm.com(CARLK, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 542)>>>>>""""">> May I suggest something slightly better like....Dude, Where's My Car?Or Meatballs III. <<Juiced.GS: The Movie.Ryan(A2.RYAN, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 543)[EOA][PKJ]Pre-KansasFest ISSUE OF Juiced.GS IN PRODUCTION"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""We are currently in early production stage and plan to ship this issue inMay 2004. This is the annual pre-KansasFest issue, so we hope to have someannouncements and surprises for you as the event approaches.Remember, last year we told you that Woz would be there. :)RyanEditor-in-Chief, Juiced.GS(RSUENAGA, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 554)>>>>>"""""Dain responds....I feel sorry for you if you have to compete with that announcement:)Regardless, I look forward to your next issue.I really appreciate all your hard work on the issues.  Sometimes I take forgranted that Juiced.GS shows up at my doorstep every couple of months.It's been how many years since Apple killed the IIGS anyway?  Thanks to allthe people out there that will not let it die.Dain(A2.DAIN, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 545)[EOA][SDG]INDIVIDUAL ISSUES OF Softdisk G-S NOW AVAILABLE"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Individual issues of Softdisk G-S are now on sale for $5 apiece atSyndicomm's online store.  <http://store.syndicomm.com>.Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.comOwner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com                     Building communities, bit by bit.(SYNDICOMM, Cat 24, Top 33, Msg 28)[EOA][TKE]THE KEGS EMULATOR"""""""""""""""""KEGS has now been updated to 0.86.  Mouse operation is now very similar towhat was found in Bernie and GUS.  KEGS now works better than the mouseimplementation found in ActiveGS (you have to love feature-set wars ;)It was the FTA who influenced me to make KEGS behave better.  My firstattempt at the mouse code emulated the FTA's work, but I wanted to see themouse integration be like Bernie/GUS.  My final implementation was muchmore sophisticated than what is now found in KEGS (and arguably morecorrect), but the mouse in KEGS seems to work fine, at least under SOLARISwhich is all that I have tested so far.So that looks like another notch where KEGS meets or exceeds a feature inBernie.Solaris users will probably want to add defined (SOLARIS) on line 48 insound.c so sound works by default.Geoff(GEOFF, Cat 29, Top 31, Msg 26)>>>>>"""""Geoff,How can KEGS be compiled on my Mac? I've installed the Developer tools(actually the Xcode thing that came with Panther). I downloaded the filethat VersionTracker pointed to, but the file that looks like the KEGSapplication starts, makes an error noise, and then quits, no messages.Steven Weyhrich <IX0YE>--<Apple II Historyhttp://apple2history.org(A2HISTORY, Cat 29, Top 31, Msg 27)>>>>>"""""I don't have a Mac that can compile KEGS, so I don't really know.If I was to proceed, I would dump the Cocoa (or Carbon or whatever theright buzzword is) version and concentrate on the X version (now that adecent version of Mac OS X has been released).I would then unlink (or delete if there is no unlink) vars and symlinkvars_linuxppc to vars.  I would then make the result, fixing any problemsdue to compilation (the gcc developer tools must be installed--youinstalled everything from 10.3, right?). of course, it would be better tonot change vars_linuxppc, but to create a new file (something likevars_macx11).Once it compiles, you now have xkegs to run (use existing ROM and hard diskimages).  It should be noted that there is no Mac sound support in theXwindows version for the Mac.  Just copy the necessary lines formmacsnd_driver.c and put them into sound_driver.c.So if a new feature gets implemented (say integrated cut and paste with thehost), UNIX and Mac users get the immediate benefit without needingdevelopers to port across different environments.Geoff(GEOFF, Cat 29, Top 31, Msg 28)>>>>>"""""Of course, a precompiled KEGS binary for the Mac is available too, so youdon't *have* to build it yourself.Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.comOwner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com                     Building communities, bit by bit.(SYNDICOMM, Cat 29, Top 31, Msg 29)>>>>>"""""But it is the precompiled KEGS for Mac OS X that I'm having problems with.That was why I was wondering about how to compile it.Steven Weyhrich <IX0YE>--<Apple II Historyhttp://apple2history.org(A2HISTORY, Cat 29, Top 31, Msg 30)>>>>>"""""Category 29,  Topic 31Message 31         Sun Mar 28, 2004A2.DAIN [Dain]               at 21:09 PDTSteve,What problem are you having?Thanks,Dain(A2.DAIN, Cat 29, Top 31, Msg 31)>>>>>"""""When I start KEGSMAC it opens a window while the icon is bouncing, and thenjust quits with no error message, no "This application unexpectedly quit"or nothing.Steven Weyhrich <IX0YE>--<Apple II Historyhttp://apple2history.org(A2HISTORY, Cat 29, Top 31, Msg 32)>>>>>"""""Perhaps if you launch it from a terminal window, it will print an errormessage (like unable to find the rom file)?Kelvin(KWS, Cat 29, Top 31, Msg 33)>>>>>"""""Steve,I know this sounds pretty moronic to a Mac user.  (it does to me)   But youhave to follow these rules explicitly."Like most other KEGS versions, KEGSMAC is usually run from a Terminalwindow.  Just type "./KEGSMAC.app/Contents/MacOS/KEGSMAC" in the directoryyou installed/compiled it in.  You need to have a ROM file (named ROM,ROM.01, or ROM.03) and a config.kegs in the same directory or in your homedirectory (read the README--these files are searched for in variousplaces)."There maybe a way to tie that knowledge to an icon to click on.  I'm justnot sure how.Good Luck,Dain(A2.DAIN, Cat 29, Top 31, Msg 34)>>>>>"""""You should probably look at the documentation that comes with your terminalprogram (does it have a man page?).  For example, xterm can launch aprogram with the -e argument.xterm -e xkegsGeoff(GEOFF, Cat 29, Top 31, Msg 35)[EOA][FTM]------------------------        FEATURED THIS MONTH |-----------------------------THE COMPUTER AS AN OBJECT OF LEARNING: TIME FOR SOMETHING NEW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Greg Hedger4 April 2004This article is not about best practices for software development oroperating system engineering.  It is geared, rather, toward the computer'srole in individual learning.  It is not of the pedagogical kind of learningfostered by its ability to connect to the Internet or run math drills thatI speak.  It is of the computer as the object of learning, as itself averitable fountain of knowledge.  We begin with the authors inspiration forthis topic of the computer as an object of learning, examine problems withmodern operating systems in an educational light, and conclude with avision and a hope for the future.MY FIRST COMPUTERIn April, 1983, my parents bought an Apple IIe system for $2,300.  I didn'tthink much of it at the time, being embroiled in music.  The oohs and ahssubsided, and by May, I was the only one using this esoteric contraption.My cousins came to Houston to spend that summer with us.  The computerbecame a big hit with them.  One cousin and I teamed up on Bolo, with ustaking turns having one man the gun and the other drive, humming the themeto Star Wars during the more intense moments while flying through the mazebeing chased by angry enemies.  The oldest girl preferred more intellectualpursuits and enjoyed spending time on Zork.  I was always attracted to thegraphical programs, however, and wanted to make my own early on.One day in June, after some rough play with the kids outside, I came in towork through the Applesoft Basic manual my dad and I had begun to study.  Ityped in one of the commands, GR, and the screen did something funny.After some more reading, I had a colored brick on the screen!  That was anextremely exciting moment for me.  Later, I ebulliently one-upped thatachievement and had a hires dot, and then a line.  Little did I know at thetime that my passion for programming, the fire ignited that hot Houstonsummer, would be burning yet 21 years hence.  I became obsessed with thatmachine and its inner workings to the point my mother had to hide the cordto force me to go outside and play.  In fact, I managed to make a career ofprogramming (and later with much study and hard work, software engineering)without ever taking a single formal course in Computer Science thanks inlarge part to the open architecture and approachability of the Apple II.The open architecture of the II invited discovery and encouraged learningat an impressionable age...  a trait conspicuously absent from todaysplatforms.  More properly, I owe any skill I may have acquired, myinterests, and my career to the man and men behind the Apple II, andespecially to my parents, who bought their product.Fast forward 21 years: where do we stand today?  Are systems still as openand approachable?BOOT TIMESAs a lead-in to the topic of the computer's role as an object of education,I'd like to make a few observations about the change in boot times asmicrocomputers have evolved.  My Apple IIe boots a typical DOS 3.3  5.25"floppy in approximately 10-15 seconds.  The Apple IIGS, after a brief delayon power-up, boots a modest GSOS from hard disk in about 12 seconds.  AWindows 95 machine running a Pentium II@266MHz drops the user in thedesktop after a 50 second wait.  Finally, my AMD Athlon XP1800 with stripedRAID-0 hard drives requires a whopping two minutes(!).                                              Approx.                             Speed   Bus    Processing   Machine/OS        CPU     (MHz)  (bits)    Factor       Drive      Time-----------------   -----    -----  ------  ----------  -----------  -----Apple IIe/DOS 3.3   65C02      1       8        1X      5.25 Floppy  00:15*Apple IIGS/GSOS     65816     7.5    8/16      12X       Hard Disk   00:12Pentium II Win95    K6-II     266     32      1500X      Hard Disk   00:50AMD Athlon Win2K     K7      1533     32     8000+X      RAID-0 HD   01:55                                                                  *(varies)Anyone old enough to remember Highlights Magazine inevitably recalls the"What's wrong?" pictures.  Can you spot a problem with the picture above?Do you see the abnormality: the faster machines become, the longer theytake to boot (and perform other things, but here we focus on boot times).The first and most obvious answer is that the operating systems have grownmore complex over time.  Precisely.  And it is my contention we've reacheda point of critical mass beyond which this attribute becomes a deficitrather than an asset.  Think about it:  Can modern operating systems, nay,must modern operating systems require 67,000 times the boot time processingof the humble Apple DOS 3.3?  A far more practical question is this:  Doyou, the user, get 67,000 times the value over your Apple II?  100 times?Even 10 times (be honest, now)?  Whence arises this odd, inverserelationship between processing power and boot times?  While a simple,monolithic blanket answer will not suffice, we'll explore a few morenuanced ones here.DELINEATION OF PROBLEMS WITH MODERN OS'S AS PERTAINS TO DISCOVERY,LEARNING, AND EXPLORATION The following is by no means an exhaustive compilation of the problems thatplague modern computers, software, or users.  It is merely intended to givethe reader a flavor for attributes that serve as both weaknesses andimpediments to learning from the computer.  The real irony: Most of theattributes listed are almost universally considered strengths of sounddesign in both hardware and software.AbstractionFirst, it would not be unreasonable to surmise the highprocessing-to-valuable-output ratio of modern machines has something to dowith layer piled upon layer of software abstraction to the hardware, withmore attention often paid to theory than to pragmatic engineeringsolutions.  Evidence for this deduction can be found, for example, in thewide array of graphics and sound cards available for the PC, to say nothingof the many motherboards and other low-level hardware devices.  This bringsus to our second problem: modularity.Modularitymodularity is usually spoken of in favorable terms in most pursuits, andespecially in computing disciplines.  Indeed, ask any maintenanceprogrammer and you'll find it can be a valuable trait to have in largesoftware systems.  However: _the need to support the many differentpossible types of hardware implicit in a modular architecture hasnecessitated an almost crippling level of abstraction and contingency codein the operating systems of today!_  Have you ever heard of (so-called)plug-and-play?  One concomitant of this complexity, when combined withautomated frameworks like plug-and-play intended to make the user's lifeeasier, is the unintentional installation of sometimes many drivers ofvarious flavors for the either the same or a different device.  Forexample:  Billy goes over to Joe's house to play Quake.  He brings hisjoystick along.  When he leaves, Joe has a new driver installed that hewill almost never use (except when Billy comes over).  Worse, he may evenhave a deadweight background process hanging around at all times, eating upRAM and CPU cycles.  Multiply cases like this, add in the enormous volumeof programmatic trash from Web installations, shake for one minute and stirtwice and you have a first-class mess on your hands.Viewed in a purely hardware context, modular systems have the communalproperty of each part being replaceable by a similar part with the sameinputs and outputs but with internal variations.  Such systems have theeconomic advantage of fostering competition among hardware vendors whilemaintaining the same software operation for a given type of unit regardlessof variant.  Overdone, however, modularity leads to brittleness: to make achange to an interface to, say, a graphical device (VGA card in PCparlance) means a host of changes to the interface abstraction's internalsare necessary to satisfy all the underlying hardware units.  Thus, you havethe highly-piled layering mentioned in Abstraction above and you end upwith an enormous amount of processing needed to perform a very simple task,for example, plotting a dot to a screen - something a nine-year-old wouldalmost certainly find hopeless without the aid of a special, and expensive,software development package.  You are talking about writing a certain byteto a certain memory location: WHY SHOULD THAT COST 10s OR 100s OR DOLLARS?Worse yet, having such a package impedes our 9-year-olds learning by hidingfrom him the details - which concept, by the way, is very highly regardedin the software world as a property of modularity.  Do you want your kidremaining ignorant in the name of sound object-oriented or modular theory?No!  There will be a time to learn about that.  However, childhood  whencreativity, enthusiasm, and the spirit of exploration is at an all timehigh - is NOT that time.  Childhood is NOT the time to squash creativity inthe name of favor-of-the-week theories.Today's machines are not only inefficient, but discourage learning anddiscovery.  Some children  and adults - may not be satisfied with just theInternet.  Some children may want to know a little about the machine_enabling them to connect_ to the Internet.  And that is no longerpossible.Modularity's opposite is organicity.  The adjective organic refers to theliving and implies the inseparability of parts from the whole.  In contrastto modularity, organicity emphasizes wholeness and interconnectivitybetween individual components, or organs.  The whole is the sum of theparts, as one's arm is a part of the body and may not be switched andswapped at will.  Each organic element has a very special design, relatedto its role in the interconnected whole.  It is possible to think of anorganic system as a single large module, with each part knowing about theothers, instead of a collection thereof.  While organic systems may not bepicked apart piece by piece without disabling the function of the whole,they do have the advantage of each part being able to make safe assumptionsabout the others.  In a computing context, this means an altogetherelimination of the need for complex and expensive abstraction layers,enabling software to go directly to the hardware. The Apple II is anexcellent example of an organic system:  The graphics were tied, forexample, to the memory refresh and saved cost on the original design.Unfortunately, this also proved a weakness as technology advanced, butcertainly not an insurmountable one.  It allowed for the very openness onthe hardware level that set this legendary machine apart from all othermicrocomputers built before or since, to this day.SecurityThe realities of the connectivity afforded by the Internet in conjunctionwith human nature necessitate the ability to secure one's privateinformation from prying eyes.  It is not, however, of this type ofpeer-to-peer security that we speak.Code-level security, in the form of page faulting and exception handlingproducing the inability to look at arbitrary memory, has weakened users'ability to learn about the computer, to debug programs (virtually unheardof anymore, as we seem to insist on keeping users "in the dark"), or learnhow things work.  Insofar as most machines store their data on a singlecentralized repository medium in the form of a hard drive, this is somewhatjustified, but not completely - there are other ways besides this toprotect persistent data.Some vendors simply want to keep their code private.  But this, too, in anage when open source solutions are gaining in popularity, rings hollow.Moreover, if a dishonest (and competent) someone is determined to stealcode and is willing to expend the effort necessary to disassemble andinterpret it, this person will eventually achieve his or her goal.System-level security is appropriate in some settings - banks, for example,don't want tellers snooping customer ATM PIN numbers.  It is notappropriate, however, in our context, in which we are evaluating thecomputer as a learning tool.  That system must be kept as open as possible,and invite prying eyes - not to pry account numbers, but knowledge thatwill help them learn and grow and inspire them to become something otherthan video-game addicted mind-numbed couch potatoes.  The Apple II doesprecisely that: Call -151.QualityThe final problem with today's machines is quality.  Herein lies a paradoxwith cost - one of the modern PCs greatest strengths.  However, withsubstandard hardware being produced in mass levels by underpaid laborers,poor quality has irked almost every user of a modern computer system atsome point.To its credit, one thing of which Apple, at least historically, may not beaccused is producing shoddy-quality products.  The author uses his AppleIIGS daily and even still fires up the now 21-year-old Apple IIe onoccasion.  The only current problem is with the latter - an op-ampcomplicity in joystick reads sits in a loose socket that will eventuallyneed to be desoldered and replaced.  The only other problems he has had iswhen a 74F323 chip on the Disk II controller burned up 14 years ago, andwhen a transistor array DIP in one of his Disk IIs went out, disabling thedrive's write capability - which happened twice.  That is about it - reallynot bad for 21 years of sometimes extremely heavy use.We could continue and discuss scope - trying to please everyone - and manyother causes of the apparent sloth of machines running with incrediblememory capacity processing capability, and throughput, to say nothing ofcovering post-boot activities, but the point has been well established.Other Peeves with MacWinUxWhen the user says jump, you (the computer) don't say, just a minute, I'min the middle of something.   You don't even say, How high?.  You jump...NOW!  Such was the Apple IIs Reset response.  Of course, without thecomplexity of a huge and monolithic OS, its quite possible many of thecases wherein you would NEED to forcibly hard-reset the machine would beeliminated.  Likewise, when the user types three dots, you (the machine)don't automatically convert them to another character: A) what purpose doesthis serve?  B) If the user wants a specific character, she will specifysuch.  When the user says to save a plain-jane document in its original,plain-jane format, you (the OS) save it.  You DO NOT say, Are you sure?You might lose italics! You might lose formatting!  A _good_ machinebehaves as a servant, faithfully obeying its masters commands.  It is not aperson.  It is a machine, a servant to the human operator.  It may even bea friend, but it is a servant nonetheless.  The master will learn withoutthe servant talking back, second-guessing, or otherwise interpreting themasters commands other than literally.Beyond justified complaining about the latest and greatest, let us lookforward to an ideal machine, one conducive to learning and built with theintelligence of the user assumed.LOOKING FORWARDWhat would the next Apple II be like?  Asked more boldly, what _will_ itlook like?  What follows is the author's own speculation and represents notmerely advancement in the computer world, but a Copernican shift, along-awaited convergence of the best of the latest technology withold-world craftsmanship.First, barring a miracle it won't bear the name "Apple".  Second, it willnot look like anything on the market today.  For now, we call it theHypothetical Learning Computer, or HLC.On the outside, it will probably appear similar to a typical tower PC.  Itwill have a high-quality VGA monitor, and perhaps even a radically newinput device  at least, new to the typical consumer.When you turn it on, it will beep at you, and you might see a familiarsight - a flashing white box cursor at the bottom of a screen.  (You willnot see a bunch of unsolicited counters or offers to press this key or thatto "enter BIOS settings"[whatever those are, </sarcasm>].)  Filling the80x48 character text screen, arranged in a grid, are simple menu items.Each menu item represents a program.You "click" on one using the input device, and your web browser pops upinstantly.  You want to hear, say, the Seattle at Oakland game, so you pokeon over to the baseball site, start the stream, and hit a quick keysequence to take you back to the start menu.  What you've really just doneis rebooted, but it occurred instantaneously - seamlessly - and did notstop your stream.  You've told the machine to do in hardware what massive,bloated Orwellian operating systems currently do in software.It is now time to get some work done.  With the ball game on in thebackground, you navigate to your development environment, or businesstools, or whatever suits your particular vocation, and jump right in.  Nodelays, no second guessing, no hourglasses, and no Are you sure? dialogues.No danger of crashing the hard disk either, as each context is managed atthe hardware level.You hear an important play - Brett Boone just hit a triple with two men out- and want to increase the volume.  You bring up the control panel with thefamiliar Control-Alt-Delete key combo.  Instead of clearing the screen, theoptions show up in text with a transparent background, leaving your programvisible behind, but dimmed.A famous 1956 study by George A. Miller (Harvard University), firstpublished in Psychology Review, found that, generally speaking, people canfocus on a maximum of seven things at once.  Thus, a particular systemneedn't offer the ability to hold over 1000 simultaneous process instances- only seven.  Moreover, if each process has its own context space (memory,hard drive), it should be able to implement its tasks in its own mannerbest suited to its applications.  For example, while a web browser might beconsidered one "thing" to the user, it may front seven or eight or fifteentasks internally to send and receive data, update animated graphics on thepage, and update the streaming sound for the ball game via a plug-in.  Thepoint is, each user-level program (e.g., the web browser, not the tasksthat comprise it) could run on its own processor, even sharing memory(possibly) with three or seven other processors, and all sharing resourcessuch as the display and sound.  One program would have the focus, thoughothers may be shown "behind" it, perhaps through translucent windows.Admittedly, this approach is a deviation from the Apple II's creator'soriginal genius of moving most functionality into software.  However, 2004does not hold nearly the cost restrictions on hardware resources as thosepresent in 1977.  Thus, it may not be very costly after all, and it helpsmaintain the openness of the system by keeping software complexity incheck.The overriding concerns are in fact twofold: keep it open, as has been thefocus of this article on the value of computers in learning, and keep itsimple.  This latter point avoids the bloat and sloth we've all come toexperience as part of the warp and woof of modern computing.Now, as far as making the Hypothetical Learning Computer the logical, ifnot familial, heir of the Apple II, what can and can't its creators do?65C02/65C816 emulation:65C02/65C816 emulation would definitely loom large as an integral part ofthe HLC, and in hardware emulation.  While the main processors would likelybe a RISC variant or FPGAs, a 65C02 or two would be very nice to havearound the house and would enable users to run a good deal of existingApple II software.  This latter ability is a key ingredient to HLCssuccess, and _may_ antecede reclamation of the classroom  by a computerbuilt (fittingly) with learning and education at front-center.Original Bank 0 Emulation:Again, this would be necessary to execute existing software, and should notpresent any legal hurdles.  It could be extended to provide support forcutting edge graphics capabilities, and sound comparable to the IIGS, butmodernized to CD-quality levels while maintaining a large number of voices.Original Apple II ROMS:This is a no-no, and violates Apple's legal copyrights.  Legal precedent inApple vs. Franklin established this.  However, Laser produced similar ROMsfrom scratch, which ROMs worked with most software; they withstood asimilar legal challenge.Original Apple II font:This may be the one area where interaction with Apple, Inc. becomesnecessary.  HLCs creators view it as the spiritual, if not ontological,heir of the Apple II, and wish to retain every aspect of the flavor andfeel of that timeless and legendary computer.Apple IIGS emulation:While the Apple IIGS was and is a splendid machine, it represented, in theauthor's opinion, a step in the wrong direction by introducing thebeginnings of a large, monolithic operating system.  Development on likesystems on other platforms has led to the very issues decried previously inthis article, namely: bloat, inapproachability, and inefficiency.Moreover, the IIGS is heavily dependent upon its ROMs, whose size exceedsthat of the Apple Iie's many times over.  Any effort to clean room engineerthem could present a toilsome nightmare.  This effort is better spentelsewhere.  Remember: you don't need a complex operating system to get thebenefits afforded thereby.  There are other ways to achieve multitaskingcapability _and_ responsiveness.Lots and Lots of RAM:Engineers should have little trouble allowing for expansion to 1-2GB of RAMon board should the owner desire it.  However, due to the simplicity of thesystem and the lack of a memory-eating sow with twelve piglets suckingresources, huge gobs of RAM may not be necessary for even the most stunningand processor-intensive games.Emulation of other systems:We've been seeing Apple IIs on PCs and Macs for years now.  The task ofemulation of foreign systems should fall to software.  The huge amounts ofhard drive space necessary for, say, a major PC operating system that willremain nameless, would be cordoned off (read: quarantined!) from the restof the programs on the system, and thus not a danger.  Again, this isenforced at a very low firmware or even hardware level.Fault Tolerance:This one may shock you.  One of the keys to a successful hard disk-enabledopen system is protecting the data from unintentional destruction.  Dualdrives with a rollback feature would be part of the standard setup, andreads could even be optimized for greater speed under this arrangement.This is absolutely necessary to bring the same openness and flexibility ofthe original Apple II (and its derivative) to a hard-drive-based system inthe Twenty-First Century.Ethernet and other hardware peripherals:Software is written to support networking or not, depending on itsfunction.  The hardware would include standard PCI slots for inexpensive PChardware, but would need to be programmed.  Fundamental hardware  definedas hardware directly targeted to _one_ of the five human senses  would bebuilt in, and considerably endowed with formidable technology of the age.This would include the sound (auditory sense), graphics (visual sense), andkeyboard (kinesthetic sense).Display/Sound:Insofar as seeing and hearing are fundamental to the human experience, HLCsvideo and audio capabilities will be fixed in the system and part of theHLC organic whole.  This approach brings low-level access to truly awesomegraphical and audio hardware to the masses, and it eliminates vendorconfusion over which peripherals to support:  There is one video mode, andone sound card.  Also, it encourages developers to refocus energy otherwisewasted on supporting a wide variety of hardware.  It lets them tap into thehardware "goodies", the more specialized functions of the hardware thatmight not be available on all units of a wide variety of display adapters.TARGET MARKETAnyone who loves computing but hates the hassle is a potential customer forthe Hypothetical Learning Computer.  Young boys are candidates who aspireto be to video game development what Isaac Asimov was to science fiction.Young ladies wanting to get ahead in school would find their computingneeds met.  Moms who want to organize their recipes, calendars, and cruisethe web without learning a massively complicated operating system wouldfind the HLC attractive as a family computer.  Dads updating their familiesmonthly budget and then learning BASIC with their sons and daughtersappreciate the HLCs simplicity and transparency.  And long-time Apple IIveterans and former users the world over are of course warmly invited topartake of something they've not experienced since 1989: A new, highlyadvanced and innovative model of the machine they grew to know, enjoy, andlearn from.The HLC is just that.  It is not intended for business or commerce, but forthe purpose of restoring to the home user the joy of computing.WHEN WILL THE HLC BECOME A REALITY?It would take one person years in engineering effort and patience to buildsuch a machine.  Details would need to be worked out, debated, andanalyzed.  It would require a modest investment in equipment and software(running, no doubt, on a bloated, crash-prone machine) but there's no goodreason why it could not one day come to fruition provided its creatorsfollow the all pertinent legalities.  Needless to say, positiveparticipation from Apple would be extremely well received, but, just asDetroit Tiger fans should not expect a World Series Championship in 2004,one had best not expect such positive participation from the Originators.Jeri Ellsworth offers a unique inspiration, as through her and her team theCommodore 64 is reborn.  The spirit of innovation and creativity, inspiredin many cases during a childhood influenced by such machines, dies hard.The author realizes others with a similar dream for the Apple II have comeand gone.  Let the reader rest assured that _this_ dream will only die whenthe author of this article dies, and hopefully (by that time) the dreamwill have long since materialized and inspired millions who will becarrying the personal computing torch for future generations.-GHAnyone interested in the contents of this article, or in participating inthe HLC project, should contact hedger@sbcglobal.net.[ITL]------------------------      ILLUMINATING THE LAMP |-----------------------------An overview of GEnieLamp A2 and The Lamp!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~By Steven WeyhrichThe series ILLUMINATING THE LAMP will continue next month.[EOA][ANS]-------------------------------      ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM SYNDICOMM |------------------------------------by Lyle Syverson <lyle@foxvalley.net>[TSU]TO SIGN UP FOR SYNDICOMM ONLINE"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Please visit our web site at http://www.syndicomm.com for information or tosign up!(Logon message)[EOA][ASU]Announcement System Updated"""""""""""""""""""""""""""We've got a new login announcement system in place, which will make iteasier for us to keep you informed.  Visit the HelpDesk forum at page 150,keyword HELPDESK for details.(Login Announcement)[EOA][SAR]Syndicommotion for April 2004 released""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""The April issue of Syndicommotion, our free newsletter covering the latestevents on Syndicomm Online, is now available.  If you don't subscribe, youcan read the issue at <http://www.syndicomm.com/syndicommotion/>.(Login Announcement)[EOA][LTE]-------------------------------             LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |------------------------------------Enjoying the Monthly Column, "Illuminating The Lamp"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""The mail box for Letters to the Editor remained empty this month.[EOA]AN INVITATION~~~~~~~~~~~~~Express your opinions about the comings and goings in the world of theApple II computers.Send your comments to Lyle Syverson, Editor <lyle@FoxValley.net>The Editor reserves the right to edit any material submitted.The Editor reserves the right to reject any material he considersunsuitable for publication in _The Lamp!_.[EOA][KFF]------------------------------                       KFest 2004 |-----------------------------------[KF4]KansasFest 2004"""""""""""""""KansasFest 2004 is planned for July 20-25, 2004 at Avila University inKansas City, Missouri.(Heading: Cat 5, Top 22)[EOA][KFR]REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR KFest 2004"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Visit the KFest Home Page at:   http://www.kfest.org/and follow the registration link.[EOA][INN]------------------------------                    EXTRA INNINGS |-----------------------------------About The Lamp!   The Lamp! is published on the fifteenth of every month on"""""""""""""""   the WEB at:   http://lamp.a2central.com/This publication produced entirely with real or emulated Apple II computersusing Appleworks 5.1 and Hermes.  Apple II Forever!     * The Lamp! is (c) copyright 2004 by Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W.  All       rights reserved.     * To reach The Lamp! on Internet email send mail to       thelamp@sheppyware.net     * All issues of The Lamp! are available at The Lamp! Home Page,       http://lamp.a2central.com/>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors, and do notnecessarily represent the opinions of A2Central.com, Delphi OnlineServices, Syndicomm, Ryan M. Suenaga, or Lyle Syverson.  Forum messages arereprinted verbatim and are included in this publication with permissionfrom the individual authors.  A2Central.com, Delphi Online Services,Syndicomm, Ryan M. Suenaga, and Lyle Syverson do not guarantee the accuracyor suitability of any information included herein.  We reserve the right toedit all letters and copy.Material published in this edition may not be reprinted without theexpressed written consent of the  publisher.   Registered computer usergroups, not for profit publications , and other interested parties maywrite the publisher to apply for permission to reprint any or all material.<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<[EOF]
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