Apple Floppy Drives (was: More Apple Pimpers)

From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Sun Dec 9 12:53:15 2001

Since the OS provided file and byte I/O system functions for applications to
call, only the console command interpreter was reloaded on exit, and that only
when the application was large. I guess this was an issue for CP/M systems that
didn't have the full 64K of RAM, but I never worked with one that didn't for
more than half a day. Vector and Northstar systems, and probably a few others
that maintained a ROM BASIC may have had less RAM, but my own experience started
and ended with 64K RAM under CP/M.

On the Apple, the DOS had to be smaller, since there was only 48K of RAM unless
the extra 16K was present. on an add-on card. Of course, when the 16K board was
present, it was often so that CP/M could be used via the Z80 board.

Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric J. Korpela" <korpela_at_ssl.berkeley.edu>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2001 11:26 AM
Subject: Re: Apple Floppy Drives (was: More Apple Pimpers)


> > > They probably existed, but I don't recall ever seeing a non-bootable
program disk for an Apple II. And data
> > > disks are not much use without program disks.
> >
> > You needed to use a special disk in order to not include DOS on an Apple
> ^^^^ I must have been tired. This should have
> said program.
>
> Eric
> >
> > disk. It did free up a small bit of space. Apple's minimalist DOS was so
> > small it was rarely worth the effort. Program loads didn't obliterate the
> > resident portion of DOS.
> >
> > CP/M on the other hand took significant disk and RAM space for the DOS and
> > command interpreter, portions of which were lost on program load and needed
> > to be reloaded on return to the OS.
> >
> > Eric
>
>
Received on Sun Dec 09 2001 - 12:53:15 GMT