Subject: Re: Language Card
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
From: dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 16:28:40 +1300
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Jon Bettenct (formerly Mr.I'mAnOutOfControlLisaSimpsonFannnn)
<jonINTERNETrelayCHAT@napaVALLEYnet.CLARInet> wrote:

> > presumably DOS 3.1, 3.2 or 3.2.1 if anyone is still running them).
> 
> Wait... how many DOS's were there? I've only heard of 3.2, 3.3, and ProDOS.

The versions I listed are all the publically released versions of DOS:

3.1
3.2
3.2.1
3.3

There were at least two (if not more) sub-variants of DOS 3.3, including
different patches in the operating system code itself, and different
files included on the system master disk.

For example, there was a new release of DOS 3.3 with the Apple IIe,
which included a different HELLO program and a different organisation of
the INTBASIC and FPBASIC files: they were 42 sectors instead of 50
sectors, omitting the image of the system monitor.  There was also a
binary file called LOADER.OBJ0 which was used by the HELLO program to
load the appropriate BASIC variant into the language card (copying the
monitor firmware over in the process).

According to Beneath Apple DOS, the release dates were as follows:

DOS 3      29 June 1978

  Subsequent information implies this version never saw the light of
  day, and was an internal Apple release only.

DOS 3.1    20 July 1978

  Buggy, doesn't support Applesoft BASIC or the Apple ][+.

DOS 3.2    16 February 1979

  Better than 3.1.

DOS 3.2.1  31 July 1979

  Mainly bug fixes.

DOS 3.3    25 August 1980

  Lots of changes, including switching from 13-sector to 16-sector
  format (requiring a pair of PROM changes on the Disk ][ controller).

DOS 3.3    1 January 1983

  The Apple IIe release.


I've personally never used anything older than the original release of
3.3, as I didn't start using the Apple II (plus) until some time in
1981.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P O Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand