Subject: Re: Program launcher
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From: Phoenyx <quazar@dcnet2000.com>
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Date: Sun, 09 Jul 2000 13:45:28 -0500
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> So now I've got a ProDOS hard drive hooked up to my Apple II.
> Now I can't  seem to think of a Program launcher to use.
> Obviously nothing in AppleSoft will work unless I load it
> first which I'd rather not do. I have 64k and I'm using a
> TransWarp so I'm running off a 65C02 and am able to use ProDOS
> 2.0.3

Now that I think about your setup, I'm a little curious about
some things. Basic.System should not run since it requires
Applesoft in rom. What happens if you try?

Since Applesoft is not in rom, how can you access it. I know
there are versions which run in main ram. Since Prodos takes
all the language card ram, that may be the only choice. What
other BASIC options are available since ProDos has no support
system for Integer Basic? Except for possibly a compiler, such
as Zbasic, I can't think of any. ProBasic, Beagle compiler,
Amperdos and others I'm forgetting all rely on Applesoft in
rom. Zbasic uses it's own routines and makes no use of Applesoft
roms.

Other languages may work. Like Kyan Pascal, Hyper C, Aztec C
some of the various Forth's. Some of these may require an 80
column card. In fact both C systems assume an 80 column card.
I don't know about Kyan Pascal or the Forth systems. Zbasic
supports 40 column in both the 64k and 128k versions. They
even have some support for Videx I think. It will even use
mousetext graphics in the hi-res mode. As you might be able to
tell, I'm a Zbasic fanatic. It's a very useful and interesting
programming system.

This really brings up a lot of interesting possibilities which
Apple may not have considered. Or other developers for that
matter. Practically anything in Prodos Applesoft will have
trouble and there are lots of those types floating around. Esp'
since Applesoft was the most common development environment
for any II system.

I wonder how hard it would be to make an Integer equivalent of
Basic.System. It is primarily connected to Applesoft via the
I/O hooks so this might help some. I don't have the matching
hardware, but I might be able to setup ApplePC to simulate this
system. I hope I can find my old Integer reference material. I
would like to check the implications of such a system.

Thanks for the ideas. I think I will setup a emulator
environment and fool around with things a bit. If I find
anything interesting, I'll try and report it either here or
in comp.emulators.apple2. I am debating between ApplePC and
AppleUni. I think AppleUni might be the more realistic of
the two though.

-- 

Thank you for your time and interest. I hope it was helpful
or at least interesting.

Phoenyx,

Apple2 user since March 1984

Links to Phoenyx's pages:
preferred..... http://zip.to/Phoenyx_A2
alternate..... http://www.tinyangeldesigns.com/Apple2