Technical information

6.92 A2·Centra/
and launching a disk ·intensive program like AppleWorks 3.0 or
Apple Works GS ( which load the program in stages from a disk) can
prove the processor speed is not the only solution.
The Ramfast itself has another innovation that shines: the installa·
tion software is mapped onto a ROM disk on the card itself; you c an ·t
lose the Ramfast software without losing the card. Setting the c ard up
from the supplied menu is a simple and painless process.
The Ramfast includes one other feature desirable for new prod ·
ucts; although it shines on th e IIgs. it also shines on the Apple lie.
c.v , Technologies's address is 94.31 Saddlebrook Lane, Suite #2('
Miamisburg, Ohio 45342.
llest l'Iultimedla: Hypershld/o 2.1 by Roger Wagner Publish·
Ing. Yes, it's back. See the comments on l1yperStudlo 's previous
award above.
Be.t Development Tool or Language: Genesy. 1.2 by SSSi.
The major complaint In programming the IIgs is that it is too tedious
to c reate the code nec e ssary to support the preferred Desktop inter·
face. Genesys is a prototyplng tool that can be used to layout and
define elements of the user interface on the graphics scre en; for
example , you can create a window, drag it to size, position it ' on the
screen, add buttons, an information bar, scroll bar,s , and so on with·
out ever having to write a line of code. When you are finished ( and
you can create and save more than one element during the same ses-
sion ). Genesys can save the resulting program elements to disk as
raw data or can create the source code in several IIgs languages for
incorporation inlo your program. Delineating the languages supported
is tricky since Genesys is extensible through Source Code Generator,s
(SCGs); if an SCG doesn 't exist for the language your using , 'it can be
added later. But the chances are that Genesys does support the Ian·
guage of your preference: C, Pascal, BASIC. assembly , Rez ( Apple's
resource compilation language), and so on .
One way to store the raw data of an element manipulated by
Genesys is in a data structure called a resource. GS/OS's extended
files are like Mac files in that they consist of two file "forks' Or storage
areas; one is the data fork that corresponds to what we think of as a
"conventional'
Apple II file structure, and the other is the resourc e'
fork
that contains data in the sp eC ific format expected by a GS/OS
tool called the Resource Manager. The beauty of the resource fork
( and Resource Manager) concept is that data structures are defined
independently of any specific program so that they can also be
manipulated by other programs. For example, if the title of a menu is
embedded in the program code itself and you try to alter it, you may
end up changing it in such a manner as to destroy the ability of the
program to use it. By storing the title in a resource using the pre·
scribed format, the title c an be altered consistent with its resource
type and will not interfere with the operation of a properly designed
program. It can also be used by other programs that recognize and
manipulate resources. Genesys is such a program , and so is useful as
a resource editor allowing users (e ven non·programmer,s ) to alter the
appearance of their program almost as if editing a word processor
file . For example , the Mac uses the same concept to allow editing its
visual design features; you can edit a series of menu titles and dialog
messages to chang e the visual language of a program from English to
French, for example . As more programmer,s diSCipline themselves to
think in terms of resources and use them , Genesys's domain will
increasingly expand from use as a development tool to use as a sys·
tern utility.
Best Debugging Aid: GSBug 1.5 by Apple Computer. Many
contributions Appte makes are " faceless '; we tend not to think of new
System Software, Apple publications. and Apple hardware devices as
'revolutionary' in many cases because they become such a staple of
our world. Programmer,s universally recognize that' being able ' to
quickty and reliably track down problems in their code is at teastas
important
as be ing able to write the code in th e first place, and
Apple 's own GSBug is an indispensable aid in that regard.
Think of GSBug as a 'super monitor' program that you can load
and enter to execute your program and monitor its progress. When
the program reaches a certain stage , or crashes in a manner GSBug
can " trap" , you can use the capabilities of GSBug to try and track
down the specific part of your program that is caustng (or being bru·
talized ) by a bug. GSBug is currently still being revised by Apple and
is only available through developer channels (including APDA) , but it
Vol. 6, 1'10. 12
is well known and respected in programming circles.
Be.t Apple n Periodical: A2 Central. I'm not going to say a lot
ab out this; except ' thanks ' . Weighing the fact that many of the other
voter,s were competing periodicals, this is an exceptionally humbling
award , and I plan to be humble ( later , we ' ll see how our marketing
people have treated it ).
Be.t Online Service: America OnLine. Okay , we win one , we
lose one. Since I do browse other services as time permits, I have to
admit that the selection did not surprise me. The depth and quality of
America Online's Apple II sections have been exceptional. All I can
say is that we GEhie folks don't plan to make it easy for our friends at
America Online to repeat next year .
Hardware of the Year: Apple It/gh Speed DI'IA SCSI Card by
Apple Computer. A2-<:entraJ was one of the publications screaming
about the seeming inability of Appl e to support it's own line of
peripherals (Apple Scanner, Apple Tape Backup) on the Apple II.
When Apple responded , they responded big. and gave us not only
improved peripheral compatibility but also improved performance
over the previous Apple II SCSI interface. In addition, they kept the
price for the new card the same as the old one; yes, there is no
upgrade, but t hen the price is low enough that if you need the new
features the price can easily be justified.
We've mentioned the Ramfast SCSI's speed advantages; the Appl e
DMA SCSI card is not as fast in general use but does provide the
important features of broader peripheral compatibility (for scanners,
tape backup, CD·ROM, removable media hard disks, even on lie sys-
tems) and an advantage Apple was bound to implement ; synergy with
th e Apple IIgs System SoHware to tap the full I megabyte per second
throughput of the card In special instances. Apple also included new
SCSI utilities with the card that solved some rather ' stupid ' aspects
of the older SCSI card utilities (such as limitations in sizing drive par·
titions ). The new card does require an enhanced lie or IIgs (the Rev.
C card and Ramfast will also run on unenhanced systems), but it
delivers a' broad spectrum of capability to the Apple II line . Now all
we need is SOme third·party products based on Apple 's IIgs scanner
and tape dri ve rs .
Software
of !be Year: Hyperstudio 2.1 by Roger Wagner Pub·
li.hing. Again ? You , bet.
Special Award to Clan. and !be authors of Appleworks l.O.
Atthough the release of AppleWorks 3.0 fell outside the time window
we were allowed to nominate from , apparently it was mentioned fre·
quently enough that Apple 's judges added this special award to credit
not only Rupert Lissner 's original concept and implementation of the
program , but also the continuing legacy of substantial improvement
by Claris and (for the 3.0 enhancements ) Beagle Bros. Admittedly,
we 'd like to see other programs that exceed the capabilities of the
individual AppleWorks modules ( word processor, database, spread·
sheet) achieve greater acceplance, but the fact that AppleWorks dom ·
inates because many users nnd it comfortably adequate can 't be
denied.
OUtstanding individual Achievement: Roger Wagner. We've
raved about lIyperStudio. Now it's time to rave about it's publisher.
During the presentation, the phrase used to describe Roger was "a
tireless evangelist of Ihe Apple 11' . Many of you who don't go to com·
puter trade shows may think an evangelist is someon e like myself
who has a public forum and whines a lot. The latter is more like poli·
tian, who Is trying to create an environment of opinion to sway a
monolithic entity. What Roger does is more per,sonal and immediately
beneficial to the viability of the Apple it ; he convinces individuals that
the IIgs is the best computer for a purpose that they have ever seen ,
and that it is something tha t they have to own.
I have seen Roger work a crowd from dawn to dusk. Ilis l1yperSlu ,
dio booth has always been filled near the point of angering U,e atten·
dant fire marshall at several conv entions I have seen him. He always
has something new to show. Ile always has new ideas . He always
stays catm ( at least. that I've seen) while nailing someone into a con·
versational comn wh en they assail the IIgs. Before and aHer the con·
ferences you see him discussing ideas, opinions, and complaints
about Apple and its products. I'm not convinced he sleeps.