B5U@PSUVMB.BITNET (10/21/86)
From what I've read in various articles upon the release of the IIGS
(including an interview with Steve Wozniak) the Woz was involved in the design
of both the //x and the IIGS, although not the entire program.
The Woz was involved with the //x until it was discontinued, and he left.
When he came back, the IIGS idea was starting up, and he became involved. Steve
can be credited with some (if not most) of the IIGS beginning layout, as well
as the IWM (Integrated Woz Machine; a disk drive controller, installed in the
//c and IIGS).
Although the Woz left after the basics were decided on the IIGS to start
Cloud9, there is a lot of his thought in the layout (including helping to keep
compatability with the Mega II, and going for the limit on anything that would
allow people to stretch the possibilities (such as using the Ensoniq chip
instead of a less-powerful one.)
As a note, the IIGS is an outgrowth of the //x, if not what the //x was
supposed to be (much of the stuff designed for the //x carried over.) And I'm
glad to see it out, finally. The IIGS should enjoy a long life, especially in
schools (see my detailed IIGS article for more details).
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==============================================================================
George A. Brownfield
Aerospace Engineering '87
The Pennsylvania State University
Bitnet: GAB @PSUECL
UUCP: {akgua,allegra,cbosgd,ihnp4}!psuvax1!psuvmb.bitnet!b5u
"We don't get laid much, but we're building the future"
-Engineering majors, according to Robin Williams
=========================================================================ee161abt@sdcc18.ucsd.EDU (Grobbins) (10/23/86)
In article <7993B5U@PSUVMB> B5U@PSUVMB.BITNET writes: > From what I've read in various articles upon the release of the IIGS >(including an interview with Woz) the Woz was involved in the design >of both the //x and the IIGS, although not the entire program. > The Woz was involved with the //x until it was discontinued, and he left. >When he came back, the IIGS idea was starting up, and he became involved. Steve >can be credited with some (if not most) of the IIGS beginning layout, as well >as the IWM (Integrated Woz Machine; a disk drive controller, installed in the >//c and IIGS). > Although the Woz left after the basics were decided on the IIGS to start >Cloud9, there is a lot of his thought in the layout (including helping to keep >compatability with the Mega II, and going for the limit on anything that would >allow people to stretch the possibilities (such as using the Ensoniq chip >instead of a less-powerful one.) > > As a note, the IIGS is an outgrowth of the //x, if not what the //x was >supposed to be (much of the stuff designed for the //x carried over.) > George A. Brownfield At the Apple IIGS's intitial introduction for the press, Apple brought Woz in to help discuss the machine, but did not claim that he had any hand in its design. Magazine article claims notwithstanding, I think it would not be correct to think Woz had a hand in the design of the IIGS. (Though I'd like to see that interview...) The IIGS is a very different machine than the //x. The //x died; the IIGS was born later. While they shared the same processor, the were based on differing philosophies, and had radically different designs. The IWM is also in the Mac, as memory serves, so it's not a design for the IIc/e/GS. And Woz wasn't on the Mac team. My information is mostly second-hand. Please correct me with direct quotes from Woz or the designers, if necessary. Grobbins. [Let's see how long it's Apple II Forever now that the II is no longer Apple's cash cow. Or is it?]
rbthomas@caip.RUTGERS.EDU (Rick Thomas) (10/25/86)
> At the Apple IIGS's intitial introduction for the press, Apple > brought Woz in to help discuss the machine, but did not claim that > he had any hand in its design. Magazine article claims > notwithstanding, I think it would not be correct to think Woz had a > hand in the design of the IIGS. (Though I'd like to see that > interview...) I just saw a video-tape of the introduction with the Woz "helping to discuss the machine". It was clear (to me, anyway) that he was speaking memorized lines, written by somebody else. He sounded like a very amateur actor in a high-school play. For somebody with even a little bit of acting experience, it was painful to watch! Rick Thomas (Standard disclaimers apply)
B5U@PSUVM.BITNET (10/28/86)
In article <557@sdcc18.ucsd.EDU>, ee161abt@sdcc18.ucsd.EDU (Grobbins) says: > >The IWM is also in the Mac, as memory serves, so it's not a design >for the IIc/e/GS. And Woz wasn't on the Mac team. > >My information is mostly second-hand. Please correct me with direct >quotes from Woz or the designers, if necessary. > >Grobbins. > >[Let's see how long it's Apple II Forever now that the II is > no longer Apple's cash cow. Or is it?] First, the IWM was introduced in the //c, and according to my roomate, an Apple II owner and follower for six years, that was its original use. It was supposed to be used in the //x, and it is now in the IIGS. As far as I can find, it is NOT in the Mac, and, if you think about it, why would it be? The disk drive set up in the II series and the Mac are completely different (can someone verify/disclaim this, as I know not much about the innards ofmy Mac +). As for the rest of my article, the interview with the Woz that I quoted I believe was in Compute! Apple, but I am having trouble finding the IIGS review issue, so I may not be correct. As for Apple's big seller, it is now the Macintosh line. Big purchases by companies like Boeing, General Dynamics, and Eastman Kodak have helped (see the new ads on tv). The IIGS will help, but there probably will not be any buys that big. ------- ============================================================================== George A. Brownfield Aerospace Engineering '87 The Pennsylvania State University Bitnet: GAB @PSUECL UUCP: {akgua,allegra,cbosgd,ihnp4}!psuvax1!psuvmb.bitnet!b5u "We don't get laid much, but we're building the future" -Engineering majors, according to Robin Williams =========================================================================