SASQUATCH@ALBION.BITNET ("Kevin O. Lepard 629-5511 x6668", 517) (04/05/89)
Actually, there is no reason that programs that use Mousetext will not run on machines with the old video ROM. You'll just get a different character set than mousetext, either inverse or flashing, I forget which. It won't effect the way the program runs; it just looks funny. If you're really picky, you can make a dual video ROM and switch between the old and new video ROMs so any //e software you use will have the right set of video characters available for use. Kevin Lepard Bitnet: Sasquatch@albion.bitnet
brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby) (04/11/89)
In article <8904051454.aa19329@SMOKE.BRL.MIL>, SASQUATCH@ALBION.BITNET ("Kevin O. Lepard 629-5511 x6668", 517) writes: > > Actually, there is no reason that programs that use Mousetext will not > run on machines with the old video ROM. You'll just get a different > character set than mousetext, either inverse or flashing, I forget which. > It won't effect the way the program runs; it just looks funny. > > If you're really picky, you can make a dual video ROM and switch between the > old and new video ROMs so any //e software you use will have the right set > of video characters available for use. > > Kevin Lepard > Bitnet: Sasquatch@albion.bitnet In response to this and other posts concerning MouseText in windowing libraries, I'd like to suggest a text-based script which selects whether programs should use the MouseText character set. A text-based file could be easily edited by available tools, yet provide flexibily in software compatability. I had the idea of a dual video ROM back when the //enhanced first came out, so my Apple II+ has MouseText. (I also have dual BASIC and dual MONITOR ROMS for instantaneous load/switch to INTEGER or APPLESOFT with user selection of AUTOSTART or the traditional Apple II Monitor). The MouseText is selected by $C08A and $C08B, because these annunciators are preset by the AUTOSTART ROMs to the proper level at RESET. Another suggestion would be to store the MouseText enable softswitch addresses in the install script of the shareware windowing software, so that people like me could "patch" the program to work with our "enhancements". Install scripts are not very popular with Apple software, because Apple has done a decent job of making their hardware differences detectable from the ROM version number. In the PC world, where every clone maker plays a different ball game, the makers of software are forced to provide code which will boot on anything, yet can easily be configured once booted to use any advanced features of the system. Now that many II+ owners have features like lower-case or a C02 or even C802, it would be great if at least the public domain programs could be user configured to someones system. Examples of this are Apple PASCAL 1.1 (partially takes advantage of lower case, but you have to edit the OS to defeat the keyboard mapping that is specific to the original Apple keyboard), Glen Bredon's Merlin, and a disk repair kit tool (name?) that asks you each time if you have lower case. If you're going to write it, do it right! Brian Willoughby microsoft!brianw@uunet.UU.NET or uw-beaver!microsoft!brianw or just microsoft!brianw