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!lm12
!rm75
Apple //e Notes.............................Bob Sander-Cederlof

We don't have one yet, but we did play with one for about an hour last week.  All our software works fine, as long as you stay in the 40-column caps-lock mode.  We will be making new versions available in the near future which take full advantage of the extended memory, lower-case, and 80-column display.

The best write-up I have seen yet on the //e is in the February 1983 Apple Orchard (published by the International Apple Core, 908 George St., Santa Clara, CA 95050).


Here are some of the things that caught my attention:

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!pp-3
*  Real shift key, and a caps-lock key.

*  Open-Apple and Closed-Apple keys, which duplicate the first two paddle buttons.

*  Recessed RESET key.  CTRL-RESET required (no longer a switchable option).  CTRL-Closed-Apple-RESET starts a memory test program.

*  Two 8K ROMs, instead of six 2K ROMs.  The extra 2K of ROM space is used by the modified Monitor program.  Fancy soft-switches map the extra 2K into the $C000-C7FF space.  These sockets are supposedly compatible with 2764 EPROMs.

*  Apparently the Monitor now uses (clobbers) zero-page locations $08 and $1F.

*  Up- and down-arrows on the keyboard.  Down is CTRL-J, or linefeed.  Up is CTRL-K.

*  The keyboard includes all the ASCII set, even $7F (DELETE, or RUBOUT).

*  64K RAM on the motherboard.  This simulates an Apple II Plus with a 16K RAM card in slot 0.

*  New slot instead of slot 0, with 60-pin connector (other slots still have 50-pin connectors).  Apple's 80-column card plugs in here.  The extra pins carry other signals not normally available at the slots.  Look for some amazing new combined function cards from the peripheral-card makers for this slot!  I wouldn't be surprised to find ads real soon for 256K RAM cards including 80-column support, clock- calendar, serial/parallel interfaces, and all on one card.

*  80-column card with or without extra 64K RAM.  But this 64K RAM is soft-switched in a totally different manner.  It maps over the same space as the motherboard 64K, with switches to map portions such as page-zero, text screen, hi-res screen, and so on.
!np
*  Now you can READ the state of most of the soft-switches.  Bit 7 (high bit) tells the state, as follows:

       $C013 -- RAMREAD
       $C014 -- RAMWRT
       $C015 -- SLOTCXROM/CX00ROM
       $C016 -- ALTZP/MAIN
       $C017 -- SLOTC3ROM/SLOTROM
       $C018 -- 80 COL STORE
       $C019 -- VERTICAL BLANKING
       $C01A -- TEXT
       $C01B -- MIXED MODE
       $C01C -- PAGE2
       $C01D -- HIRES
       $C01E -- ALTCHAR
       $C01F -- 80 COL DISP

*  Yes, you saw right...the vertical blanking signal is now readable!  So lovers of Lancaster's Enhancements can continue to tinker!

*  Inverse lower-case display is selectable, at the expense of the flashing mode.

*  The cursor display is different.  A small checkerboard alternates with the character under the cursor in 40-column mode.  In 80-column mode an inverse blank is the normal cursor, and an inverse "+" is used when in escape-mode.
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Whether we view the changes as improvements or not, the //e will very soon be the standard we all have to deal with.  The same situation arose when Apple switched from II to II Plus.  A year from now, when 300,000 have been sold, we will wonder how we ever lived without it!

