[Tfug] Apple //e as a Gentoo Linux serial terminal.

[Quag7]

Well I got it done!

Here are some of the pics of IRC on the Apple 2 and the standard uname -a :

http://www.dataswamp.net/colin/apple2e-irc-1.jpg
http://www.dataswamp.net/colin/apple2e-irc-2.jpg
http://www.dataswamp.net/colin/apple2e-serial_term-1.jpg
http://www.dataswamp.net/colin/apple2e-serial_term-2.jpg
http://www.dataswamp.net/colin/apple-firstxferredapp.jpg

This software was mostly responsible:

http://adtpro.sourceforge.net/

The guys who make ADTPro ought to be given a medal or something.  This is java 
software which bootstraps an Apple 8 bit system from bare metal over a serial 
cable, resulting in a fully working Prodos system.

You can then send the ADTPro software itself over the serial term, run it, 
then use the serial-booted ADTPro software to send over a disk image of 
ADTPro to write to a floppy; then you have a bootable ADTPro floppy which can 
be used to transfer further images.

I got this working with a normal "straight" serial cable but this wouldn't 
work in terms of a serial term.  I had to pop out a  block from the serial 
card, flip it, then use various gender changers and extension cables to get 
the thing connected via a null modem cable.  Interestingly, these cards 
(clones of the Super Serial II card) are still available for about $13.00 by 
mail order, and come with full documentation.  2007, whodathunkit.

After setting two sets of jumpers and flipping the block around, I discovered 
that old term software expects the card to be in a certain slot (2).  Oddly, 
the empty slot was sending massive torrents of data to the term software I 
was using on the Apple, causing it to beep annoyingly.  I couldn't figure out 
where the data was coming from.  I switched it over from slot 4 to slot 2 and 
suddenly things quieted down and I was able to send text over to the Apple 
term with minicom, as well as cat to /dev/ttyS0 and have it display properly 
on the Apple.

Then I changed just one line in my inittab on my Gentoo system to get the 
serial terminal working.  I'd never messed with serial terms before; for some 
reason I thought it would be more complicated.

What is this useful for?  I have no idea, but it is retro-cool I guess.  The 
only issue I have is I only get good results with VT52 emulation which means 
several Linux console programs I use (irssi) don't work properly.  I hope to 
find a more modern Apple term program which supports full ANSI...

Anyway, thanks to those who e-mailed me pointers and especially to Anthony 
Hess who hooked me up with a bunch of Apple parts (including a loaded, groovy 
Apple 2 plus) and documentation - I'm still trying to find another 2 plus 
because all that needs is a keyboard and that will be up and running as well.  
I even have an original super serial card 2 ready to go.

I have a TI 99/4a in the box that I won in a goodwill auction in my closet.  
I'm tempted to mess with that next, but 22 columns, ugh!  I think I need a 
real hobby.  Still, something is cool as hell about Apple 8 bit systems even 
now.

:)

  -Quag7