Apple II

Apple II+ Computer with Monochrome Monitor & Two 5.25-inch Floppy Drives

Introduction and History:

The Apple II series of computers arguably began the Personal Computing revolution. PC World has awarded the prize of the Greatest PC of All Time to the Apple II[1]. This computer and its descendants, the Apple II+, the Apple IIe, and the Apple IIGS enjoyed well over a decade of popularity beginning in 1977 and spanning until well into the 1990s.

Designed by Steve Wozniak and released by Apple Computer in 1977, the Apple II represents the triumph of simple, elegant design. This is true not only of the hardware itself, which was simple but highly flexible and expandable, but also of the operating systems released by Apple which provided the services developers needed to create superior software without the burden of unnecessary complexity.

Although production ended in 1993, it is still possible to acquire these machines at reasonable prices, but they are growing increasingly rare with the passage of time. In addition, there are a number of challenges involved in setting them up as the technology has moved so far forward in the last 20 years that it is difficult to find compatible displays or other I/O devices. Before going into the details, you may wish to consider some of the reasons why you might choose to add one of these computers to your home.

Ultima II

Ultima II Adventure Game by Sierra On-Line

Why Buy a Vintage Apple II for My Home:

  • I owned one when I was younger, and I'd like to revel in nostalgia.
  • I would like to own an important piece of computing history.
  • I would like to play some of the first graphical computer games in history.
  • I can't believe it's possible to write meaningful software on a computer more than ten thousand times slower than a modern PC and with ten thousand times less memory as well.
  • I'd like to try my hand at programming one of these old machines.

Pre-Purchase Checklist:

Once you have decided that you would like to bring a vintage Apple II computer into your home, you should plan on investing the time needed to acquire all of the pieces you will need to make good use of it. In addition to the computer itself, you should review the following list to insure that it meets minimum hardware requirements:

  • It has a full complement of memory (48K for Apple II, II+, 64K for Apple IIe).
  • It has at least one, and preferably two floppy disk drives along with the associated drive controller card. The drives produced by Apple are called Disk II floppy drives and store 140 KB per side of a disk.
  • You have a compatible display[2]
  • 5.25-inch floppies sufficient for your needs. I'd suggest a minimum of 20-30 (2-3 boxes).

Optional Items to Consider:

  • An 80-column adapter if you are buying an Apple II or II+. The IIe supports 80-columns natively.
  • A language card if you are buying an Apple II or II+. This will allow you to run programs written for Applesoft as opposed to the built-in Integer Basic. A lot of commercial software requires Applesoft to run, so it is important not to leave this out.
  • A clock chip/board. The Thunderclock or compatible is recommended because it is supported by Apple ProDOS natively. Other non-Thunderclock-compatible cards will require a software driver to work. Without a clock chip/board, you'll have to input the date every time you boot the machine.
  • A SCSI card. This will allow you to use the computer with old SCSI-compatible hard drives. Two cards are recommended: The RamFAST SCSI card (rev. D), and the Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card.
  • The Apple UniDisk 3.5-inch floppy disk system (800 KB per floppy).
  • If you want to be able to mount a 2.5" IDE hard drive in a slot in your Apple II (very convenient), check into the Focus Hard Card.

Apple II Software:

Another important factor to consider before purchasing an old Apple II is where you will obtain software for it. Compatible software on 5.25-inch floppies is rare and growing rarer by the day. Although there are a number of repositories of public domain, and old commercial software (now released into the public domain), this will do you no good unless you have a way of transferring it onto a 5.25-inch floppy to use with your computer. The simplest solution is to connect your Apple II to your PC with a null modem cable[3] and use a terminal program on your Apple II to download files from your PC. Other options[4] may be more convenient or necessary if you don't already have such a terminal program available for your Apple II.

If you are looking for software for your Apple II series computer, please refer to the external links below under the software category.

In Summary:

There is a wealth of information available on the Apple II series of computers, no matter what your interest in them. The purpose of this article is to provide you with sufficient information to allow you to make an intelligent decision regarding the purchase of one of these pieces of computing history. If you would like to learn more, here are some links to other sites with additional information and software:

General Apple II-Related Information:


Apple II Software Sources:


Apple II Periodicals (PDF format):

 

Footnotes:

[1] In 2006, on the 25th anniversary of the IBM PC, PC Magazine ran an article on the 25 Greatest PCs of All Time. In the article, the Apple II is rated #1.

[2] The Apple II series of computers were developed well in advance of the (now old) VGA standard, and are designed to be used either with a television, or with a composite monitor. Unless you are planning on using the computer with a display which has composite input capability, or have an old television set lying around you want to use it with, you will need to purchase a suitable converter for use with a modern display.

[3] Null modem cables or adapters are available at many electronics stores (e.g. Radio Shack, Fry's, etc.). They are used to connect the serial ports between two computers. Make sure you select a cable (or adapter + cable) that is compatible with the gender and size of the ports on your Many modern PCs no longer have serial ports. If you own one of these types of PCs (or a Mac), you will need to buy a USB to serial port adapter. Users report good success with adapters made by Keyspan.

[4] A full discussion on methods for transferring files between an Apple II and PC could easily take up a sizable article. For more information, please see the Apple II Csa2 FAQ or visit one of the links specified above.