Daily Apple

After spending quite a while trying to find a Windows program that would let me transfer a file from my Windows PC to my Apple II using x or y modem, I had a thought.

I moved the ADTPro cable from my Windows PC to my Linux PC.  I started up ZLink on my Apple //c and minicom on my Linux PC, adjusted both to 9600 8N1 and transferred the file.

The next step was to move the image to my Windows PC with ADTPro, so I moved the cable back and did the transfer.  After I got the disk image on my Windows PC, I put it into DropBox and removed it from DropBox on my iRulu.

Once there I loaded up Kegs and tried opening the Advent game file.  The interpreters did not see the game file to open it.  I remembered reading the interpreters needed a specific file type.  I checked the file types on the other Infocom games and they were different.  The Infocom games were the ProDOS file type user defined 5 ($F5) and Advent was a file type TXT.

I went back to my Windows PC and loaded up CiderPress, opened up the disk image, clicked on the Advent game file and under actions I chose edit file attributes.  I changed the file type from TXT to $F5. I moved the image through DropBox to my iRulu again and the interpreters under Kegs still didn’t see the file.  I rememebered the Aux file type.

I copied the game file from the disk image to my hard drive image.  After exiting Kegs, I moved the hard disk image through DropBox to my Windows PC.  This time I looked at both file types and the Aux file type of the Infocom Games was either $8003 or $8005.  I took an educated guess that the last digit was the game type, Z3 or Z5.  Since Advent was compiled as a Z5 I changed the Aux type to $8005.  I moved the hard disk image through DropBox to my iRulu again.

Under Kegs I was able to open the Advent game using the interpreters from the Lost Classics of Infocom.

At this point I have not found a compiler the will run on the Apple II line of computers.

I do have Inform version 6.32 which will work on Windows 7 and have compiled a sample file.  Over the next few days I will be in the process of moving the resulting game file to both the Apple II and the Macintosh SE to see if I can get them to run the same game file.

I made a first pass through, attempting to remove the interpreter from Cutthroats.  My understanding of what was going on was imperfect to say the least, and the instructions were more for someone who knew what was going on.

Years ago, I asked my mother how she made her Macaroni and Cheese casserole and she rattled of something about making a roux and adding this and that.  When she was done I’m still thinking “a roux, what the hell is a roux?” .  I’m not a cook but I can learn, and now I make a killer Macaroni and Cheese casserole.  I had to look up roux and go from there.

In much the same way the directions from InfocomPro, assumed knowledge I did not have more than a partial grasp of.  It went something like this (don’t use these):

Boot Cutthroats.

When you get to 80 columns (Y/N) push the break.

move memory 4000<800.8FFM

boot dos disk

move memory back 800<4000.4FFFM

bsave interpreter

copy interpreter from DOS diskette to InfocomPro ProDos diskette with Copy II plus.

When I got to the move memory part I assumed I had to get into the monitor, so I looked that up (Thanks David Finnigan for your very handy book).  I moved the memory.

Booting the disk seemed counter intuitive (doesn’t that wipe memory?) but I did and then moved the memory back and bsaved it.

I tried to copy the file with Copy II Plus and that didn’t happen.  I tried several versions and finally ended up using the System Utilities 3.1, slick as you please.

At this point I have the INTERPRETER file on the InfocomPro diskette image, in order to use it I need a game file.

I put the InfocomPro diskette image in DropBox, grabbed it off with my tablet, booted Kegs with my Infocom hard drive image, inserted the InfocomPro diskette image and copied a game file to it from the hard drive image.  After putting the InfocomPro image into DropBox again and grabbing it off with my PC, I fired up AppleWin and ran Infoload on the InfocomPro diskette image, the program runs, asks for a game file and doesn’t like the interpreter (it didn’t crash, just said it wasn’t the right one).

So now I have some things to try, I can continue with the InfocomPro instructions and pull the same game file off, I used a different one, I can try the same game file from the hard drive image or maybe something to do with the memory moves.

In my internet travels, yesterday, I stumbled across a couple of things.

The first is a set of diskette images containing the Lost Treasures of Infocom for the Apple //gs, from the Big Red Computer Club.  Included are two interpreters for the Apple //gs and the game files taken from other platforms.  After copying the files to a hard drive image, I was able to run the interpreters and play some of the games.  I haven’t yet tried them all.

The important thing to me is I should be able to play other inform games on the Apple //gs.  I have yet to test any inform games.

The other item was a note from Rubywand, in April of 2000, about infocompro.shk. This note was in response to Tail Kinker’s request for help.  It explained you needed a specific interpreter and which five games had it.  They were Sorceror, Suspect, HHGTTG, Seastalker,  and Cutthroats.  I found Cutthroats right off.  When I ran it, the copyright was for 1984, one of the criteria.  When I got to the command prompt I entered $VERIFY and Cutthroats responded with INTERPRETER VERSION : B , as noted in the README file from InfocomPro.  I’m working on pulling out the interpreter and testing it and when I manage a working version I will put up a page telling how.