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Apple II VisiCalc - IIe's 80 Column vs VideoTerm

dmemphis

dmemphis

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Oct 4, 2014
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Location
Pottstown, PA
Apple noob here, little help please.
I've look high and low around the web and here for an answer to this.
I picked up an Apple IIe to run early VisiCalc.
The version that is on Apple2Online has an 80 column option which doesn't work for me.
If I boot the disk while in 40 character mode and select Y to 80 column, it reboots.
If I PR#3 and then PR#6 to boot, that doesn't work right either.
So I conclude this VisiCalc version, predating the IIe, worked with the 80 column hardware of the day
which is somehow different from the IIe 80 column implementation.
Can anyone elaborate on this for me?
Would it likely work for me if I put a Videx product in slot 3?
Thanks so much!
 
You won't be able to run a videx card in //e's slot #3. Does your //e go into 80 col. mode with PR#3? Do you have an 80 col./at least 64K card in AUX slot?
 
It's my understanding you can run a Videx card in slot 3 on a //e, you have to remove the card from the Aux slot first.

My Videx Ultraterm card has specific instructions for use in a //e, and would give a //e 132/128 column as well as 80 column 48 line support. The Ultraterm even supports using an expanded memory card in the aux slot, you have to install a specific jumper on the Ultraterm in slot 3 to support both at once.
 
Hello dmemphis,

As george pointed out, the Videx VideoTerm card is not compatible with the //e.
It is suitable to the II and II+, as stated in the manual at page 1-10.
 
I can understand that the VideoTerm card is not compatible with a ][e.
What I don't understand is why the ][e 80 col feature is not compatible with a prior 80 col defacto standard
that VideoTerm seemed to have set.
That must have gone over badly with the user base at the time.
 
If your software bypasses the 80cols firmware (ROM) and controls directly the videoterm card then would lead to an incompatibility when run on //e. Could you post a link to the disk images of the software you are trying to run on //e?
 
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