Apple IIe - Manual (Page 63)

Page 63 of 74 IIe
Printed: Tuesday, March 4, 2003 10:40:15 AM
One of the enhancements makes it possible for programmers to use special symbols that make
using programs more intuitive and fun.
Programs designed for earlier models of the Apple II won't take advantage of these special
characters at least not intentionally.
But you may notice little apples and check marks in
place of uppercase inverse characters in older programs.
Here's why: The original character generator ROM (the program in ROM that generates the
characters that appear on your screen) had two identical sets of uppercase inverse characters,
one of which was unnecessary.
In the new character generator ROM, the redundant set of
uppercase inverse characters has been replaced with mousetext characters. Older Apple IIe
programs that used the redundant set of uppercase inverse characters now display mousetext
characters in their place.
This doesn't have any effect on the way the program works, so if it doesn't bother you, go
ahead and use the program.
If it does bother you and you would like to get an upgraded version of the program, see your
dealer or contact the developer of the program.
Most popular Apple IIe programs have been
upgraded to take advantage of mousetext.
With a few older Apple IIe programs, you may encounter more serious problems:
Programs that use reserved memory locations may stop in midstream. (This is mainly a problem
with homemade, hacker software, since most programs use the standard memory locations.)
The copy protection schemes of some programs may cause them not to start up. (This problem is
mostly confined to game software.)
If you encounter these problems, contact your dealer or the developer of the software to find
out if an upgraded version of the software is available.
Troubleshooting
Making mistakes is part of the learning process. In fact, if you don't make a few mistakes,
you're not being very adventurous, and you're typing too cautiously. This appendix is designed
to help you recover from mistakes.
General Troubleshooting Tips
Some programs are better than others at shielding you from disaster. And some programs are
friendlier than others when it comes to error messages. Friendly programs will tell you what
you did wrong and how to fix it. Unfriendly programs will beep and display a cryptic message.
If you run into an unfriendly program that doesn't tell you what to do about your mistake, try
these remedies:
Check your typing. (The computer is very literal. If you type RIN instead of RUN, it won't.
If you type a lowercase l instead of a 1, it won't know what you're talking about.)
Press Caps Lock down. (Programs designed for earlier models of the Apple II accept entries
only in uppercase.)