Hugh Hood
2023-12-06 06:27:36 UTC
Now available is a collection of six (6) high-speed 57,600 baud to
230,400 baud GS/OS Serial Port Drivers (FileType $BB / AuxType $0002)
for use when printing from GS/OS Desktop applications.
In most cases, these port drivers can be used with either the Direct
Connect PostScript Printer Driver or any of the HP LaserJet/DeskJet
printer drivers contained on the Harmonie printer driver software
package from Vitesse.
{They may also be useful when printing to some other brands of printers
whose drivers are available in the Harmonie package}.
Since these are serial port drivers, they will probably only be selected
when printing in one of the following two situations:
1. From a 'real' Apple IIgs to a printer with a serial interface (or a
printer with a parallel interface using a serial-parallel adapter);
or,
2. From an emulated Apple IIgs (e.g. KEGS or one of its variants) to a
printer, primarily in the instance where the emulated IIgs' serial port
is redirected by the emulator over TCP/IP to a network printer attached
to the host computer. {KEGS began offering this feature at version 1.29}.
There are six (6) port drivers in this package:
1. Printer Port (Slot 1) @ 57,600 baud
2. Printer Port (Slot 1) @ 115,200 baud
3. Printer Port (Slot 1) @ 230,400 baud
4. Modem Port (Slot 2) @ 57,600 baud
5. Modem Port (Slot 2) @ 115,200 baud
6. Modem Port (Slot 2) @ 230,400 baud
Included also is the source code (Merlin format) for the drivers.
All drivers are based on Burger Becky Heineman's original freeware
'Printer57.6' port driver released back in the early 1990's, and later
included in the Harmonie printer driver software package.
Heineman's driver was disassembled using Ewen Wannop's 'BrkDown' Desktop
disassembler application, and then converted into Merlin source code.
A couple of minor items in the Printer57.6 were first corrected, and
then the code was modified to produce the six port drivers included here.
The drivers have been tested on both a 'real' Apple IIgs attached to a
serial HP LaserJet printer, and also on a KEGS emulated Apple IIgs
printing to a networked HP LaserJet PostScript printer on the host machine.
All tests went well, and all drivers offered substantially quicker
printing speed than that achieved by using Apple's own 'Printer' port
driver that is included with GS/OS.
I been particularly impressed by the results when using the 115,200 baud
and 230,400 baud port drivers with KEGS' serial-to-IP printing to a
networked PostScript laser printer. Thanks again to Kent Dickey for
recently adding that feature to KEGS.
The new port drivers are available here:
<http://www.apple2works.com/gsoshighspeedportdrivers>
Hugh Hood
230,400 baud GS/OS Serial Port Drivers (FileType $BB / AuxType $0002)
for use when printing from GS/OS Desktop applications.
In most cases, these port drivers can be used with either the Direct
Connect PostScript Printer Driver or any of the HP LaserJet/DeskJet
printer drivers contained on the Harmonie printer driver software
package from Vitesse.
{They may also be useful when printing to some other brands of printers
whose drivers are available in the Harmonie package}.
Since these are serial port drivers, they will probably only be selected
when printing in one of the following two situations:
1. From a 'real' Apple IIgs to a printer with a serial interface (or a
printer with a parallel interface using a serial-parallel adapter);
or,
2. From an emulated Apple IIgs (e.g. KEGS or one of its variants) to a
printer, primarily in the instance where the emulated IIgs' serial port
is redirected by the emulator over TCP/IP to a network printer attached
to the host computer. {KEGS began offering this feature at version 1.29}.
There are six (6) port drivers in this package:
1. Printer Port (Slot 1) @ 57,600 baud
2. Printer Port (Slot 1) @ 115,200 baud
3. Printer Port (Slot 1) @ 230,400 baud
4. Modem Port (Slot 2) @ 57,600 baud
5. Modem Port (Slot 2) @ 115,200 baud
6. Modem Port (Slot 2) @ 230,400 baud
Included also is the source code (Merlin format) for the drivers.
All drivers are based on Burger Becky Heineman's original freeware
'Printer57.6' port driver released back in the early 1990's, and later
included in the Harmonie printer driver software package.
Heineman's driver was disassembled using Ewen Wannop's 'BrkDown' Desktop
disassembler application, and then converted into Merlin source code.
A couple of minor items in the Printer57.6 were first corrected, and
then the code was modified to produce the six port drivers included here.
The drivers have been tested on both a 'real' Apple IIgs attached to a
serial HP LaserJet printer, and also on a KEGS emulated Apple IIgs
printing to a networked HP LaserJet PostScript printer on the host machine.
All tests went well, and all drivers offered substantially quicker
printing speed than that achieved by using Apple's own 'Printer' port
driver that is included with GS/OS.
I been particularly impressed by the results when using the 115,200 baud
and 230,400 baud port drivers with KEGS' serial-to-IP printing to a
networked PostScript laser printer. Thanks again to Kent Dickey for
recently adding that feature to KEGS.
The new port drivers are available here:
<http://www.apple2works.com/gsoshighspeedportdrivers>
Hugh Hood