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Building an Apple II Newsroom
Posted by[10]colemanjw2[11]January 14, 2021January 15, 2021Posted
in[12]Apple II, [13]Hardware ProjectsTags:[14]Apple II, [15]Baud Rate,
[16]Communcations, [17]News, [18]Serial, [19]Super Serial, [20]Telnet,
[21]Terminal
This project came to fruition after collective tinkering sessions with
my Apple II and various communications technologies that I use to
interface the Apple II with the modern web. It’s pretty straightforward
and I can imply (or just imagine) that this kind of set up was likely
used as the earliest newsroom technology when the communications
networks were strictly between institutions like communications between
the AP and, say, the Washington Post.
I imagine back then they used unidirectional receiver teletype-like
machines which clacked away like a typewriter when printing out wires
from various services that informed the newsroom. I will be using an
Apple-II-era-appropriate dot-matrix printer which, frankly, is just as
loud (lol).
IFRAME:
[22]https://www.youtube.com/embed/mzTcfPefdhI?version=3&rel=1&showsearc
h=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent
Now, don’t get too excited as I don’t mean to say we’ll be using the
Apple II for modern day ‘Apple News’. The Apple II is obviously nowhere
near equipped. BUT, what we CAN do is utilize the old communications
application protocol known as TELNET to get some “live” data scraped
from CNN or the BBC thanks to Francesco Sblendorio who put the work
into [23]bbs.retrocampus.com.
Apple II+ Prerequisites:
80-column card
[24]Shift-key Mod
Super Serial Card
A dot-matrix or other printer with requisite interface card
*also assumes a healthy underlying knowledge of your Apple II+*
What is TELNET?
TELNET is a bidirectional, interactive, text-oriented communication
facility using a virtual terminal connection. What does this mean? It
means through use of serial communications, which has been embedded in
computer systems since the late 70s and is still widely implemented
today (though mostly for compatibility), we can “TELNET in” to an
information service via the modern day computer via a TTY (the
abbreviation for “teletypewriter”, if you’re curious) login.
Hardware Side
A TTY connection is implemented via a terminal program loaded into the
Apple II which accesses the Super Serial Card which “talks” to the
modern-day computer via a SERIAL>USB connection. [25]The following is
the most trusted and compatible SERIAL>USB cable I’ve ever used and it
works without question across many vintage machines that need to
interface with modern machines. You’ll need to[26] step up the DB9
termination to DB25 as that is the connector on the Super Serial Card
(confirm that the adapter is NULL MODEM not STRAIGHT THROUGH). But,
other than that it’s pretty straightforward.
Drivers for this are widely available via the manufacturer’s website
and they are all kept-up with as OS(s) change. [27]These drivers are
available here and work for Windows, Mac, and Linux making this truly
the best cable available for you retro computer folks. (I even use this
cable to ZTERM files into my Mac Plus from a Windows 98
Hyperterminal—the only way I have to get files into an old 68K Mac!)
This is the Apple Super Serial card. It’s widely available on eBay as I
write this for $40-$80.
Apple’s Super Serial Card. I keep mine in Slot 2. Note the DB25
termination.
The modern computer gives us our link to the “internet” or rather the
TELNET addresses that will send us the data we need in pure text form.
This pure text form is known as ASCII, which is the formal acronym for
American Standard Code for Information Interchange.
The final connection looks like this:
MacBook>USB2SERIAL>DB92DB25>SuperSerialCard
NOTE: This protocol of TELNET is widely considered no longer secure.
This is because the data that is transmitted via TELNET is plaintext
and can be intercepted or viewed exactly as it is coming in and going
out to your terminal with no encryption. This isn’t a big deal because
any sensible person just does hobbyist things or local network things
these days with TELNET. But if you carry on to other BBS sites that
require you to create an account, be sure you’re not using usernames
and passwords that you use for “real stuff” these days. Just make some
BBS-only users and passes as it’s all for fun anyways. AGAIN THIS IS
FINE TO PLAY WITH JUST DON’T TYPE IN ANY SENSITIVE INFO VIA TELNET
(likely not to occur anyways).
Software Side
Firstly, I’m gonna present this setup from the lens of a Mac running
Big Sur. But rest assured, I have tried this on every machine I have
and it works flawlessly. Windows comes with TELNET as a service still.
For Linux, it’s easy to add. Just do a simple Google search.
The process for installing TELNET on a Mac running Big Sur is well
detailed and successfully implemented [28]here.
After that you’re going to want to[29] watch this hour-long video from
KansasFest where they instruct how to use your Apple II as a
dumb-terminal for your Mac.
Just kidding… I’ve condensed the instructions here.
determine the '/dev' address of your USB to Serial cable with:
ls dev
e.g. mine is /dev/tty.usbserial-AM00MDHW
---
Open a Terminal on the Mac
enter this command:
screen /dev/tty.usbserial-AM00MDHW -s 9600
perform these key-presses:
CTRL-A and then SHIFT-:
a prompt appears in inverse text on the bottom left of terminal
enter this command
exec ::: /usr/libexec/getty std.9600
A login prompt should appear at this point in your terminal window and you do no
t have the ability to type in that window as what we have done is initiate a TTY
connection over the USB>SERIAL cable and it awaits the terminal's (the Apple II
) login.
You can close the Mac Terminal window now if you'd like, or not. We are utilizin
g unix's "screen" function here and there is no cause to keep the window up. But
, you can monitor the Apple II's input if you leave it open.
So what have we just done?
Well, in plain English, we have opened up a TTY terminal session at
9600 Baud and sent that out via whatever is on the other end of our
USB>SERIAL cable. Here, that “whatever” is the Apple II running a
terminal program.
That’s our next software step—the terminal program, as follows:
First download the [30]Modem MGR terminal program from Asimov. This
.zip file contains 3 .DSK images. We don’t need the “utilities” disk.
But you will need to write the “install” and “work” disk to a
double-sided floppy (via something like ADT PRO) to configure the
program. Feel free to peruse the “utilities” disk. I haven’t yet.
Here I am placing Disk Side 2 or “Work Disk” into my beloved Apple II
Plus. You could flip the orientation or use two disks. Don’t forget to
notch the second side!
Second you will utilize the “install” disk which will take you through
the process of identifying your hardware configuration. This will then
ask you to flip the disk over as it writes these parameters to the
“work disk”. All subsequent boots of the program will occur off the
“work disk” and you won’t need the “install disk” again unless you
change your hardware.
This is my hardware configuration. You may not have all these features.
You really just need 80 columns, Super Serial, and a printer. Clock is
optional.
Third you will boot the Apple II+ with the work disk side active and if
all goes well this should be your screen.
The home screen of Modem MGR.
After you have successfully gotten to the Modem MGR home screen, you
will select the baud rate for communications that we set earlier
(9600). Press ESC-M to set this as indicated from the menu.
Clearly it is “N:9600” we want here. Thus, select N.
Immediately after, you should see the login prompt to your Mac such as
this (you may need to hit RETURN twice).
(Don’t worry about my monitor, there is well-documented problem with
old Videx 80-column cards that causes minor clipping on some monitors.
It doesn’t affect functionality and I’ve gotten used to it. Moreover,
when I output to a different composite monitor this doesn’t occur.)
You’ve come a long way, cowboy. Congrats. It’s almost over.
Ok, now we login to our Mac like its our Mac. Just put in your Mac
username and the password you would use to unlock your laptop.
You’re in! It should look like a classic Mac bash at this point
indicating you’re connected on a TTY connection. As follows:
Ok so if you’ve installed TELNET as instructed, you should now only
need to type “telnet” into the bash. It will open a prompt called
“telnet>.” On Mac you enter “telnet” again and it prompts you with
“(to)” where you will input the address.
If you’re on Windows or Linux you’ll initiate at bash/cmd with
“telnet,” just like Mac. But, on the second request you type “open
*then the address here*” to open a telnet connection. I don’t know why
it’s different. But, it is and there you go.
Here is what it looks like for Mac:
After hitting RETURN, you should be dialing up a BBS! Specifically,
we’re dialing up retrocampus which features the aforementioned
news-data scraping tool. No username or password is required for this
service.
We will be greeted with this screen after successful connection.
Here we must pick our communications protocol. As you can see, this BBS
would suit the graphics of a Commodore system which brings colors and
graphics into play, among other protocols which have their varying
features. But as this is an Apple II, we’re just gonna go with PURE
ASCII W/ECHO or OPTION 4.
I know it mentions the defined APPLE-1/II set as options 2/3, but
realize these are for 40-column terminal programs and I honestly can’t
find one that works on the Apple II+. Thus we’re going with 80×24 Pure
ASCII transmissions here which works a treat.
Next you’ll be on the BBS “homepage”.
Plenty of cool options here. Have fun and explore!
The homepage contains an “International News” section. The CNN and BBC
selections extract headline data with a little blurb attached along
with timestamp info. These headlines are “updated” on the Apple II
automatically and change on the screen automatically (as well as manual
“next” selection existing).
It’s this automatic refresh function that makes the printing so cool.
We can just reroute the printing of the BBS data from the Apple II
screen to the Epson printer we have connected via an Epson APL Parallel
Printer Card in Slot 4. This was configured in the Modem MGR Install
disk routine.
Press ESC-SHIFT-? to enter the Modem MGR menu at anytime. Then press
key combo ESC-P to turn printing on. With the printer on, the next
screen update should just automatically start printing to the printer
as well as screen.
IFRAME:
[31]https://www.youtube.com/embed/mzTcfPefdhI?version=3&rel=1&showsearc
h=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent
Every time the screen updates, the printer prints that headline. That
simple. Moreover, anything else that the screen updates with will be
printed: menus, messages, etc. Turn the printer feature off from the
menu just as you turned it on if you just wanna navigate without
printing each thing you do.
You can turn off your screen and leave everything connected and you
will get a golden-age-of-journalism, 1970s “newsroom”-style influx of
the world’s headlines right to your dot matrix printer.
Please be advised! None of this assures the news will get any better.
But, at least you’ll have a certain joyful misery by viewing your news
this way!
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and I hope it keeps you inspired
to keep thinking of ways to interface that Apple II to your modern
life! This same TTY connection to your Mac has myriad uses. Try SSHing
into a Linux machine and ‘apt-get updating’ your machine from your
Apple II+. Loads of fun!
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Posted by[34]colemanjw2[35]January 14, 2021January 15, 2021Posted
in[36]Apple II, [37]Hardware ProjectsTags:[38]Apple II, [39]Baud Rate,
[40]Communcations, [41]News, [42]Serial, [43]Super Serial, [44]Telnet,
[45]Terminal
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3 thoughts on “Building an Apple II Newsroom”
1. Pingback: [47]Building an Apple II Newsroom | BitHistory.org
2. Pingback: [48]Apple II Prints Off The Breaking News - Latest
Hacking NEWS - Lazy Hackers LLP
3. Pingback: [49]Apple II Prints Off The Breaking News | Sverige
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