Michael Black wrote:
> On Fri, 30 Jan 2009, Michael J. Mahon wrote:
> 
>> nem wrote:
>>> mcpublic  wrote in news:
>>>
>>>> I'd like to get Apple II VisiCalc running in emulation.
>>>> Right now this isn't possible because of the copy protection.
>>>> (BTW the PC DOS version is available on the web, and
doesn't have copy
>>>> protection).
>>>
>>> It did originally. All versions of Visicalc except for the TRS-80 
>>> Model I release were copy-protected.
>>>
>>>> I have three versions of the Apple II software.  I know one of them
>>>> still boots (1983?)
>>>> and have some confidence that the other two versions (1979 and 1981)
>>>> work also.
>>>
>>> IIRC, Dan Bricklin said they took the copy-protection out of the 
>>> later releases (as well as cassette support).
>>
>> On his website a few years ago, he presented the original Apple II
>> screenshot and the quick reference card, but said that he did not
>> offer the original Apple II version because the disk was copy-
>> protected--so he offered the PC version.
>>
>> I sent him a normalized version with no "crack screen" or other
>> "embellishments" hoping that he would add it to his site, but
>> never got any response.
>>
>> It would be easy to have a web Apple II emulator so that any
>> browser user could click on a link and run the original VisiCalc,
>> which IMHO would be a much more authentic experience.
>>
>> I don't even remember any cassette support...I thought VisiCalc
>> required a DISK ][.
>>
> Maybe it's more a case of those who needed VisiCalc were the ones
> who'd have a floppy drive, so nobody talked about cassettes.
> 
> I have no idea, but they say that many people rushed out
> and bought Apple II's to run Visicalc, the expense being nothing
> compared to what they could do with the program.
> 
> Thus I can imagine many of the people buying VisiCalc having floppy
> drive(s).
> 
> The average person wasn't going to buy VisiCalc unless they had
> a good reason for it.

I don't know what "average" is, but I used it for many things,
including my income taxes for about 7 years!

I find a spreadsheet about as useful as a word processor!

-michael

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