Path: news.weeg.uiowa.edu!news.uiowa.edu!hobbes.physics.uiowa.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!olivea!apple!goofy!mumbo.apple.com!gallant.apple.com!kip-31.apple.com!dlyons From: dlyons@apple.com (David A Lyons) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Subject: Re: Programmers Reference to Sys 6 Message-ID: <1993Feb25.072316.24471@gallant.apple.com> Date: 25 Feb 93 07:23:16 GMT References: <1993Feb25.014836.25251@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> Sender: news@gallant.apple.com Organization: Apple Computer, Inc. Lines: 40 In article <1993Feb25.014836.25251@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> James Sanford, jsanford@nyx.cs.du.edu writes: > I am thinking about buying the Programmers Reference to System 6.0... I'd > like to know how much info it has in it, because the only other GS book I > have is Exploring the Apple IIgs... (no Toolbox ref., etc...)... Does it > give a list of (almost) all toolbox commands and how to use them? I'm not > sure, but I think it is a ByteWorks(?) book, I use Merlin, so does it use > a lot of Orca macros?... If you think a different book would be a better > choice, tell me... (I'd like to know how to use IPC and make drivers, > etc, so I think this book would be good for that)... Thanx for any > suggestions... The Programmer's Reference For System 6.0 tells you what is new from 5.0.2-ish to 6.0. You need Toolbox Reference 1, 2, *and* 3 to get up to the 5.0.x level, and the new book to get you to system 6. Without all four, you'll be guessing. The sample code in the reference books uses almost no macros, except for the ones that just do LDX #xxyy, JSL $E10000 (underscore + function name). If you want to write GS/OS drivers (as opposed to printer drivers or Media Control drivers) then you need the Apple IIgs GS/OS Driver Device Reference (from Resource Central). To use GS/OS at all (even if you're not writing your own driver), you need the regular Addison-Wesley Apple IIgs GS/OS Reference. (I know, it seems like a lot of books. Compared to some other platforms I can think of, it's not a lot at all.) David A. Lyons, Apple Computer, Inc. | DAL Systems Apple II System Software Engineer | P.O. Box 875 Internet:dlyons@apple.com | Cupertino, CA 95015-0875 My opinions are my own, not Apple's.