In article <5lr7kv055k4tmg6f3chs4plulpskl0anh8@4ax.com>, Sergei Gnezdov wrote: > Hi, > > I came across this newsgroup and I can't figure out why it is named > apple2. Why do the people use Apple IIe? > > > Thank you Apple I = a $666.66 naked circuit board that you went out and bought parts to solder onto, built a case and keyboard for, and otherwise "put together" to give you a real live computer of your own for a sum of money that, while large, was *WAY* more reasonable than anything else available at the time. A mind-bogglingly HUGE step in the so-called "computer revolution". Without it, humanity may well have never seen any such thing as the information age - It broke new ground in so many ways that I can't even begin to list them all. Apple II (roman numeral 2) = The followup to the Apple I - Came in a case, fully assembled, ready to connect to your display device (purchased separately, of course), power up, and start being a computer nerd. No more soldering! The first widely popular home computer. Millions and millions landed in schools, giving Apple Inc. the lion's share of computers in education for years to come, and incidentally, biasing a whole generation of schoolkids in Apple's favor. (Think kid's mind-set: "Computer = Apple - I want a computer, so that means I want an Apple") Apple ][+ (read it "two plus") = The next widely popular home computer. An improvement on the Apple ][ in several ways, most obviously, the existence of "AppleSoft BASIC" (a language that could do floating-point arithmetic) instead of "Integer BASIC" (which was restricted to, as the name hints, math that used integer values only) in ROM. Apple ][e, later //e, and even later, //e Enhanced = Another improvement in the long-lived Apple II line - too many refinements to list. Apple //c = A portable, or at least semi-portable, (and depending on who you ask, improved) version of the IIe. The direct predecessor of today's "notebook" and "laptop" computers. Apple //gs = The Apple IIe's "big brother" - In some ways, could almost be considered a "prototype Macintosh" since many of the ideas that were "just barely there" or "just barely usable" in that machine have have been refined and incorporated into the current Macintosh computers. Hence, the newsgroup name "Apple2" - A newsgroup dealing with all things related to the Apple II line of computers. -- Don Bruder - dakidd@sonic.net <--- Preferred Email - unmunged, SpamAssassinated Hate SPAM? See for some seriously great info. I will choose a path that's clear: I will choose Free Will! - N. Peart Fly trap info pages: