Historically, the first apple_ii computer was launched on June 5, 1977, equipped with a 1MHz6502 microprocessor from MOS Technology, with 4KB of RAM and an audio tape interface for reading programs and data.

4k RAM? Audio tape data storage?

There is no doubt that the memory at that time was indeed only 4K, which is much larger than the first generation of Apple.

Using a cassette as a storage device is similar to a music tape, except that the audio tape stores an analog signal, while the data tape stores a digital signal.

However, the machine in Lin Hong's current hand does not store data on audio tapes, but uses a 5.25-inch floppy disk. This is an improved model from 1978, and the external 5.25-inch floppy drive disk_ii has replaced the cassette tape, which is a genius design, and the reason why Steve Woznick designed such a thing himself in the first place was purely to save money and cost, because they were so poor when they started their business that they didn't even have enough money to buy a product they made themselves.

"Saving money" is an important design concept of the apple_ii, and Woznick uses a lot of ingenuity and engineering skills to achieve the whole purpose, and this machine uses the least number of components and the most common on the market.

For example, the machine's text and image system used a connection that was outdated at the time, and it is said that Woznick thought that this would save a chip and that software calculations or scanline addressing would be cheaper than additional hardware control. Similarly, in high-resolution image mode, the color is determined by the pixel position, so it can be controlled by the software, saving the cost of the conversion chip.

However, after the computer was launched, it quickly became popular all over the world, becoming the first personal computer to achieve great commercial success, and was sought after and improved by many computer enthusiasts.

The "Red Book" is about seventy pages and not thick, but Lin Hong reads it slowly and carefully.

Although he has a beginner English-Chinese dictionary in his mind at the moment, there are still some words in it that he doesn't recognize, and these words are basically some professional words and abbreviations that have emerged in the past ten years.

However, this did not affect his reading, and he came up with abbreviations for some specialized words, and he could even guess the general meaning of other words according to the context.

The manual is divided into four sections.

The first part is naturally a basic introduction to the computer, and this part is for the vast majority of users.

The second part introduces the integer_basic programming language that comes with the apple_ii itself. The language was optimized and redesigned by Woznick on the basis of a language called tiny_basic, and although the syntax is similar, the computing speed and functionality have been greatly improved. When Woznick was designing, the program of this language was burned directly into the ROM (read-only memory) of the machine, so that even if the system was reinstalled, the basic language would still be in it and would not be lost.

This part of the language is very detailed, with not only basic syntax and rules, but also some program examples that beginners can type in against the code.

Many programs in this period require beginners to type in letter by letter to see the effect. It's a fun thing for computer enthusiasts, but it's obviously a niche hobby, and most people don't care about it, and it's going to drive them crazy if they sit in front of a computer for half an hour and type in such a big piece of code, and then end up running it with just a few circles on the monitor.

The third and fourth parts detail the firmware and hardware of the apple_ii, respectively.

Firmware is a program written into EROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), which is commonly understood as "solidified software". To put it more simply, firmware is the software of the BIOS, but it is completely different from ordinary software, it is the program code solidified inside the integrated circuit, which is responsible for controlling and coordinating the functions of the integrated circuit. For example, there is such a solidified system software in the display controller, and it can be programmed to operate the display, complete actions such as changing the color and drawing lines on it.

I have to say that the content covered in this book is very detailed, and Lin Hong is completely caught in it and can't extricate himself.

The radio technology he had been exposed to before was completely a physical circuit entity, and even if the radio waves could not be seen with the naked eye, they were a real thing that could be monitored by equipment.

However, the software he is exposed to today is an intangible thing.

Software, like language, was invented out of nothing.

What he finds most amazing is that the software runs on top of the hardware.

Software has become a bridge between man and machine, if there is a problem with the machine, the operator can be "told" through the software, and if the person wants to operate the machine, he can directly "say" to the software.

Lin Hong had thought about the difference between humans and animals in his free time at night.

When he was a child, he thought that the soul really existed, but as he mastered more and more knowledge, he read more and more miscellaneous books, and gradually understood that the soul did not seem to exist, at least no one had ever confirmed it.

Although he had never studied biology systematically, he was vaguely aware that language and intelligence were important factors that distinguish humans from other animals. And gradually formed a relatively vague cognition, he felt that language and wisdom were equivalent to the human soul.

And today, when he learned the basic principles of software, a similar thought suddenly popped up in his mind - isn't software the soul of a machine?

This thought is still very vague, but there is a flash of inspiration in his mind, and there is no theoretical support at all, it is completely his feeling.

However, this is a small fire, which has been deeply rooted in his heart from now on, and has grown with his growth since then, and finally formed a prairie fire...... Of course, that's an afterthought.

In the firmware and hardware part in the back, there are a lot of circuit diagrams and basic principles, and Lin Hong has no clue for a while and can't fully understand it, so he just scans it roughly. There's no hurry now, and when he's done with everything in front of him, he'll go back and study it carefully.

When he was reading this book, Sun Wu called halfway, and the two chatted on the phone for a while, and when Sun Wu heard that Lin Hong might follow his mother to tour the capital in the next few days, he immediately strongly asked to go with him. His father didn't have time to accompany him around the capital. After the two agreed on a time, they hung up the phone.

Although Lin Hongcai used the phone for the first time, he did not have any psychological barriers, you know, he used to make free "international calls" every day, and the phone was too simple in his eyes.

He looked at the time, it was almost five o'clock, and his mother had not returned from shopping for groceries.

He was already hungry, so he had to go to the hall and eat the apple that had been placed on the table before, and then padded his stomach.

Now everything is ready, only the east wind is owed.

He came to his desk and activated the apple_ii again, and after the sound of "beep-" sounded, the previous picture of green letters on a black background soon appeared.

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