Adapted from an article originally entitled “Delphi Forums and the Apple II,” originally published in the November, 1999 issue of The Lamp!
As more of the focus of telecommunications is being moved from traditional online services and electronic bulletin board systems (aka BBSs) to the Internet, many of the Apple II faithful continue to use and champion the traditional dialup online service.
Unfortunately, that traditional online service is dying a relatively quick death as the Internet assimilates old style telecommunications in a fashion that even the Borg would envy. The old per-hour charge model of the traditional online service has given way to the flat rate model used by modern Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and the standard ASCII access has been largely replaced by a TCP/IP connect. Just where does that leave those of us who still champion the Apple II?
It leaves us with some very viable options.
Let’s take a look at some ways you can continue accessing the Internet with your Apple II. We’ll take a look at options for both 8-bit and 16-bit Apple IIs, including some at very low cost, and some that many people may not have thought of.
Eight Bit Options
In order to access Internet services with an 8-bit Apple II, you will most likely need some kind of text-based dialup service. Since there is no way to make a TCP/IP connection to the Internet using the 8-bit Apple II computers you will need to find some type of service—either an ISP or one of the options below—that has dialup access and provides telnet software on that system.
You will also need communications program on your Apple II that provides VT100 emulation or higher. ProTERM can be purchased from http://www.intrec.com. Modem MGR and Kermit, and Talk is Cheap V4(TIC) can be downloaded from the A2 Database on Delphi, or at the Trenco FTP site (http://ftp.gno.org/pub/apple2/prodos/comm/term/). (Versions of Talk Is Cheap earlier than V4 do not provide VT100 emulation.)
Low Cost Alternatives include freenets, BBS’s, libraries, colleges, universities, and employers.
To find these alternatives check the yellow pages, the local library, any local computer user groups, and local colleges/universities. Ask friends and coworkers what they use for an ISP. Ask your employer if they provide any ISP privileges.
Freenets and Community Networks The term freenet implies an ISP that can be used free of charge. Often these organizations offer certain services free but charge a modest fee for other services such as telnet. Not all freenets offer telnet.
In addition to the suggestions above search the World Wide Web for freenets. Some freenets can be located at this URL: http://www.lights.com/freenet/ or search for “freenet” using HotBot (http://www.hotbot.com).
BBS’s Some of the local BBS’s offer connections to the Internet. Costs to connect to BBS’s vary widely, as do the Internet services supported.
Libraries vary widely as to any Internet services they offer. If you are lucky you might find one that allows you to dial in and provides telnet service on its system.
Colleges and Universities sometimes provide dial-in Internet service. Sometimes you will be able to use their system but will have to do so on campus. You might have to be a student or on the staff in order to use the system.
Employers sometimes will allow you to dial into their system from home. If telnet software is included on that system you can probably use it with your Apple II.
The Conventional ISP Finding an Internet Service Provider is easy these days, especially if you live in a metropolitan area. The phone book’s yellow pages usually has a comprehensive listing of them. Even in more rural areas, there should be some that are listed. However, not all ISPs are created equal, and many of them will not be able to interface with an Apple II computer.
For those with an Apple IIGS, the Marinetti option, described later in this article, is available. For 8-bit Apple II users, or those IIGS owners using an 8-bit communications program such as ProTERM, Modem MGR, or TICyou need to find an ISP that offers a shell account. This section will deal with ISPs where Marinetti is not being used.
ISPs tend to fall into 3 broad categories, based upon the operating systems they use.
Windows and Windows NT Servers Many ISPs are based on these Microsoft products. While the price per month for use of these systems tends to be low, they’re normally inaccessible to 8-bit Apple II users, since they need access protocols (TCP/IP,PPP or SLIP) not available to the communications programs.
Unix-based Servers These come in a variety of “flavors” since there’s several variations of Unix available. If an ISP is running one of these, connecting usually isn’t a problem, since the shell account you need to connect is built in. (Caveat: some ISPs may have the shell system disabled, and you would need to get then to turn it on for you. It’s also possible that you might have to dial a separate number to access the shell.)
Mixed Systems Some ISPs will use different operating systems for different functions. For example, you might find your ISP uses NT for Internet access, but Unix for mail usage.
Mixed systems may or may not offer shell accounts. They may offer them at an additional charge, or if the Unix machine is dedicated to a specific function, they may decline to allow you access to it for security reasons.
If an ISP offers what they call a “Telnet-only shell”, it’s best to avoid them. These are designed for Windows or Macs that would connect via one of the above named protocols and then run a program to “telnet” back to the shell system. Since 8-bit Apple II programs don’t incorporate this telnet package, this option doesn’t help out.
What’s needed is a true dialup shell. In most cases, you get the shell when you dial the ISP’s telephone number, and connect to their system. You’re greeted with the operating system information (usually) and a prompt for your username and then your password (always). This is similar to a commercial service such as Delphi or CompuServe asking dialup users to log on to the system. From there, you issue commands to use the system to navigate around the ISP—say to get your mail, or to access the Internet via lynx. For example, Delphi users would also issue commands to telnet to Delphi’s computers. Shell accounts usually can be accessed in other ways too. You may be able to telnet back to your shell account from another computer (say, at a cybercafe if you’re on the road) and work with it as if you had dialed directly in. )
You may find a variant in the shell system. Instead of a prompt where you issue the commands, some shell accounts are set up with a pre-defined menu, limiting your command options. This may be done for security reasons, or an attempt to help users with the more commonly used functions of the server. Obviously, a command line prompt gives you greater flexibility, but if your ISP only offers a menu-driven shell, and it has the commands you most likely would use, then it would be a workable alternative. Many school or university based systems have decided to use menus for the reasons noted above.
Finding out if the ISP you want to use has a shell account isn’t always easy, especially if they’re not using a Unix-based system. If customer service doesn’t seem to know what a shell account is, ask for someone in the technical department. Always make sure that the shell, if it exists, can be accessed via direct dialup, and not via telnet only.
When choosing an ISP, look at your needs. If you’re going to travel a lot, you might be interested in one of the “national” ISPs that offer dialup numbers throughout the U.S. and Canada. If you tend to stick close to home, numerous regional or local ISPs might work for you. Many of these smaller ISPs can be accessed away from home too, either by the telnet method mentioned above, or via shared or pooled dial-in numbers: many smaller ISPs are allowing users from other ISPs to use their numbers to connect you back to your “home” ISP. This gives you greater flexibility in your connection methods, as well as greater accessibility for the ISP.
Charges for usage will also vary from ISP to ISP. Some may offer a flat per-month usage rate. This rate may vary depending on the access speed used, or may also be discounted if you pre-pay for service. You might find some that are timed: x number of hours a month “free” for your monthly subscription, and then additional charges for any time used in excess of the “free” hours. There’s also mail-only accounts for people who want to just get email. These are cheaper still, but obviously won’t get you on to the Internet for other things.
If your look in the yellow pages has been fruitless, let your browser do the walking at http://www.thelist.com/, a website dedicated to helping folks find ISPs in their area. If you absolutely cannot find a shell account in your area, two of the authors of this article use an ISP that uses the number pooling method mentioned above. A listing of the communities accessible for that ISP can be found at http://www.FoxValley.net/cgi-bin/National_POPs?n.
Shell accounts are not as easy to find as they once were, since the majority of Internet users are connecting via graphics-based browsers. But shell systems do still exist, and once you find one and get comfortable with using it, you’ll probably find yourself online longer and more often than you thought possible.
Esoteric Connections Many Apple II users today also have computers that run on other operating systems, such as Mac OS, Windows, or Unix variants such as Linux. It is also now feasible to have high speed Internet access available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for such computers. Cable modems and Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) have made these things possible.
If you happen to use a Unix or Unix-like system (such as Linux or NetBSD) in addition to your Apple II, you may be in luck. Provided that you are able to set up (1) a TCP/IP connection between your Unix box an the Internet and (2) a null modem connection between your II and your Unix box that allows you to use your Apple II as a smart terminal, you can use this to connect to the Internet. This is exactly the same as having a Unix shell account you dial into, except your connection is via a null modem cable rather than a phone line.
Linux is gaining tremendous popularity as a low cost powerhouse of an operating system that runs on multiple hardware platforms. From a brand new Athlon or Power Mac G4 to an old 386, you can get Linux running for close to nothing. Simply connect your Apple II and your Linux box with a null modem cable and you’re on your way to easy Internet access.
If you happen to have a Linux (or some other Unix variant) running computer connected to the Internet—preferably with a permanent connection, but dial up would be fine too—you too could create your own shell account that your Apple II can access using a null modem connection. This is not for the faint of heart, but the details can be found in Devin Reade’s excellent linux.gs.login file in the Delphi A2Pro Database. This is a setup one of the authors has available at home, and it makes accessing the ‘Net with an Apple II as fast as currently possible.
Sixteen Bit Options
If you’re using an Apple IIGS, you can use all of the options available to the 8-bit Apple II crowd as well as true TCP/IP connectivity using the Marinetti package developed by Australian programmer Richard Bennett. Marinetti will allow you to connect directly to the Internet to any host providing dial-in or null modem access using the Point-to-Point Protocol PPP) or the Serial Line Interface Protocol (SLIP)—it does not, however, support the CHAP sign on used by some Internet Service Providers offering PPP accounts. You can download the latest version of Marinetti at http://www.apple2.org/marinetti.
SLIP accounts are becoming as difficult to find as shell accounts. PPP accounts are more common; however, some users report problems getting Marinetti to work with certain ISPs. With the assistance of the Delphi A2 Forum members, we have compiled the list below of known Marinetticompatible ISPs:
| ISP Name | ISP Web Site | Area Code | Link Layer | Verified By |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CompuServe | http://www.compuserve.com | (UK) | PPP (S) | Ewen Wannop |
| Pacific Bell | http://www.pacbell.net | 209 | PPP | Eric Shepherd |
| Netcarrier | http://www.netcarrier.com | 215/610 | PPP | Barry Rees |
| Mindspring | http://www.mindspring.com | 336 | PPP | Jim Llewellyn |
| Internet Nebraska | http://www.inebraska.com | 402 | PPP | Dain Neater |
| Novia | http://www.novia.net | 402 | PPP | Carl Knoblock |
| Navix Internet | http://www.navix.net | 402 | PPP | Dain Neater |
| Compuserve | http://www.compuserve.com | 415 | PPP (S) | Joe Kohn |
| Slip Net | http:/www.slip.net | 510 | PPP | Janet Loftis |
| Videotron | http://www.videotron.ca | 514 | PPP | Mark Percival |
| Sirius Systems | http://www.sirinet.net | 580 | PPP | Thomas Compter |
| MHTC Net | http://www.mhtc.net | 608 | PPP | Aaron Pulver |
| Concentric | http://www.concentric.net | 661 | PPP | Jeff Carr |
| Barrie Connex | http://www.bconnex.net | 705 | PPP | Jeff Blakeney |
| XCalibur | http://www.iinc.com | 716 | SLIP | Don Zahniser |
| ACI Net | http://www.aci.net | 775 | PPP | Bill Dooley |
| Concentric | http://www.concentric.net | 808 | PPP | Ryan Suenaga |
| Pacific Onramp | http://www.poi.net | 808 | PPP | Ryan Suenaga |
| Triton Technologies | http://www.triton.net | 810 | PPP | Daniel Kruszyna |
| Earthlink | http://www.earthlink.net | 810 | PPP | Eric Heim |
| Solve Net | http://www.solve.net | 816/913 | PPP | Allen Moore |
| Nationwide | http://www.nationwide.net | 817 | PPP | David Pierce |
| Enteract | http://www.enteract.com | 847 | PPP | Tony Ward |
| IAG Net | http://www.iag.net | 904 | PPP | Chuck Stites |
| Fayetteville Net | http://www.faynet.com | 910 | PPP | R. Schnorenberg |
| FoxValley Internet | http://www.foxvalley.net | 847/630 312/773 708 | PPP | Leon Sargent |
Please note that while it appears safe to assume that a national or international ISP that works with Marinetti in one area would also work with it in another area, we can make no guarantees about that. For instance, we can say with certainty that the last time one of us used a concentric.net account with Marinetti in the 808 area code, it worked great. We can’t make the same statement for every concentric.net node out there.
If you have a shell account (but no SLIP or PPP), you can also try using the SLIRP PPP/SLIP emulator to get Marinetti working. SLIRP is a UNIX shell program that emulates a PPP or SLIP connection. See http://www.webcom.com/~llarrow/tiarefg.html for more details on SLIRP.
Finally, when the MacIP Link Layer module for Marinetti is released you can use a Macintosh connected to the IIGS as a TCP/IP server with proper software.
Conclusion
Apple II users will have many, many options to connect to the Internet. It’s still easy to say: “Apple II Forever!”
This article provided with the permission and assistance of the staff of The Lamp! newsletter, which is located online at http://lamp.sheppyware.net. My thanks to Lyle Syverson and Ryan Suenaga. —editor