Apple II Gets OS Update after 23 Years

23 years after its last revision, the Apple II home computer has received an operating system update. Created by programmer and retro Apple fan John Brooks, the unofficial OS update celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Apple IIGS (pictured below), which was the fifth (and most powerful) iteration of the Apple II series.

Brooks’ ProDOS update – version 2.4 – is compatible with every computer in the Apple II range, including the original model released in 1977. The OS can even run on your home PC, thanks to a web-based emulator written by Internet Archive’s Jason Scott.

ProDOS v2.4 features the following updates:

Apple IIGS features of ProDOS 2.4

1. Preserves GS/OS dormant state – Now multiple ProDOS games or programs can be booted and still return to GS/OS.
2. New ‘Bitsy Boot’ utility allows programs to quit to the 8-bit launcher or return to the 16-bit GS/OS Finder.
3. New ‘Bitsy Bye’ program launcher is built into ProDOS 2.4 and allows users to run SYS, S16, BIN, BAS, and TXT files.
4. ProDOS 2.4 includes both the 6502 compatibility of ProDOS 1.x and the slot remapping functionality of ProDOS 2.x. Now Apple II programs can use a single version of ProDOS to boot any Apple II and access all storage volumes.
5. When run from the Finder, the Solid-Apple key selects whether ProDOS 2.4 will Quit to Bitsy Bye or the Finder.
6. ProDOS 2.4 is smaller than ProDOS 2.0.3 and loads faster.
7. The ProDOS 2.4 interrupt manager reduces latency and memory-use, resulting in faster, consistent interrupt response.

Apple II features of ProDOS 2.4

1. For the first time, the features and improvements of ProDOS 2.x are available on 6502-based Apple ][, Apple ][+, and un-enhanced Apple //e computers.
2. All Apple II computers with modern USB storage devices or hard drives can now support up to 14 ProDOS volumes per device.
3. Unlike earlier versions of Basic.System which hang on Integer ROM Apple ][ computers. The new Basic.System 1.6 reports that ProDOS Basic requires an Apple ][+ and then quits back to the Bitsy Bye program launcher.
4. ProDOS splash screen date of 16-8-16 because Woz.

The ProDOS v2.4 disk image can be downloaded from Call-A.P.P.L.E..