Super Hi-Res Chess
Encyclopedia
Super Hi-Res Chess was a novelty computer program
for the Apple II
written by (then) Apple Computer
applications programmer Bruce Tognazzini
in 1978, early in the history of Apple computer. It was a practical joke
program purporting to be a chess
game in high-resolution (hi-res) graphics, but which actually contained no chess or graphics. When the unsuspecting user tried to run the program, it promptly crashed with a syntax error, appearing to return the user to the Applesoft BASIC
command line input mode. However, when the user attempted to use any BASIC or Apple DOS commands, there would be humorous results, since the program was actually still running and only pretending to be the Apple's command line processor. Many different commands were "parodied", with silly error messages resulting.
"Tog" later expanded the program to include both the LISP
and UCSD Pascal
language syntax, redistributing it under the name, "Cattlecar Galactica."
The program's name appeared in the directory of the floppy disk, but opening and listing this file revealed no useful contents. Instead, the user found only hundreds of page-feed commands and a small amount of seemingly random code. That's because that's all there was. The actual program on the disk was hidden in plain sight. It was called "Applesoft," for Applesoft BASIC
, the name of Microsoft
's floating point BASIC licensed by Apple in the early years. Because programmers expected to see a copy of Applesoft on every disk, they would never even suspect they should look there for the program. Naive users, on the other hand, were just as likely to look there as anywhere else, giving them the upper hand in discovering the actual program.
The way out of the program—the goal of the game—was equally stacked against programmers. The magic word for escaping the program and gaining access to the code was "egress
," with sufficient clues that English majors could easily escape, but programmers unfamiliar with the word could not. (English majors often found their way out within about 30 minutes; some programmers took a week or more, working their way through the disk by track and sector, looking for clues in the underlying code.)
Tog had barely started on the program when a group of other Apple programmers gathered around to play with it. Steve Jobs
happened upon them, yelled that it was a complete waste of time, and sent everyone back to work, forbidding Tog to work on it any more. Based on this admonishment, Tog did little else but work on it for the next seven weeks, releasing it free to the Apple II user groups, which rapidly spread it around the world. The story of Steve's intervention appeared in the movie, "Pirates of Silicon Valley
," where the program was referred to as "a parody of BASIC."
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
for the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
written by (then) Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
applications programmer Bruce Tognazzini
Bruce Tognazzini
Bruce "Tog" Tognazzini is a usability consultant in partnership with Donald Norman and Jakob Nielsen in the Nielsen Norman Group, which specializes in human computer interaction. He was with Apple Computer for fourteen years, then with Sun Microsystems for four years, then WebMD for another four...
in 1978, early in the history of Apple computer. It was a practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
program purporting to be a chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
game in high-resolution (hi-res) graphics, but which actually contained no chess or graphics. When the unsuspecting user tried to run the program, it promptly crashed with a syntax error, appearing to return the user to the Applesoft BASIC
Applesoft BASIC
Applesoft BASIC was a dialect of Microsoft BASIC supplied with the Apple II series of computers. It superseded Integer BASIC and was the BASIC in ROM in all Apple II series computers after the original Apple II model. It was also referred to as FP because of the command used to invoke it instead...
command line input mode. However, when the user attempted to use any BASIC or Apple DOS commands, there would be humorous results, since the program was actually still running and only pretending to be the Apple's command line processor. Many different commands were "parodied", with silly error messages resulting.
"Tog" later expanded the program to include both the LISP
Lisp
A lisp is a speech impediment, historically also known as sigmatism. Stereotypically, people with a lisp are unable to pronounce sibilants , and replace them with interdentals , though there are actually several kinds of lisp...
and UCSD Pascal
UCSD Pascal
UCSD Pascal was a Pascal programming language system that ran on the UCSD p-System, a portable, highly machine-independent operating system. UCSD Pascal was first released in 1978...
language syntax, redistributing it under the name, "Cattlecar Galactica."
The program's name appeared in the directory of the floppy disk, but opening and listing this file revealed no useful contents. Instead, the user found only hundreds of page-feed commands and a small amount of seemingly random code. That's because that's all there was. The actual program on the disk was hidden in plain sight. It was called "Applesoft," for Applesoft BASIC
Applesoft BASIC
Applesoft BASIC was a dialect of Microsoft BASIC supplied with the Apple II series of computers. It superseded Integer BASIC and was the BASIC in ROM in all Apple II series computers after the original Apple II model. It was also referred to as FP because of the command used to invoke it instead...
, the name of Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's floating point BASIC licensed by Apple in the early years. Because programmers expected to see a copy of Applesoft on every disk, they would never even suspect they should look there for the program. Naive users, on the other hand, were just as likely to look there as anywhere else, giving them the upper hand in discovering the actual program.
The way out of the program—the goal of the game—was equally stacked against programmers. The magic word for escaping the program and gaining access to the code was "egress
Egress
Egress may refer to:* the act of exiting, and the antonym of ingress* Egress , the right of a person to leave a property* Egress , the passage of electromagnetic fields through the shield of a coaxial cable-See also:...
," with sufficient clues that English majors could easily escape, but programmers unfamiliar with the word could not. (English majors often found their way out within about 30 minutes; some programmers took a week or more, working their way through the disk by track and sector, looking for clues in the underlying code.)
Tog had barely started on the program when a group of other Apple programmers gathered around to play with it. Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
happened upon them, yelled that it was a complete waste of time, and sent everyone back to work, forbidding Tog to work on it any more. Based on this admonishment, Tog did little else but work on it for the next seven weeks, releasing it free to the Apple II user groups, which rapidly spread it around the world. The story of Steve's intervention appeared in the movie, "Pirates of Silicon Valley
Pirates of Silicon Valley
Pirates of Silicon Valley is a 1999 made-for-television film directed by Martyn Burke and based on the book Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. The film documents the impact on the development of the personal computer of the rivalry between...
," where the program was referred to as "a parody of BASIC."