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Checkers XL 1.1 for the Macintosh XL (MacWorks Plus or Plus II, System 6.0.2 and later) 7 November 2026
Files: Checkers_XL_1.1.dc42 (an 800K Disk Copy 4.2 disk image with the application and its READ ME), Checkers_XL_1.1.bin (the application in MacBinary), READ_ME_Checkers_XL_1.1.txt, SHA256SUMS.txt.
Network: an ESProFile running ESPFuji 1.1b2 or later (https://github.com/GyroPilot/ESPFuji), or, new in 1.1, an RS-232 FujiNet (firmware v1.6.1 or later) on Serial A or Serial B.
Checkers XL 1.1 (7 November 2026): American checkers on a Macintosh XL (MacWorks Plus or Plus II).
The Mac XL counterpart of LisaCheckers 1.2; a Lisa and a Mac XL can play each other.
NEW IN 1.1: besides the ESProFile, Checkers XL can talk to an RS-232 FujiNet on Serial A or Serial B.
FIRMWARE: FujiNet v1.6.1 or later. The nightly n2026.301 crashes on secure (HTTPS) pages and never answers.
CABLE: the Lisa FujiNet cable you use with LisaFuji (straight-through, never a null modem).
SPEED: set the FujiNet to 19200 (or 9600) baud on its own web page; it comes set to 115200, which MacWorks cannot run. Checkers XL tries 19200, then 9600.
SYSTEM 6: under MacWorks on System 6, a file named "AppleTalk" in the System Folder (AppleTalk 57, from an Ethernet installer such as the Asante EN/SC's) makes every program that opens a serial port bomb. Checkers XL checks for it and says so. Move it out and restart: it is Ethernet or serial on System 6. System 7.5.5 is fine.
MENU: the last items of the Network menu choose the route: Automatic Route (the ESProFile if its drive answers, else Serial A, then Serial B), Use the ESProFile, Use Serial A, Use Serial B, and Make a New Mailbox (a fresh MAILBOX.DATA, for a damaged one). The choice is kept in "XL FujiNet Settings" in the System Folder and shared by all the Mac XL apps.
Tested on a Lisa 2/10 (MacWorks Plus II, System 6.0.8) with a real RS-232 FujiNet on Serial B, and through the ESProFile.
Play the Mac at four levels (Apple-1 to Apple-4); the computer game needs no drive. Or play people on other
Lisas, Macs and FujiNet machines: Network > Play on the Network, through the ESProFile the XL boots from
(ESPFuji firmware 1.1b2 or later).
Click a piece, then where it goes, or use the arrow keys and Return. N new game, U undo, D dots, S switch sides,
H how to play. Apple-period makes the Mac move at once, or stops a network request.
Memory: 160K preferred, 128K minimum, for a 1 MB XL. Runs on System 6.0.2 and later.
1.1: the serial FujiNet route (above); FujiNet firmware v1.6.1 or later named in the serial error message; Make a New Mailbox.
1.0: the first release. Tested on a real Macintosh XL (MacWorks Plus II, System 7.5.5) and in emulators (System 6.0.2 to 7.5.5); earlier test versions (0.1d) can be thrown away.
0.1d3: the menus fixed (no item greyed by mistake); on-screen keys say Apple- (the XL's Apple key); "no mailbox" now says to copy the application to the ESProFile volume instead of "error -38".
0.1d2: the Keys help shows its line breaks and is no longer cut off.
Tested on a real Macintosh XL: the computer game and a network game work. By GyroPilot (Tim O'Connor), github.com/GyroPilot.