Open Apple

This month on Open Apple, Mike chats with Quinn Dunki about her early programming experiences, and she gives us a brief overview of the development of her 6502-based homebrew computer, Veronica. Other topics this month: Apple IIc clones, KansasFest, Ultima VI on the IIGS, Quinn’s cease and desist from Origin Systems, Halt and Catch Fire, The Goldbergs and more.

This month on Open Apple, Mike chats with Quinn Dunki about her early programming experiences, and she gives us a brief overview of the development of her 6502-based homebrew computer, Veronica. Other topics this month: Apple IIc clones, KansasFest, Ultima VI on the IIGS, Quinn’s cease and desist from Origin Systems, Halt and Catch Fire, […]

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Evan Koblentz, producer of Vintage Computer Festival East. VCF East 9.1 is happening this spring, and Evan has an inside look at the event’s founding, growth, and lineup. Margot Comstock has been announced as the keynote speaker of KansasFest 2014, prompting us to reflect on the history of Softalk magazine. The Apple2pi card is now shipping, and it reminds us of other small devices that left a big impression, like the Replica-1 and even the Apple Newton PDA — which still has an active user group! Finally, Steve Jobs is appearing in all kinds of icons, from e-waste portraits to unlickable postage stamps. When will Woz get the recognition he deserves? Click past the jump for links mentioned in this episode. Introduction (0:00 – 10:10) * Underground Retrocade * American Classic Arcade Museum at Funspot * Bob Lawton and his business card * Pinball Wizard and its Groupon * Wreck-It Ralph’s Fix-It Felix Jr. game * Danger!awesome makerspace in Cambridge, MA — and its Kickstarter * Denhac hackerspace in Denver, CO * Open Apple turns three, as commemorated by Mike Maginnis and Ken Gagne User Login (10:11 – 37:42) * Evan Ko...

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Evan Koblentz, producer of Vintage Computer Festival East. VCF East 9.1 is happening this spring, and Evan has an inside look at the event’s founding, growth, and lineup. Margot Comstock has been announced as the keynote speaker of KansasFest 2014, prompting us to reflect on […]

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Sean Fahey, proprietor of A2Central.com and KansasFest committee member. Sean and James Littlejohn distribute a plethora of Apple II hardware and software every year to KansasFest attendees, and next year’s haul will be bigger than ever — we have the details why. Glenn Jones is working on a new Uthernet card, and we can’t wait to see what new software it makes possible. The Mac turned thirty years old last month, and we reminisce about the first time we added a non-Apple II Apple to our inventory. Madden NFL, the football game that got its start on the Apple II, is the subject of both preservation and litigation — but we’d rather be playing Silvern Castle. Click past the jump for links mentioned in this episode. Introduction (0:00 – 10:03) * Retrochallenge Winter Warmup * Apple Sophisticated Operating System (Apple SOS) * Gamebits on YouTube * Elgato Game Capture HD * Quinn Dunki’s Mac mini arcade User Login (10:4 – 31:01) * A2Central.com — Your total source for Apple II computing * KansasFest * AppleWin * The return of Sean’s Garage at KansasFest 2011 * Michael Mahon donates Apple II collection II News (31:02 – 1:28:43) * Glenn Jones working on Uthernet II * Brian Picchi’s Retro Fever * Zéphyr unboxing *

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Sean Fahey, proprietor of A2Central.com and KansasFest committee member. Sean and James Littlejohn distribute a plethora of Apple II hardware and software every year to KansasFest attendees, and next year’s haul will be bigger than ever — we have the details why. Glenn Jones is […]

At the dawn of 2014, Open Apple engages in its annual tradition of reflecting on all that has transpired in the Apple II community in the past year. Ken Gagne moderates a panel of Mike Maginnis, Andy Molloy, Ivan Drucker, and David Schmenk to look at topics in news, emulation, hardware, software, conventions, and publications. Popular themes include the Raspberry Pi, the S-Prize, social media, JSMESS, the Jobs film, and KansasFest 2013. Click past the jump for links mentioned in this episode. News (0:00 – 17:49) * Ivan Drucker’s Raspple II * David Schmenk’s Apple II Pi * Craig Johnston & John Romero’s Apple Time Warp podcast * Rich Dreher’s CFFA3000 * John Romero’s KansasFest 2012 keynote speech * Eric Shepherd’s S-Prize for the SMB protocol * Juiced.GS * UltimateApple2 and ReactiveMicro.com to re-open Emulation (17:50 – 25:09) * GSport * Sweet16 * JSMESS * Option8’s RetroConnector * CFFA for Apple-1 Hardware (25:10 – 36:24) * Nishida Radio products * iDisk Bluetooth card *

At the dawn of 2014, Open Apple engages in its annual tradition of reflecting on all that has transpired in the Apple II community in the past year. Ken Gagne moderates a panel of Mike Maginnis, Andy Molloy, Ivan Drucker, and David Schmenk to look at topics in news, emulation, hardware, software, conventions, and publications. […]

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Andrew Schultz — gamer, FAQ author, and Interactive Fiction Competition participant. Text adventures are enjoying a resurgence in popularity and access, and Andrew guides us through the tools and resources available for aspiring game authors. Both Steve Weyhrich’s history book and the Steve Jobs movie are available for home delivery, but there’s only one we want to find under our Christmas tree. Jason Scott has integrated the JSMESS emulator into the Internet Archive, granting users unprecedented access to historical software right in their browsers. Finally, Ken, in his quest to be more Woz-like, adopts his hero’s fashion sense. Click past the jump for links mentioned in this episode. Introduction (0:00 – 10:16) * Apple II guest speakers at Emerson College * Super Megafest 2013 * Ken’s unboxing videos on YouTube * Xbox One first impressions with Lon Seidman * Floppy Days by Randy Kindig * ANTIC Atari podcast User Login (10:17 – 52:09) * Andrew Schultz on GameFAQs * Wade Clarke’s Leadlight * Creating Interactive Fiction with Inform 7, by Aaron Reed * Eamon Adventurer’s Guild Online * The Interactive Fiction Database * Andrew Plotkin’s Hadean Lands: Interactive Fiction Kickstarter * GET LAMP panel at PAX East 2010 * Spring Thing *

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Andrew Schultz — gamer, FAQ author, and Interactive Fiction Competition participant. Text adventures are enjoying a resurgence in popularity and access, and Andrew guides us through the tools and resources available for aspiring game authors. Both Steve Weyhrich’s history book and the Steve Jobs movie […]

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Bill Martens of Call-A.P.P.L.E. Preserving our community’s software and documentation is important not just to the users, but to the people doing the preserving; Bill explains why. We look at how the media can never get enough of Steve Jobs, examining his early career and denoting his boyhood home as a historical landmark — but Woz gets his time in the spotlight too, on panels about Atari, the Jobs movie, or a Homebrew Computer Club reunion. Highlighted eBay auctions include the ten rarest and most expensive games and yet another Apple-1. Finally, Brian Wiser joins us to discuss The WOZPAK Special Edition, a book that made its debut at KansasFest 2013 alongside its creator, Steve Wozniak. Click past the jump for links mentioned in this episode. Introduction (0:00 – 11:07) * November, by Thomas Hood * Apple2Pi by David Schmenk * A2CLOUD & A2SERVER, by Ivan Drucker * BrickPi combines Raspberry Pi with Lego Mindstorm * Send voicemail to Open Apple * Ken’s MacBook Pro USB ports are fried :( * Ken needs a new camera and printer * Replacing the Pinnacle Video Transfer System with the Elgato Game Capture HD User Login (11:08 – 39:37) * Bill Martens of Call-A.P.P.L.E. *

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Bill Martens of Call-A.P.P.L.E. Preserving our community’s software and documentation is important not just to the users, but to the people doing the preserving; Bill explains why. We look at how the media can never get enough of Steve Jobs, examining his early career and […]

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Brendan Robert of the Java Apple Computer Emulator (JACE) and Apple Game Server. Innovative cross-platform tools are being used to bring Lawless Legends, an original 8-bit RPG, to the Apple II and Commodore 64; as part of the programming team, Brendan takes us behind the scenes. He lives in a lawless land himself — the Old West of Texas, where gaming icons Ion Storm, Zynga, Lord British, and Rooster Teeth reside. But when it comes to games, sometimes you can’t do better than Tetris, of which there are many new and devious deviations. We get rid of old toys, like a SCSI CD-ROM 7-disc changer and a LANceGS card, so we can all have room for new toys, like A2CLOUD, Apple2Pi, BenchmarkeD, AppleIIWorks Envoy, and Final Cut Pro X. And sadly, Wayne Green of InCider and Byte has passed away; we remember his magazines fondly. Click past the jump for links mentioned in this episode. Introduction (0:00 – 11:50) * Robert Frost’s October * Send voicemail! * United States federal government shutdown * Apple II subreddit * The International Center for the History of Electronic Games * Ken Gagne’s off-brand MP3 players on eBay * A spare LANceGS * SCSI 7-disc CD-ROM changer * SSI AD&D games * Upgrading the Mac mini, by Paul Zaleski * Final Cut Pro X * Xbox One & PlayStation 4 pre-ordered for unboxing! User Login (11:51 – 36:40) * Brendan Robert, aka BLuRry *

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Brendan Robert of the Java Apple Computer Emulator (JACE) and Apple Game Server. Innovative cross-platform tools are being used to bring Lawless Legends, an original 8-bit RPG, to the Apple II and Commodore 64; as part of the programming team, Brendan takes us behind the […]

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Charles Mangin, the mad scientist who puts Mac Minis inside Apple II cases and inventor of the RetroConnector. It’s our first show since KansasFest, and we share our highlights and favorite products and announcements from the show. The Steve Jobs film is now out, and Ashton Kutcher and Steve Wozniak have words while critics publish their own mixed reviews. However, we have nothing but praise for Walter Isaacson’s biography, and Steve Wozniak gets his own moment in the spotlight courtesy interviews with the Verge and Game Informer. We’re super-psyched that Eric Shepherd has established the S-Prize — how big will the pot grow before some enterprising programmer claims it? Click past the jump for links mentioned in this episode. Introduction (0:00 – 7:46) * Open ANTIChertz KansasFest episode * Open Apple interview with Steve Wozniak in audio and video * "Have you ever wondered why we’re here?" * Mike Maginnis’s documentation scans * Jason Scott’s BBS: The Documentary * KenGagne.com * Johngineer of Adafruit plugs Open Apple‘s interview with Steve Wozniak User Login (7:47 – 37:09) * Charles Mangin of Mental Hygiene, RetroConnector, and Twitter * Charles’ KansasFest 2013 interview on Computerworld * Ken’s blogs about Charles’ Frankintosh machines