This month on Open Apple, we run the annual group megapodcast that is recorded live at KansasFest! This is a four-year-old tradition whereby all the attending retro podcasters get together and do one big silly show together. It’s clunky, it’s pointless, and the audio quality is terrible because we’re all crowded one microphone in a grungy old basement chapel. Yet it’s one of our favorite things to do every year, so we hope you enjoy listening!

Around the table this year we have Quinn Dunki, Paul Hagstrom, John Leake, Chris Torrence, Kevin Savetz, Ken Gagne, Charles Mangin, and Carrington Vanston, and Michael Mulhern. Find links to all the podcasts mentioned in this show, after the jump!

Feel like you’re missing out on all this fun? Come to KansasFest in 2018 and join in! We’d all love to meet you.

6502 Workshop has announced that their Kickstarter campaign for Nox Archaist is scheduled to launch in September 2017.

As unveiled at KansasFest, Nox Archaist will be available on Kickstarter in an old school plastic bag and a collector’s box edition*. There will be several box sets to choose from all of which will be loaded with feelies such as:

*5.25″ Floppy Disks (4 doubled sided disks expected)
*Game Box
*Fabric Map
*Printed Manual

All items will have professional artwork custom made for Nox Archaist.

JULY 21, 2017 — KANSAS CITY, MO — Juiced.GS, the world’s last and longest-running Apple II print publication, will inch closer to one hundred issues when it publishes its 23rd volume (issues 89–92) in 2018.

"KansasFest may have hit its capacity, but we’re growing to meet demand," said publisher and editor-in-chief Ken Gagne. "We’re currently in our tenth consecutive year of growth, having quintupled our subscriber base from where it was in 2007. And with the automatic renewals we introduced last year, customer retention is the highest it’s ever been. We couldn’t ask for stronger confirmation the demand for and commitment to a print publication that serves the Apple II community — a need that we’re happy to fill in 2018 with issues #89–92."

Juiced.GS will publish four quarterly print issues in 2018 at $19 for customers in the United States, $24 in Canada and Mexico, and $27 for international — prices that have remained constant since 2012 and only $1 more than what a 2003 subscription cost. 2018 subscriptions and renewals are available immediately. Customers who have previously purchased a subscription that automatically renews need to do nothing; their accounts will be charged on January 1. (An active subscription status can be verified by logging into one’s online account.)

Upcoming issues of Juiced.GS will include coverage of KansasFest 2017 and an interview with Garage Giveaway coordinators Sean Fahey and James Littlejohn; a tutorial on using and developing ampersand commands in Applesoft BASIC; reviews of Michael Packard’s game Alien Downpour and David L. Craddock’s book Breaking Out; a roundtable on how Patreon can be used support Apple II development efforts; and much, much more!

Subscribe to Juiced.GS today, and receive news and updates about Juiced.GS by signing up for our email list or following us on Facebook, Google+, or LinkedIn.

Way too late for June, but just in time for KansasFest!

This month on Open Apple, we sit down with KansasFest committee member and lifelong Apple II user Peter Neubauer. We talk lots about the upcoming KansasFest, of course, but also Peter’s own experiences with the machine. He has a passion for Logo, and a special place in his heart reserved for the Apple IIc Plus. I think many of us can relate to that.

We talk KansasFest, KansasFest, and more KansasFest. Then we talk about KansasFest, followed conversation about a fruit-based retrocomputing conference that takes place in Missouri every July.

We have plenty of regular news to catch up on as well, so stay tuned for updates from 6502 Workshop, NinjaForce, and more. We have graphics talk, Bluetooth talk, and exciting new accelerators from the mad Bulgarian.

It’s already too late to register for KansasFest, but if you’re going to be there, make sure to say hi! We love to meet our listeners.

Oz KFest 2017, the Australian retro computing gathering, is now open for registration. Oz KFest is happening at Bribie Island, Queensland, Australia between August 30th and September 3rd 2017

Oz KFest provides a similar experience to the well known and admired Kansasfest Apple II convention. For the first time, Oz KFest will be held at a venue with on-site accommodation. Also for the first time, due to popular demand, Oz KFest will run for longer than a weekend.

Australian Apple II enthusiasts have a long history of innovation and Oz KFest provides an opportunity for them to share their latest exploits and discoveries. Oz KFest welcomes session proposals on any retro computing topic. In addition all attendees share their knowledge and expertise by providing assistance to others on maintaining their equipment. There will also be optional workshops for learning to solder and building a Wifi RS-232 modem.

Accommodation in bunk beds in a shared cabin is available for AU$190 which includes admission to all sessions as well as most meals. The event will be partially self-catered with attendees helping out to prepare the meals under guidance from the head Chef.
Registration closes on August 1st and spaces in the onsite cabins are limited.

For the registration form, more information about the venue and for news about previous events please visit the event website.

6502 Workshop announces a major milestone in the development of Nox Archaist, their 8-bit, tile-based RPG: the dungeon module has been completed. The short narrative video Dungeons of Drathnor uses the Nox Archaist engine to demonstrate this module, along with new combat spells, new tile graphic animations, and dungeon puzzles.

In the previous episode, the band of heroes launched cows with prejudice to defeat the ogre guarding the ruins, rumored to contain great evil and treasure.

The heroes have been talking about these ruins for three episodes. They have completed their preparations to enter the ruins — but will they actually make their way in? Watch to find out! Onward to glory and gold!

Volume 22, Issue 2 (Jun 2017) of Juiced.GS, the longest-running Apple II publication in print, has now shipped. This issue features Ninjaforce’s first-hand account of the Revision demoparty; Mike Whalen’s tutorial for hosting a telnet BBS; behind-the-scenes looks at Kelvin Sherlock’s Golden Gate and the projectile animations of Nox Archaist; reviews of a2heaven’s 8MBRAM/ROM card and Richard Garriott’s Explore/Create memoir; and much, much more!

This is Juiced.GS‘s second quarterly issue of 2017, its twenty-second year in print. Subscriptions for 2017 are $19 each for United States customers, $24 for readers in Canada and Mexico, and $27 for international customers.

From the europlus blog:

I’m very happy to announce that the next WOzFest, WOzFest Slot 7: Your Card, will be held on Saturday 22 July 2017, starting around midday Sydney time (UTC+10:00).

The theme for the day will be “The IIgs”, and was requested/selected by attendees at WOzFest PR#6.

In addition, the now-annual video hookup with Kansas Fest attendees will start at about 14:00 local time (23:00 Friday Kansas City time).

Further details on the announcement post, and updates will be posted under the europlus blog’s WOzFest tag.

Gamebits, the publisher of Apple II magazine Juiced.GS, announces its partnership with software developer Kelvin Sherlock to distribute his newest product. Golden Gate is a compatibility layer that allows modern computers to run ORCA and GNO/ME shell programs as if they were native. With Golden Gate, programmers can engage in cross-platform development of Apple IIgs applications in an IDE such as Xcode, or any other Windows, macOS, or Linux text editor.

"I’m excited to work with Juiced.GS to bring modern development amenities to the Apple II," said Sherlock. "Gamebits demonstrated its commitment to supporting Apple II programmers when it made The Byte Works’ Opus products available. Carrying Golden Gate in the same store was a natural fit."

"Juiced.GS has been covering Apple II software development for over two decades," said Ken Gagne, the magazine’s editor and publisher. "It’s an honor for us to share the tools for developing the next generation of software. I look forward to featuring Golden Gate-developed tools in future issues of Juiced.GS!"

Golden Gate is available immediately for $10 and includes macOS and Windows installers, documentation, source code, and future updates. Read Sherlock’s behind-the-scenes look at the development of Golden Gate in the June 2017 issue of Juiced.GS.

Kelvin Sherlock is the creator of many games and utilities for multiple operating systems, including GShisen, Silver Platter, and PNG Floyd for the Apple IIgs; Shrink-Fit X and ProFUSE for Mac OS X; and iShisen for iOS. Learn more about Golden Gate at Sherlock’s website.

Juiced.GS is the longest-running and last remaining print publication dedicated to the Apple II. Subscriptions are available at $19 for United States customers, $24 for readers in Canada and Mexico, and $27 for international customers. Receive news and updates about Juiced.GS by signing up for our email list or following us on Facebook or Google+.

This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Michael Packard, author of the upcoming new game Alien Downpour. Michael has gone back to teach himself assembly language and make the kinds of games he wished he had made back in the day. The results are indeed impressive, and his first foray into solo Apple II game production is shaping up great. He’s also been very encouraging to the community, having set up the Facebook group Apple Graphics and Arcade Game Design Enthusiasts, dedicated to the book by the same name. This group is a place for Michael to share his progress on his games, as well as for other people to jump in with their own projects.

As of this recording, you can still pre-order Alien Downpour over at Michael’s site. Remarkably, you can order it on floppy or cassette! It comes with a retro-style baggie and insert as well. Michael is writing a book on his experiences (re)learning all this, so keep an eye out for that as well. He’ll also be at KansasFest this year with a presentation on Alien Downpour. Register now so you can see that! You won’t want to miss Michael’s perfect re-impersonation of the Egghead Discount Software answering message.

Meanwhile, Mike and Quinn get stuff wrong on a great many topics, but have fun doing it. If you want to try using a IIgs as your daily driver, launch cows with extreme prejudice, or run GEOS on a weird piece of hardware, you’ve come to the right podcast.