KansasFest 2018, the 30th annual Apple II convention, is open for registration. Users, programmers, hobbyists, and retrocomputing enthusiasts are invited to Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, from Tuesday, July 17, through Sunday, July 22, for six days and five nights of sessions, demos, announcements, contests, and camaraderie.

The keynote speaker will be Roger Wagner. In 1978, Wagner started his own software publishing company and sold popular titles such as the Merlin assembler and ASCII Express. He wrote for many major publications of the day but is best remembered for his long-running Assembly Lines column in Softalk, teaching 6502 assembly language. Later, he made his most famous contribution to the 16-bit Apple IIGS with HyperStudio, a foretaste of the hyperlinked web that was to later arrive in the 1990s.

Because KansasFest 2017 sold out, this year’s event capacity has been expanded by 20%. Registering early is still a good idea; do so by May 31 to guarantee a price of $385 for a double room or $455 for a single, which includes admission to all sessions as well as most meals. After that, prices rise. Official KansasFest shirts are extra and optional and must be ordered by June 18; registration for staying on-site closes July 1. To register, please visit the official registration form.

To celebrate this year’s event Steve Weyhrich created a new music video, “The KFest Show”, in his own funny and inimitable style. As the lyrics say, “don’t fight it, registration’s open, runnin’ at ya!” You can watch the video now.

KansasFest invites any and all Apple II users, fans, and friends to attend the largest and longest running annual Apple II conference. For photos, videos, schedules, and presentations from past year’s events or to sign up for the email list and for inquiries, please visit the event’s Web site.

Volume 23, Issue 1 (Mar 2018) of Juiced.GS, the longest-running Apple II publication in print, has now shipped.

This issue features reviews of the WiModem232 modem emulator and the Oregon Trail electronic handheld; Quinn Dunki’s tutorial for using git and GitHub version control with Apple II source code; an interview with Robert Freedman of HLS Duplication; coverage of the inaugural Vintage Computer Festival Pacific Northwest; a day in the life of an Apple II detective; and much, much more!

This is Juiced.GS‘s first quarterly issue of 2018, its twenty-third year in print. Subscriptions for 2018 are available for $19 each for United States customers, $24 for readers in Canada and Mexico, and $27 for international customers.

This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Ken Gagne and Andy Molloy of Juiced.GS, the longest running continuously published Apple II magazine (that you can still get in your mailbox to this day!). Juiced.GS is in its 23rd year, which has to be a record for magazines of almost any type.

Ken and Andy talk about the bloodless coup of the magazine, the long history of same, where things are headed, and why they hates trees.

Meanwhile, Quinn and Mike chat about FPGAs, nuclear weapons, and BBSes. What do you do when you need a mathematically provably correct piece of hardware to verify nuclear weapons compliance? Why, you grab your Apple II, of course! Duh!

Here’s a time sensitive news item that didn’t make it into the show- vote for Nox Archaist and Lawless Legends for your favorite Ultima-inspired indie games of 2017!

Stay tuned for a Tech segment where we follow up on last episode and go even deeper on fast IIgs graphics. There’s always more to know about the intricacies of squeezing performance out of this unique and beautiful machine.

KansasFest 2018, the premier annual Apple II convention, is scheduled for July 17 – 22 in Kansas City, Missouri. This year marks the 30^th time that this event has been held. In July 1989, Resource Central held the first A2-Central Developer Conference, focused on the individuals and companies who were still producing hardware and software for the Apple II and IIGS computers. Within a couple of years, the event transformed into a conference for Apple II developers and users alike.

This year, KansasFest welcomes back one of its alumni, Roger Wagner. Though 2018 will mark Wagner’s third time as a keynote speaker for the event, most current attendees haven’t had the opportunity to hear him speak because his last appearance was 23 years ago.  He has deep roots in the Apple II community, back to the beginnings of the platform. In 1978, Wagner started his own software publishing company, Southwestern Data Systems (SDS), as a vehicle for some of his first software products for the Apple II, Programmer’s Utility Pack and Apple-Doc, sold on cassette. He also wrote a word processor for the Apple II, The Correspondent. SDS sold software written by other authors, including Glen Bredon’s popular Merlin assembler, The Routine Machine by Peter Meyer (Applesoft extensions), and ASCII Express and Z-Term by Bill Blue, as well as games such as BEZARE by John Beznard and NORAD.  

During the years he also wrote articles for the major publications of the day, including Call-A.P.P.L.E., Nibble, inCider, A+ Magazine, and GS+. Wagner is best remembered for his long-running Assembly Lines column in Softalk, teaching that first generation of Apple II users how to write software in 6502 assembly language.

He later renamed his software company to Roger Wagner Publishing, and continued to provide quality software for both the 8-bit Apple II and the 16-bit Apple IIGS. His most famous contribution to the IIGS was the HyperCard-inspired program, HyperStudio, which linked pictures, audio media, and text with clickable links, a foretaste of the hyperlinked web that was to later arrive in the 1990s. With his original background in teaching, Wagner continued the HyperStudio legacy by later developing it for Windows and Macintosh computers, and focusing on its application in the school environment, to teach students to create presentations and to learn about computers. He further developed HyperDuino, an Arduino-based hardware extension for the HyperStudio to allow students to control real-world devices with their projects.

KansasFest is an annual convention offering Apple II users and retrocomputing enthusiasts the opportunity to engage in beginner and technical sessions, programming contests, an exhibition hall, and camaraderie. KansasFest was originally hosted by Resource Central and has been brought to you by the KFest committee since 1995. Any and all Apple II users, fans, and friends are invited to attend this year’s event. In upcoming weeks, the KansasFest web site will announce registration details. For photos, videos, and presentations from past KansasFests, please browse the “Sessions” and “Multimedia” sections of the site.

From the europlus zone blog:

I’m very happy to announce the date for the next WOzFest, WOzFest DB9 – Saturday 28 April 2018, starting around midday Sydney time (UTC+10:00).

The theme for WOzFest DB9 is “Communications” – serial, networked, wireless, and wired.

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

Recaps and photo galleries have also been posted for WOzFest S7,D2 and WOzFest 8-bit.

Via Callapple.org at http://www.callapple.org/vintage-apple-computers/apple-ii/announcing-prodos-2-4-2-for-all-apple-ii-computers/, thanks to John Brooks:

ProDOS 2.4.2 is a minor release with bug fixes and updates. It replaces ProDOS 2.4 and ProDOS 2.4.1.

Bugs fixed:
1. If a directory with more than 255 files was used, and then a different disk was used, a Bad Dir Error $51 was reported.
2. Bitsy Bye was not compatible with the Appletalk Workstation card.
3. Bitsy Bye was not compatible with the Mac LC Apple IIe card.

Updates:

1. Thunderclock driver is updated for years 2018 – 2023
2. ADT Pro v2.0.2
3. Copy II Plus v8.4
4. Added Cat Doctor’s extended utilities

If you’d like to help develop or test future versions, please contact me.
Enjoy.
-JB
John Brooks
Twitter: @JBrooksBSI

Download Disk Image: ProDOS_2_4_2.DSK

If you’d like to support John’s efforts to improve the Apple II, donations are welcome through Paypal

David Schmenk has just released v1.0 of the developer preview of PLASMA.

Modern Retroprogramming on the Apple II. When was the last time you programmed a modern language on a 40 year old computer? Now is your chance. PLASMA is a combination of operating environment, virtual machine, and assembler/compiler matched closely to the 6502 architecture.

Check out the Release Notes for details: https://github.com/dschmenk/PLASMA/blob/master/doc/Preview%20Version%201.0.md

Thanks to a message posted by David Finnigan on comp.emulators.apple2, please note that Gerard Putter has just released v8.0 of his Apple II emulator for Mac OS.

For more information, please visit virtualii.com
 

This version contains extensive behind-the-scenes updates and rewrites to remain compatible with new versions of macOS, forming a basis for further future development.
For example, the application was still 32-bit; as of this release it is a 64-bit app, making it compatible with modern Mac APIs, improved memory management, etc.

Although I tested the app thoroughly, I might have inadvertently introduced new bugs due to the extensive changes. If you find any, let me know.

Furthermore:

• A disk image file can now be double-clicked in the Finder to start a virtual machine with that disk inserted.
• Added the feature to speak the text on the Apple II screen, using the Mac voice synthesizer.
• Fixed an issue that could cause a new virtual machine window to appear with a very small size.
• Fixed an issue that caused the Inspector’s disassembly to show empty lines when scrolled.
• Rewrote the “movie making” feature to use the AVFoundation framework. When running macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or later, the movie is written using the HEVC codec. Older system use the H264 codec.
• Clarified the section in the Help file on game controller setup.
• Removed the option to select a folder where the ROM files are located. This feature often caused confusion, and led to some tricky problems. You can however still select a specific ROM file for a virtual machine. If you don’t specify such a file, the app will search for a matching ROM file in one of the standard locations.
• The app now submits crashes or similar app issues to the developer. These reports are fully anonymous, and help improving the app. If you wish you can disable it in the application preferences.

We’re baaaack! Sorry for the unscheduled hiatus folks, but your intrepid hosts had some family matters to attend to. This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Seth Steinberger of 8-bit Weapon. We talk about their new album Class Apples, which was made entirely on an Apple II. Yes, every sound on the album is generated by real Apple II hardware with no add-on cards. Apple IIs can make good sound with the right software and in the hands of a talented musician.

After the amazement of Class Apples wears off, we get into Seth’s background with Apple IIs, how he got interested in electronic music, how 8-bit Weapon came to be, and where they’re headed next. We touch a little bit on his work as the main artist on the upcoming RPG Lawless Legends, and Seth explains how much better keyboards are as compared to proms. Furthermore, we all agree that the primary value of the internet is to find pictures of Devo. Michelle wasn’t able to be on the show, but you won’t want to miss the story of how she got to work with Mark Mothersbaugh.

Mike and Quinn then get into augmented reality, alternative operating systems, and of course Richard Garriot. Can’t have an Apple II show without mentioning Richard Garriot. Stay tuned to hear about accelerator control, new magazines, and making your own memory cards.

Lastly, Quinn goes deep on how to program fast graphics on the notoriously “crippled” Apple IIgs. Yes, you can do big beautiful sprites at high frame rates. Learn all about the deep dark secrets that the best games and demos used.

Help keep the Garage Giveaway running at KansasFest! Donate here to keep it a thing. It’s one of the greatest services the Apple II community has, and we’re going to lose it this year if we don’t get donations.

Volume 22, Issue 4 (Dec 2017) of Juiced.GS, the longest-running Apple II publication in print, has now shipped.

This issue features reviews of a2heaven’s FASTChip //e accelerator card, the Game Port Interface Board, and the book Break Out; tutorials for expanding Applesoft BASIC by creating your own ampersand commands, and for activating the Apple III’s "Satan Mode"; a look at how Kelvin Sherlock ported the ProLine BBS software to a cloud-based telnet service; and much, much more!

This is Juiced.GS‘s fourth quarterly issue of 2017, its twenty-second year in print. The complete 2017 volume is now available as a bundle for only $16. Subscriptions for 2018 are now being accepted and are $19 each for United States customers, $24 for readers in Canada and Mexico, and $27 for international customers.