Western Design Center (aka WDC) 65xx/65xxx development boards are now in stock at Mouser Electronics. Click HERE for the complete product list.

Prolific Bulgarian Apple II enthusiast Plamen Vaysilov has produced another clone of a famous card, the ALF MC1. You can get your own kit (i.e. assembly required) via eBay for USD $60 ($51+$9 S/H).

This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Beagles Bros Randy Brandt, Mark Simonsen, Tom Weishaar, and Alan Bird. We share stories of Beagle’s development, poke lots of fun at each other, and check in on where everyone is now.

We spread the love for Oz KFest with Andrew Roughan, and amazingly resist the urge to make any upside-down jokes about Australia. Mike and Quinn are trying to be bigger than northern-hemispherism, and they like to think they’ve grown as people as a result.

We talk brain-imaging, we talk helicopter piloting, and we spread more IIgs love than usual. We search for amazing things, and sometimes we find them. Join us for another great month of Apple II brouhaha.

Listen here now, or subscribe in iTunes!

Cult of Mac has a nice story of DOOM co-author John D. Carmack starting his kids out on programming with the Apple IIc. John posted via Twitter, “Teaching my kids programming on an Apple IIc is like kung fu training in the primitive wilderness.” We couldn’t agree more, but we’d add that there is an oasis of knowledge to be found in that wilderness, that will last a lifetime. #parenting_power-up

Egan Ford posted via Usenet comp.sys.apple2 a couple of interesting links for BASIC buffs pertaining to Microsofts BASIC for the MOS 6502. It’s good reading, so we’re sharing it here.

IT World – The source code behind Microsoft BASIC for 6502 comes to light

PageTable.com – Microsoft BASIC for 6502 Original Source Code [1978]

DiscoRunner is a multi-dialect BASIC interpreter. Its initial release supports Integer and Floating Point (Applesoft) BASIC from the Apple II.

DiscoRunner is different from other BASIC interpreters in that it is 99.5% compatible with the original languages. It accomplishes this by heavily simulating the host hardware (the Apple II) almost to an emulator level without the drawbacks of running an actual emulator. For example, BASIC programs are saved as text files. We can also add new functionality, such as an editor, a navigable CATalog and a coloured LISTing mode.

DiscoRunner comes with a library of close to a thousand classic programs to play, edit and muck around with.

KansasFest, the 27th annual convention dedicated to the Apple II computer, will gather from Tuesday, July 14, through Sunday, July 19. Users, programmers, hobbyists, and retrocomputing enthusiasts are invited to Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, for six days and five nights of sessions, demos, announcements, contests, and camaraderie.

Registration details and the identity of the keynote speaker are coming very soon.

Michael Mulhern posted via Facebook:

In a host packed Episode 93, Earl, Carrington, Paul, Michael, Jack, and Ken discuss the controversial topic of “Are We Cheating Cheaters?” Flash storage devices, Internet modems, multi-cartridges with entire software libraries, super RAM add-ons, LCD flat panels – what’s so retro about all that?

Also discussed is the saving of Bob Bishop’s computer gear and doco, Apple ][ Statisfaction, as well as a plug for OzKfest.

Go ahead, click on the link and join us. I dare you :)

The word went out on Facebook via Gary Koffler that the late Bob Bishop’s Apple II collection might be heading for the dumpster. As practically every Apple II user knows, Bob Bishop was a legendary early Apple employee, programmer and technical trailblazer. The thought of his collection lost to time in some California landfill couldn’t have been more reprehensible to the Apple II Community.

Gary reached out to John and Brenda Romero, who quickly stepped up to save all that was salvageable from Bob’s Apple II collection. Some of the collection may be destined for the Strong Museum of Play, while other items (scans of documentation, source code, pictures, etc.) will hopefully find their way into the community for the benefit of all.

Thank you John and Brenda!