KansasFest 2017, the 29th annual Apple II convention, is now open for registration. Antoine Vignau and Olivier Zardini, the French Brutal Deluxe Software programming team known for countless original Apple II programs and archiving efforts, will join us in Kansas City, Missouri from July 18 – 23 with a keynote presentation to celebrate the 40th […]
March 2017
Posted inEvents
WOzFest PR#6 Announced for 29 April 2017
From the europlus blog: I’m exceedingly pleased to announce that the next WOzFest, WOzFest PR#6, will be held on Saturday, April 29 2017, starting around midday Sydney time (UTC+10:00). The theme of the day will be “Preservation”, with a special emphasis on grass-roots preservation efforts. Four Skype video sessions are currently planned with enthusiasts from around the […]
Posted inApple 1, Auction
Apple-1 to be auctioned by Breker on May 20
On May 20, 2017, another Apple-1 will hit the auction block. MacRumors reports that it will include “the original manual and documentation, the receipt for the motherboard and cassette recorder, and even a record of telephone conversations with Steve Jobs and Wozniak.” It appears to be Apple-1 #14, as detailed in Mike Willegal’s Apple-1 Registry. […]
Posted inGames
Alien Downpour preorders now available
Michael Packard of Snacking On Software has announced the imminent availability of his new 8-bit shmup, Alien Downpour — “a fast-action arcade-style shooter”. It is developed in assembly language and will run on any Apple II with 48K of RAM. Alien Downpour will be available mid-April 2017 in disk image format. Additionally, a limited run […]
Posted inEmulation, Software
Dagen Brock releases GSplus, buckshot & ksynthed
Dagen Brock, prolific software developer and host of the GS Programmer’s Home, recently produced a software hat trick of Apple II tools he’s developed. GSplus is an open-source, cross-platform Apple IIGS emulator based on KEGS and GSPort. Despite still being in alpha, the latest build supports drag-and-dropping disk images onto the emulator to have them […]
Posted inNostalgia & Preservation, Publications, Software
Found internal Apple memos about Apple II copy protection
Ben Vandermeer, an Apple enthusiast in Seattle, was at a Goodwill thrift store when he discovered a stack of Apple’s internal memos from 1979 detailing “Software Security from Apples Friends and Enemies” (SSAFE), a form of digital-rights management (DRM) that Apple was developing. Writes Vandermeer: This was a proposal to bring disk copy protection in-house […]
Posted inGames
A glimpse at Nox Archaist
Mark Lemmert of 6502 Workshop recently blogged about the current development status of Nox Archaist, the upcoming 8-bit tile-based RPG, and what the game will be like when it launches later this year. The post includes a discussion of the tone of the game, a preview of a few villains players can expect to encounter […]
Posted inEvents
Oz KFest 2017 – August 30th – September 3rd
The next Australian multi-day retro computing gathering, Oz KFest, will be happening on Bribie Island near Brisbane, Australia, August 30 through September 3, 2017. Come join us down under for a few of days of retro inspiration, Aussie ingenuity and camaraderie! The goal of the event is to provide a user group style environment to […]
Posted inPodcasts
Open Apple #68 (February 2017) : Emulator Updates, EDD, Softalk #3
This month on Open Apple, Mike and Quinn sit down with each other and catch up on all the news they’ve been neglecting lately. We discuss the disappointing 8BitDo controller, get excited about remanufactured printer ribbons, and pretend to know anything about EDD. Follow along as we review Softalk volume 1, number 3. The ads […]
Posted inUncategorized
DarkSound by ByteBoosters
Alexander Krauss of ByteBoosters writes in to let us know that their Apple IIGS Stereo Sound Card and Digitizer with line-out is now available: DarkSound by ByteBoosters. Take full potential of the IIGS Ensoniq sound chip by enabling Stereo output. Furthermore use the Audio Digitizer feature to sample sound and use them on your IIGS […]