Fans of Apple II history will recognize the name Paul Terrell, founder of the Byte Shop computer store. It was Terrell who placed the first order for the Apple-1 computer — a purchase order that Steve Jobs famously used as collateral to get the parts needed to build Apple’s first commercial product. Without Terrell’s initial vote of confidence, Apple Computer Inc. may never have come to be.
Randy Kindig, host of the long-running Floppy Days podcast, has begun airing a series of interviews with Terrell. After an introductory interview in episode 127, the conversation has continued in episodes 128 & 129, which focus on the development of the Exidy Sorcerer home computer, Terrell’s project after he sold the Byte Shop chain in 1978. The first of those three episodes is embedded below.
More episodes with Terrell detailing Apple Computer, the Homebrew Computer Club, the West Coast Computer Faire, and Terrell’s later software rental business will be recorded and aired on Floppy Days throughout 2024.
Floppy Days is one of the longest-running retrocomputing audio podcasts, with next month marking the 11th anniversary of its first episode. Features, retrospectives, and interviews have spanned the gamut of computer platforms, with plenty of love for the Apple II and KansasFest. With this latest interview series, Apple II fans are sure to find even more to like and listen to on Floppy Days.