Howard Katz has posted the February issue of Apple II News & Notes..

Eric Rothfus is working on a floppy emulator for the Disk ][ interface. He already has something similar working on his TRS-80. This would be a device that would connect to the Disk ][ card and to a PC’s serial port, so that the PC would serve up a disk image so that the Apple II would think it was reading off a floppy disk. He is looking for people to test or help him out.This project could be of interest to people who want to use disk images on an Apple II without having to write a real disk each time.

This device has an RS-232 port on one side and a vintage-machine floppy connector on the other. The idea is that you download a floppy image to the “Semi-Virtual Diskette” (SVD) (on your PC) and then boot the Apple II, which thinks
the SVD is a real Disk ][ drive.

The SVD was originally created for the TRS-80 line, and has since been expanded to include the Heathkit H8/H89.

Now Eric is looking to tackle the Apple II, but wants to see if anyone is interested. If you think it would be useful, please let him know.
More importantly, if you could beta-test the device when it is ready for the Apple II, that would also be helpful.

Also, the driver software is PC-based, so he is looking for help getting a Mac version written. The user interface uses Tcl/Tk, but there are 2 programs written in C. Feel free to download the software off of the web site so you can see what it is like.

For more information, visit the SVD web site..

Matt Portune has been regularly updating his online implementation of FTA’s ActiveGS emulator. If you use Windows, stop by and boot up his Apple IIGS.Here is the list of changes since our last coverage:

v1.08c – Monday, February 16, 2004
• updates to ActiveGS fix centering problem
  
• library now broken up by disk type (it was getting big)
  
• another cookie bug fixed

  v1.08b – Wednesday, February 11, 2004

• updates to ActiveGS fix function key and mouse tracking problems
  
• more cookie bugs fixed
  
• new titles flagged as ‘NEW’ in library

  v1.08a – Tuesday, February 10, 2004

• 40/80-column text mode toggle now available in control panel (thanks Olivier for adding this capability)
  
• control panel feature: you can now enable auto-color-selection to let ActiveGS handle it like before (activating a preset reverts back to manual control)
  
• control panel feature: you can completely clear the GS Explorer cookie if needed
  
• several bugs relating to the use of the cookie and launching from the library have been fixed
  
• the startup disk has been replaced with splash graphic
  
• help text was updated to reflect the new keyboard controls

  v1.08 – Monday, February 9, 2004

• the beginnings of a control panel is now available (currently only basic text & color controls are available – other controls will be added as they become available)
  
• a cookie is now used to save your GS settings – when you come back, everything will be just as you left it
  
• version history link has been removed, and is now available in the ‘about’ section

  v1.07a – Sunday, February 8, 2004

• now running ActiveGS v2.0, which has several new fixes & features (3200 color mode, border effects, persistent disk storage on your local machine, etc.) Right-click the emulator screen to access the end-user features – extra controls in the GS explorer will be coming soon.

  v1.07 – Wednesday, January 14, 2004

• launch titles from the library window simply by clicking them
  
• top ten most popular titles listed in library window
  
• improvements in disk image & boot slot handling
  
• a few new additions to the software library

  v1.06a1 – Friday, December 5, 2003

• a new startup disk that shows Olivier he has some competition in Apple II graphics programming (:P)
  
• a few new additions to the software library .

The creator of MazezaM, drHirudo, has just released a new program for the Apple II called BoxWorld. It’s a classic “Sokoban” clone and includes source code. Available at http://drhirudo.foronlinegames.com/.
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The LANceGS web site has been updated with a new look, new information, and updated pricing information. The popular ethernet card for Apple IIe and IIgs computers now costs $149 plus shipping and handling..

///SHH Systeme now has available to developers an 8-bit driver for the LANceGS ethernet card. The driver is only available upon request, as it must be built into the application that wishes to use it. Email lange@tasha.homeip.net to request the driver..

The KansasFest web site has been updated to include information on the dates for this July’s event, which will be the fifteenth year of the popular Apple II gathering in Kansas City, Missouri. Pricing will be the same as last year, and registration will open very soon, according to sources on the KansasFest committee. KansasFest runs from July 20-25 this summer..

Hardcore Computist was first published in 1981. Its mission was to help people make backup copies of copy-protected Apple II programs. This site has 43 issues available for reading..

Lyle Syverson has released the February issue of The Lamp!, the monthly summary of the goings-on in the A2 forum bulletin board on Syndicomm Online..

Verison 2.0 of the nifty Apple IIGS emulator ActiveGS is available from the Free Tools Association website. One of the main features is incorporation of the KEGS 0.85 code base.The update includes these changes:

• Major update of the ActiveX emulator Kegs code base has moved from 0.64 to 0.85
  
• New info window (right-mouse button)
  
• Added Persistent storage option to save the downloaded images in a non temporaty directory (%program files%/second sight software)
  
• Added two parameters (emulatorParam and bramParam) for better control of the emulator
• Added “Slot72” property to mount another hard disk
  
• Added “Slot71” as an alias to Slot71 for naming homogeneity
  
• F1 and F2 now works for Open Apple and Option PAUSE now works again for RESET some keyboards
• Added “colums” parameter for BramParam ActiveGS window should be correctly refreshed