Brendan Robert has released the latest Java Apple Computer Emulator (JACE) build. Here are the changes:

] Fixed nasty bug that caused crashes when joystick buttons (alt-keys) were pressed. Airheart is 100% playable again!

] RamWorks support is now available for up to 8 megabytes of memory. In addition to the RamFactor support it is possible to use both at the same time. Not that you’d ever use 24mb ram in an Apple //e. :-P

] CPU can now log warnings if 65c02 extended opcodes are used. You can enable this to detect old incompatible usages of illegal 6502 opcodes.

] Cleaned up a few improperly implemented softswitches. MMU implementation is 100% compatible now.

Download it here: https://sites.google.com/site/brendanrobert/projects/jace

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Kevin Savetz, Internet publisher and author of the memoir Terrible Nerd. We cross enemy lines to look at a book about the cultural, scientific, and philosophical implications of Commodore 64 programming, some of it applicable to the Apple II. Paul Terrell’s Polaroid snapshots of the first Apple-1 computers are cool, just like our reception to Jordan Mechner’s new Karateka game. On eBay, we discover the Androbot is not just another neat product from a Nolan Bushnell company, but another reason we prefer the Apple II to other platforms. And Ken’s accidental purchase of some Microzines produces the concept for a new and very expensive podcast!

Find the show at the Open Apple Web site or in the iTunes and Zune podcast directories.

If you’re into collecting Apple II gear, you know prototypes are hard to find and highly sought after. So when an authentic prototype like this Apple //c shows up anywhere, it gets some attention.

This specimen appears to be from late in the development phase, and it may even be a seed machine ie. pre-release machines sent to third party developers prior to a product’s launch. The case is nearly finalized and the keyboard looks like the final production model. When this machine was being reviewed and used, the fabrication of the final //c was probably ready for immediate startup.

Of all the Apple II models, prototype (and seed) versions of the Apple //c are the most accessible to collectors because as protos go, they’re the most common. Is it worth USD $5500 though? Only time will tell.

Update: With just over two days remaining in the auction, the Buy It Now price has been lowered to $3,700.