This month on Open Apple, we sit down with legendary Apple II programmer, Bill Budge. In addition to being an icon of Apple II gaming and graphics, he is the number-one-requested guest by listeners of the show. Mike and Quinn are very excited he was able to make some time to talk to them, and hope you agree it was worth the effort. Bill is, of course, the author of such seminal classics as Raster Blaster, Pinball Construction Set, and MousePaint. He was an influential force in the golden years of Electronic Arts, and did many good works with early Apple as well.

After chatting with Bill, Mike and Quinn chew the fat about Soviet Apple II clones, slowing down the IIc Plus, and documenting rare II models. Meanwhile, Quinn constructs an impromptu sound studio in a conference room, and Mike waxes nostalgic about harpsichords. Also, this episode marks the most Apple III references snuck in to date. Mike even manages to goad the guest into bringing it up. Don’t miss Quinn struggling to remember the word “Dacta”, and Mike taking a cheap shot at Elevator Action.

A quick update to Quinn’s Floppy Emu Model B review- since this was recorded, Steve has updated the firmware so it now remembers the last disk image you used.

Volume 18, Issue 2 (June 2013) of Juiced.GS, the longest-running Apple II publication in print, has been mailed to all subscribers. This issue features a behind-the-scenes look at the discovery and publication of 8-bit shooting game Zéphyr; an interview with the conference services staff at Rockhurst University, host of KansasFest; reviews of Option8’s RetroConnector keyboard interface device, and of Karateka Classic and Lode Runner Classic for iOS; a history of Apple II software publisher Electronic Arts; and much, much more!

This is Juiced.GS‘s second quarterly issue of 2013. Subscriptions are available at $19 for United States customers, $24 for readers in Canada and Mexico, and $27 for international customers, with several free sample issues available as PDFs.

Edge Online has posted an extensive interview with EA founder and early Apple employee, Trip Hawkins.  The long piece has been serialized and posted over several days.  Among other things, Hawkins talks about his time at a young Apple Computer; founding Electronic Arts and dealing with “superstar” programmers such as Richard Garriott, Dan Bunten, and Bill Budge; and Steve Jobs’ influence on his managerial style.

Start reading with part 1 – “The Inspiration for EA”, and then find the rest of the interview sections here.

(HT: Hot Rod)