Open Apple

Welcome to the first INIT HELLO Megapodcast! INIT HELLO is an Apple II conference that debuted in July 2025 at the System Source Computer Museum in Hunt Valley, Maryland. A week later, on August 2, six podcaster attendees gathered to reflect on their experiences at inaugural retrocomputing event. Participants: Kate Szknotnicki (RetroMetal) Paul Hagstrom (Retro Computing Roundtable) Blake Patterson (The Byte Cellar) Megan Lemmert (6502 Workshop & Retro RPG Roundtable) Charles Mangin (Chicken Missile) Ken Gagne (Open Apple & Transporter Lock) Thanks to Paul for editing this episode’s audio! The original video edition is embedded below. The post Open Apple #89 (August 2025): INIT HELLO Megapodcast first appeared on Open Apple.

Welcome to Ron’s Apple Transporter Roundtable, the annual “megapodcast” from KansasFest 2025. Participants: Ken Gagne (Open Apple & Transporter Lock) Ron McAdams (Ron’s Computer Videos & Retro Repair Roundtable) Megan Lemmert (6502 Workshop & Retro RPG Roundtable) Links mentioned in this episode: KansasFest Mike Westerfield’s KansasFest 1998 keynote speech INIT HELLO Skull Island by 8-Bit Shack From Apple to Zilog by Chuck Mauro Dan Bricklin Ryan Suenaga Scholarship Fund The post Open Apple #88 (July 2025): KansasFest 2025 Megapodcast first appeared on Open Apple.

Ken, Em & Quinn reunite to discuss KansasFest & INIT HELLO, ImageWriter printers, Steve Jobs movies, web-based Apple II emulation, and games we regret buying. Links mentioned in this episode: Intro (00:00 – 11:45) Retro Computing Roundtable podcast Open Apple #81: Remembering Tony Diaz Pictures of people scanning QR codes a2.click URL shortener II News (11:46 – 1:02:43) KansasFest 2025 goes virtual Laine Nooney at INIT HELLO The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal Steve Jobs movies Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs Chronologically Gaming MobyGames Glider Apple2TS Apple II RPG Development Tools (KansasFest 2024 presentation by Megan Lemmert) Ivan Drucker’s emulator reviews for Juiced.GS Plangman on Steam, Itch.io & IndieSider Building an Apple II Newsroom (via Hackaday) Rock-a-Fire Explosion LP released for Record Store Day Apple Pickings (1:02:44 – 1:19:28) Lot of 30 vintage copied game floppy disks Retro Game Club Blondihacks The post Open Apple #87: The 2025 Episode first appeared on Open Apple.

In this lost episode of Open Apple, recorded 14 July 2018, Em Maginnis and Quinn Dunki are joined by John Morris, creator of the Applesauce floppy disk controller.The post Open Apple #86 (July 2018): John Keoni Morris of Applesauce FDC first appeared on Open Apple.

On Saturday, September 28, 2024, the Portland Retro Gaming Expo hosted this panel: The Apple II Origins of Today’s Games The Apple II is known for its impact on the workplace (VisiCalc) and education (Oregon Trail) — but it was also an iconic games machine that launched and inspired franchises that continue to these days. From the early stealth action of Castle Wolfenstein to the strategic depth of Ultima and the revolutionary platforming of Prince of Persia, our panel will delve into how these classic titles laid the groundwork for today’s blockbuster games. Ken Gagne, Kay Savetz, and Ian Baronofsky participated in the 45-minute panel, a video of which PRGE recently made available. The audio was separately recorded by Kay Savetz, who has made it available for us to share as an episode of the Open Apple podcast.The post Open Apple #85: The Apple II Origins of Today’s Games first appeared on Open Apple.

Welcome to Ron’s Metal Roundtable Apple Assembly Lock, the annual “megapodcast” from KansasFest 2024, hosted IRL and on StreamYard. Participants: Ken Gagne (Open Apple, Polygamer & Transporter Lock) Kate Szknotnicki (RetroMetal) Chris Torrence (Assembly Lines) Ron McAdams (Ron’s Computer Videos & Retro Repair Roundtable) Paul Hagstrom (Retro Computing Roundtable & Drop /// Inches) The post Open Apple #84 (July 2024): KansasFest 2024 Megapodcast first appeared on Open Apple.

Welcome to the annual “megapodcast” from KansasFest 2023, hosted IRL and on Zoom. Participants: Paul Hagstrom (Retrocomputing Roundtable & Drop /// Inches) Ron McAdams (Ron’s Computer Videos) Kate Szknotnicki (LadyAiluros) (Retro Metal) Javier Rivera (Retro Repair Roundtable) Chris Torrence (Assembly Lines) Josh Malone (48KRAM) Ken Gagne (Juiced.GS, A2Central.com & Open Apple) The post Open Apple #83 (July 2023): KansasFest 2023 Megapodcast first appeared on Open Apple.

Welcome to Open Retro Chicken Drop Retro Adventure Table Lines Roundup, the annual “megapodcast” from KansasFest, hosted IRL and on Zoom. Participants: Ken Gagne (Open Apple, Polygamer & Transporter Lock) Charles Mangin (Chicken Missile) Chris Torrence (Assembly Lines) Javier Rivera (Adventures in Retro Computing & Retro Repair Roundtable) Ron McAdams (Ron’s Computer Videos & Retro Repair Roundtable) Jeremy Mehrle (Jeremy’s Retro Bar) Paul Hagstrom (Retro Computing Roundtable, Drop /// Inches) The post Open Apple #82 (July 2022): KansasFest 2022 Megapodcast first appeared on Open Apple.

For decades, Tony Diaz held the record of the only person to have attended every KansasFest. Whether at that convention, on the comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup, or on his livestreams, he would share his comprehensive knowledge of Apple II hardware and demo the rare prototypes in his vast collection. When KansasFest lost its home at Avila University, Tony, then the head of the KansasFest committee, helped find the event its new home at Rockhurst. And as a member of the Juiced.GS staff, he would respond to reader queries about how to restore their vintage equipment. In memory of Tony, who passed away in October 2021, Open Apple‘s original co-hosts, Em Maginnis and Ken Gagne, reunite to remember their friend and his passions, accomplishments, quirks, and foibles. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the crisis hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Tony’s websitesApple2.orgApple II wikiFlyingThingz16Sector.comSyndicommResetVectorLinkedInTwitterTony’s planeWIRED: “The Geeks Who Saved Prince of Persia’s Source Code From Digital Death“Jason Scott’s Facebook tributeJuiced.GS staff photo coversAlltech ElectronicsOpen Apple #48 (June 2015) : Tony Diaz, KansasFest Memories, Prototypes, and 8-bit DNSThe post Open Apple #81: Remembering Tony Diaz first appeared on Open Apple.

Welcome to Poly Retro Assembly Cast Chicken Missile Drop Grue Museum, the annual “megapodcast” from KansasFest, hosted again via Zoom. Participants: Charles Mangin (Chicken Missile)Carrington Vanston (Retro Computing Roundtable & Eaten by a Grue)Chris Torrence (Assembly Lines)Joe Strosnider (Joe’s Computer Museum)John Leake (RetroMacCast)Kate the Cat (Chicken Missile & RetroMetal)Ken Gagne (Polygamer & Transporter Lock)Kay Savetz (ANTIC & Eaten by a Grue)Mark Pilgrim (Chicken Missile)Michael Mulhern (Retro Computing Roundtable)Paul Hagstrom (Retro Computing Roundtable & Chicken Missile)Quinn Dunki (Retro Computing Roundtable) The original video edition was livestreamed to YouTube: A longer audio edition is available from the Chicken Missile podcast.The post Open Apple #80 (July 2021): KansasFest 2021 Megapodcast first appeared on Open Apple.

Welcome to Retro Open Poly Roundtable Chicken Missile Lines Drop Museum Gruecast, the annual “megapodcast” from KansasFest, this time conducted virtually via Zoom. Scroll past the links for Open Apple‘s audio edition, or enjoy the video edition courtesy Chris Torrence’s Assembly Lines podcast: Participants: Quinn Dunki (Blondihacks, Open Apple, Retrocomputing Roundtable)Earl Evans (Retrocomputing Roundtable, Next Without For, Retrobits)Ken Gagne (Polygamer, Transporter Lock)Paul Hagstrom (Retrocomputing Roundtable, Drop III Inches)John Leake (RetroMacCast)Charles Mangin (How II)Rob McMullen (Player/Missile)Blake Patterson (Retrocomputing Roundtable)Kay Savetz (ANTIC: The Atari 8-Bit Podcast, Eaten By A Grue)Kate Szkotnicki (RetroMetal: Old Games on Old Machines)Carrington Vanston (Retrocomputing Roundtable, Eaten By A Grue) Game-related links: KansasFestKansasFest (YouTube channel)National Dairy Council Grab A ByteAncient TarotCanadian Tire Complimentary CassetteThe Missing RingSoftline Mar/Apr 1984Magic Knight RayearthGertrude’s SecretsConan: Hall of VoltaApple Cider SpiderFirebugOld Timers: MUSE Software (KansasFest 1992)Three Mile IslandSenseless Violence 1 and 2The post Open Apple #79 (July 2020): KansasFest 2020 Megapodcast first appeared on Open Apple.

This month on Open Apple, we bring you the traditional big group podcast that we record every year at KansasFest. Tune in for a casual chat with your favorite retro podcasters, and get a behind-the-scenes peek at what makes KansasFest special. This year we managed to twist the following arms into joining us: Quinn Dunki – Open AppleCarrington Vanston – Retrocomputing Roundtable, Eaten By A GruePaul Hagstrom – Retrocomputing Roundtable, Drop III InchesKen Gagne – Retrocomputing Roundtable, Polygamer, Transporter LockCharles Mangin – How IISteve Weyrich – Retrocomputing RoundtableKay Savetz – ANTIC, Eaten By A Grue, Tech Enthusiast HourChris Torrence – Assembly LinesJason Scott – Jason Scott Talks His Way Out Of It You’ll have to excuse the strained voices and general discombobulation, as we generally record this sometime in the middle of the night on what-feels-like day 400 of KFest, in a dank basement chapel. It’s way more fun than I just made it sound. You should come to the next KansasFest!The post Open Apple #78 (September 2018) – Retro Antic Assembly Chicken Missile Talks Our Way Out Of It first appeared on Open Apple.

This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston of the Eaten By A Grue podcast. Eaten By A Grue is a game-by-game style of podcast where the intrepid hosts are playing every Infocom game. They both play the game, then discuss it in detail, with and without spoilers. They discuss the amount of cheating required, how mapping was done, the quality of writing and puzzles, and so on. The show has a very nice structure wherein they discuss the show with no spoilers to the halfway point, so that you can stop and go play it yourself if you are so inclined. If not, you can keep listening and hear gory details of all the puzzles. Kevin talks about getting beasts into bed, and other reasons not to play these games on real hardware. Meanwhile Carrington gets his feelies on and brags about how he has so many original copies of Infocom games that he sits on them for fun. Meanwhile Mike and Quinn debate dubious silicon valley histories, wedge computers, and competing with other 8-bits in BASIC. Tune in to hear us malign our guests, misremember important names, and get super pedantic about connector nomenclature for no conceivable reason. You won’t want to miss a moment of the drama. More information on everything discussed in this episode, after the jump. The Eaten By A Grue podcast – Listen for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.Zoom – A great way to play Infocom games on modern systems.The CPRG Book Project – A great free book that is a work-in-progress.Roger Wagner to keynote KansasFest – Accidentally timely information!WozFest DB9 -Announced, and, well… happened a while ago.Full BBS Documentary interviews – All the B-roll now online for listening.MOS Technology – The old building is entering a new chapter.Home-brew Apple /// – Chris Zuhar’s project marches on.Apple //e Intro – Harry McKracken talks about it, and shares old photos.Adventure Game Rockstars Live – Transcript of this historical event.Eamon Remastered – Another text adventure engine modernized for the web.FApple II Fest 2018 – Japanese Apple II gathering.Scart HDMI for GS – A handy solution to the IIgs’ challenging video problems.Apple 1 in Verilog – Get your own enhanced Apple I running on an FPGA.CFFA3000 Run #5 -The last(?) run is done. I hope you got one!Plasma 1.0 – Support for more chips, and ready to use.AppleWin updated – Bug fixes, administrative stuff.BASIC 10-liner contest – Was underway, but is now probably done.Javier demos WiModem232 – A really great device- get it while you can.Sneakers on BoingBoing – Sneakers on BoingBoing!IIc as a wedge – According to some folks, anyway.Rastan source – Discovered? John Brooks is unimpressed. Neat story, anyway.Silicon Valley miniseries – Maybe it happened? Is it still happening? Nobody knows.Nestle/Atari lawsuit settled – Be careful how you sell Kit Kats.Woz’s company fails – But we still love him anyway.The post Open Apple #77 (March 2018) – Kay Savetz & Carrington Vanston, Eaten By A Grue first appeared on Open Apple.

This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Ken Gagne and Andy Molloy of Juiced.GS, the longest running continuously published Apple II magazine (that you can still get in your mailbox to this day!). Juiced.GS is in its 23rd year, which has to be a record for magazines of almost any type. Ken and Andy talk about the bloodless coup of the magazine, the long history of same, where things are headed, and why they hates trees. Meanwhile, Quinn and Mike chat about FPGAs, nuclear weapons, and BBSes. What do you do when you need a mathematically provably correct piece of hardware to verify nuclear weapons compliance? Why, you grab your Apple II, of course! Duh! Here’s a time sensitive news item that didn’t make it into the show- vote for Nox Archaist and Lawless Legends for your favorite Ultima-inspired indie games of 2017! Stay tuned for a Tech segment where we follow up on last episode and go even deeper on fast IIgs graphics. There’s always more to know about the intricacies of squeezing performance out of this unique and beautiful machine. More information on everything discussed in this episode, after the jump. Juiced.GS – Subscribe here and get Apple II goodness direct to your mailbox every quarter!Tiger Learning Computer – Andy’s photo gallery of this fascinating artifact.Juiced.GS FAQ – Find out why there’s no PDF, and stop asking Ken about it.Byteworks Tools – Now for sale from Juiced.GS.IIgs Build Pipeline – Jeremy Rand’s ORCA/GoldenGate-based tool chain.Apple II+ FPGA – All the cool kids are doing it.Apple I on an ESP8266 – A very unique torturing of a commodity device.Apple II for Nukes – What to do when you need to really verify something.Ready Player ][ – A BBS scavenger hunt! With prizes!Jeremy Barr-Hyde’s Collection – More goodies here and here!CFFA Run 5! – This is great news!!DOS 4.4 – A skunkworks project from Brutal Deluxe.Virtual II Updated – The best emulator keeps getting better.Call A.P.P.L.E – 2017 winter magazine released.Apple IIe is 35 – Happy birthday to the letter ‘E’.ADT Pro 2.0.2 – Not compatible with High Sierra? Be careful.ProDOS 2.4.2 – Now in Beta!Nox Archaist Kickstarter – It’s rebooting. Stay tuned!Prince of Persia – It changed the way game animation is done.Jason Scott and Benj Edwards – They both have new podcasts. Give a listen!Apple Time Warp – A rare gem of a podcast. Worth your patience.Eaten By A Grue – The best internationally co-hosted Infocom podcast.Kay SavetzThe post Open Apple #76 (January 2018) – Ken Gagne & Andy Molloy, Juiced.GS, Nukes first appeared on Open Apple.

We’re baaaack! Sorry for the unscheduled hiatus folks, but your intrepid hosts had some family matters to attend to. This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Seth Steinberger of 8-bit Weapon. We talk about their new album Class Apples, which was made entirely on an Apple II. Yes, every sound on the album is generated by real Apple II hardware with no add-on cards. Apple IIs can make good sound with the right software and in the hands of a talented musician. After the amazement of Class Apples wears off, we get into Seth’s background with Apple IIs, how he got interested in electronic music, how 8-bit Weapon came to be, and where they’re headed next. We touch a little bit on his work as the main artist on the upcoming RPG Lawless Legends, and Seth explains how much better keyboards are as compared to proms. Furthermore, we all agree that the primary value of the internet is to find pictures of Devo. Michelle wasn’t able to be on the show, but you won’t want to miss the story of how she got to work with Mark Mothersbaugh. Mike and Quinn then get into augmented reality, alternative operating systems, and of course Richard Garriot. Can’t have an Apple II show without mentioning Richard Garriot. Stay tuned to hear about accelerator control, new magazines, and making your own memory cards. Lastly, Quinn goes deep on how to program fast graphics on the notoriously “crippled” Apple IIgs. Yes, you can do big beautiful sprites at high frame rates. Learn all about the deep dark secrets that the best games and demos used. Help keep the Garage Giveaway running at KansasFest! Donate here to keep it a thing. It’s one of the greatest services the Apple II community has, and we’re going to lose it this year if we don’t get donations. More information on everything discussed in this episode, after the jump. 8-bit Weapon – The greatest chiptunes group around.Class Apples – The greatest (read: only) pure Apple II album.4Play List – All the software for the four-player joystick card.Checkpoint – An Augmented-Reality-ish game project for Apple II.A2OSX – A new multitasking OS for Apple II, with discussion.KansasFest HackFest – The judging videos are finally online for 2017. Better late than never.Homebrew Club AR – Yes, a second Apple II-related augmented reality item!TechCrunch analyzes Apple’s IPO – Back when tech IPOs were shiny and new.Breakout – A very reasonable book claiming Apple II’s starting of various revolutions.Carmen Sandiego – The making of! A great story.Richard Garriot – Another telling of his getting-started story.Timezone for Apple II – Yes, it exists, but maybe only in Akihabara.NORMFAST – A handy accelerator controller.SAFE2 on High Sierra – A note on compatibility with this FTP client.CiderPress 4.0.2 – A nice little update of the best disk image manager.Web-based assembler – 6502 on the web. Why not?Antoine’s IIx project – Adult software collection- not so family-friendly, but historical.Latest Call A.P.P.L.E – Get it while you can!Latest Juiced.GS – Magazines for all!DIY Memory – Make your own memory card for you two GS. Here’s one way.Jeremy Rand’s GS build pipeline – He showed it at KansasFest, now you can have it.Merlin32 – Brutal Deluxe’s build pipeline for Windows.The fast GS graphics path. These links will help you understand fast GS graphics: https://apple2.gs/technotes/tn/iigs/TN.IIGS.070.txt https://archive.org/details/IIGS_epluche_French http://www.brutaldeluxe.fr/products/crossdevtools/mrspritetech/index.html https://apple2.gs/library.php X10 on Apple II – You can still them, if you want.Donate HERE to keep the Garage Giveaway going at KansasFest!The post Open Apple #75 (October 2017) – Seth Sternberger, Class Apples, GS Graphics first appeared on Open Apple.

This month on Open Apple, the part of Quinn Dunki is played by RCR Podcast co-host Carrington “Fake Quinn” Vanston. A post-KansasFest Megan Lemmert of 6502 Workshop returns to the show to promote the new Nox Archaist Kickstarter. You should contribute because it’s awesome to support those still developing for the Apple II and not just because you get cool stuff when you do (though that’s a thing that happens too!). There’s lots of news to cover and Carrington has opinions on all of it. Only on Open Apple can you hear him trash clones, accelerators, ProDOS, retro BBSes, and a random assortment of other topics! Fun for the whole family! We also chat about Apple II music and there’s general confusion about Australian Apple II conferences (when is there not on Open Apple?) eBay isn’t talked about (because we don’t talk about eBay) and we deconstruct Softalk #5. RCR Podcast – Listen to this show! (but only after you listen to Open Apple) Monsterfeet – All things Carrington Nox Archaist – 6502 Workshop’s upcoming RPG for the Apple II Nox Archaist Kickstarter Nox Archaist on YouTube – Keep up with all the latest development news ANTIC – Mike goes all Atari in this episode of ANTIC, the Atari Podcast Nox Archaist Demo at KansasFest 2017 FlexiDisc – All your Apple II software needs. Now on bendy vinyl! Tech Republic’s Evan Koblentz visits KansasFest KansasFest YouTube channel KansasFest 2018 dates announced – Be there! Another Apple-1 auction – This time at Charitybuzz Woz talks about the Zaltair ad Rainbow Apple logo retired 18 years ago PCWeek visits the Living Computers Museum Elk Cloner wasn’t the first computer virus Retro Roundup MultiTech Micro Professor III (MPF-III) clone WOzFest S7,D2 Oz Kfest a2.click – A URL shortener for Apple II sites FASTChip //e accelerator – Currently out of stock Quinn fixes the beep Captain’s Quarters BBS resurrected Adventures in Flatland isn’t just a book John Brooks’ Bitsy Rip preview Introducing DSKalyzer, a command-line disk tool written in Go RIP French Touch Review:‘The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs’ at Santa Fe Opera New 8 Bit Weapon Album: Class Apples Harry Spragens’ Apple II music memories Portal on an Apple II – Not Apple II Portal. Confused yet? A musical performance sync’d to Apple II animation Stynx’s Vintage Micro Music channel on Soundcloud The Octalyzer – 3D video on your Apple II Paleotronic Magazine – Retro-technology for today’s world! Albert Computer Apple II clone – We don’t talk about eBay Softalk #5The post Open Apple #74 (September 2017) – Megan Lemmert, Nox Archaist Kickstarter, Fake Quinn, and Softalk #5 first appeared on Open Apple.

This month on Open Apple, we run the annual group megapodcast that is recorded live at KansasFest! This is a four-year-old tradition whereby all the attending retro podcasters get together and do one big silly show together. It’s clunky, it’s pointless, and the audio quality is terrible because we’re all crowded one microphone in a grungy old basement chapel. Yet it’s one of our favorite things to do every year, so we hope you enjoy listening! Around the table this year we have Quinn Dunki, Paul Hagstrom, John Leake, Chris Torrence, Kay Savetz, Ken Gagne, Charles Mangin, and Carrington Vanston, and Michael Mulhern. Find links to all the podcasts mentioned in this show, after the jump! Feel like you’re missing out on all this fun? Come to KansasFest in 2018 and join in! We’d all love to meet you. Open Apple – Hurr hurr Retrocomputing Roundtable – A revolving discussion group of all things retrocomputing Drop III Inches – The Apple III podcast. Don’t drop it! Retro MacCast – Where great old Macs live again! Assembly Lines – A video channel with all sorts of Apple II projects. ANTIC – The Atari 8-bit podcast. It’s so good that Quinn won’t even boo it. Eaten By A Grue – The Infocom podcast. Gotta play ’em all! PolyGamer – All about equality and diversity in gaming. How II – The video channel for learning how to work with your Apple II.The post Open Apple #73 (August 2017) – Assembly Chicken PolyANTICast Roundtable first appeared on Open Apple.

This month on Open Apple, we sit down with KansasFest committee member and lifelong Apple II user Peter Neubauer. We talk lots about the upcoming KansasFest, of course, but also Peter’s own experiences with the machine. He has a passion for Logo, and a special place in his heart reserved for the Apple IIc Plus. I think many of us can relate to that. We talk KansasFest, KansasFest, and more KansasFest. Then we talk about KansasFest, followed conversation about a fruit-based retrocomputing conference that takes place in Missouri every July. We have plenty of regular news to catch up on as well, so stay tuned for updates from 6502 Workshop, NinjaForce, and more. We have graphics talk, Bluetooth talk, and exciting new accelerators from the mad Bulgarian. It’s already too late to register for KansasFest, but if you’re going to be there, make sure to say hi! We love to meet our listeners. More information on everything discussed in this episode, after the jump. KansasFest – It’s that time of year!BrutalDeluxe – This year’s keynote speakers, all the way from France!Hi-Res Graphics and Animation In Assembly Language – Finally scanned!6502 Workshop Expanding – Their empire building continues.Wade Clarke Plays His Own – Does your own work hold up 30 years later?NinjaForce at Revision – The IIgs is back in the limelight of the demo scene.NinjaForce Demo – Here’s the actual disk image, with some bug fixes.Lo-Res Graphics in Assembly – Tom Porter shows how it’s done.New books from Call A.P.P.L.E – Synergistic and more.Alex Lukazi explores Bluetooth – The Apple II dongle heard round the world.Battlestations teaches DHGR–  A great tutorial on the most difficult graphics mode.The Last Jedi trailer on a //c – Rendered the hard way. Don’t miss the making of.FASTchip review – The hottest new 8-bit accelerator, reviewed by Jorma.FTP Tool set for IIgs – Unlock real file transfer power with this new tools.Apple II Pi 2.2 – An update for the niftiest way to get modern hardware inside your II.Palm-sized Apple II – Yes, it works! More information here.New BBS running on real hardware – Apple IIs still make the best BBS hosts.WOzFest Slot 7 announced – They still have a few clever numbering ideas.Golden Gate Compatibility Layer – Kelvin Sherlock has been busy.Jorma acquires a rare Chinese clone – Great pictures of a rare (in the west) beast.Lemonade Stand lives on – Microsoft ports it to modern platforms for some reason.Apple Employee #3 selling his ranch – If you have a few dozen million to throw around.Yet another Apple I auction – They continue to decline in price. Meh.Where the first Apple was built – Someone found the actual apartment.KansasFest Offers and Deals – Too late to register, but bring your wallets!Woz says Apple is too big – To innovate, anyway.WeeGUI – Quinn’s MouseText-based GUI library.The post Open Apple #72 (June 2017) – Peter Neubauer, KansasFest, Last Jedi first appeared on Open Apple.

This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Michael Packard, author of the upcoming new game Alien Downpour. Michael has gone back to teach himself assembly language and make the kinds of games he wished he had made back in the day. The results are indeed impressive, and his first foray into solo Apple II game production is shaping up great. He’s also been very encouraging to the community, having set up the Facebook group Apple Graphics and Arcade Game Design Enthusiasts, dedicated to the book by the same name. This group is a place for Michael to share his progress on his games, as well as for other people to jump in with their own projects. As of this recording, you can still pre-order Alien Downpour over at Michael’s site. Remarkably, you can order it on floppy or cassette! It comes with a retro-style baggie and insert as well. Michael is writing a book on his experiences (re)learning all this, so keep an eye out for that as well. He’ll also be at KansasFest this year with a presentation on Alien Downpour. Register now so you can see that! You won’t want to miss Michael’s perfect re-impersonation of the Egghead Discount Software answering message. Meanwhile, Mike and Quinn get stuff wrong on a great many topics, but have fun doing it. If you want to try using a IIgs as your daily driver, launch cows with extreme prejudice, or run GEOS on a weird piece of hardware, you’ve come to the right podcast. Register for KansasFest while you still can! More information on everything discussed in this episode, after the jump. Alien Downpour – Pre-order it now! Michael’s first solo Apple II game is looking great.Apple Graphics and Arcade Game Design – A great FB group about a great book!Apple II+ Prototype? – A rare-looking machine found by John Romero.Leigh Alexander on archiving – She sits down with 4am and Jason Scott.Apple II viruses – There’s more than just Elk Cloner!Educational games are under appreciated – Check out the premiere muppet-based GUI.Cow-a-pult – A great new vignette from 6502 Workshop.8-Bit-Do firmware – It has been 8-bit-updated, and Chris Torrence reports.Caverns of Mordia – Improved coverage of this great story.Apple IIgs resurrected – Onsite action at the most recent WozFest.WozFest PR#6 – Lots of cool announcements from Oz this year.AFP Bridge – TCP/IP and AppleShare getting easier (no more LocalTalk).Using a IIgs in 2017 – A well-meaning dude takes a shot at it.GeoBook for sale – An auction for one of the rare GEOS-based laptops.GeoBooks are a thing – They have fans, because of course they do.Might & Magic – Mike and Quinn like it, and you will too (especially on Apple II)HowardSoft – It still exists! Take that, Microsoft Word.The post Open Apple #71 (May 2017) – Michael Packard, Alien Downpour, Kermit (The Frog) first appeared on Open Apple.

This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Megan Lemmert, co-founder of 6502 Workshop. She and her partners (Mike Reimer, Bill Giggie, Robert Padovan, Gordon Mackay, and Galactagog) have been building Nox Archaist, a brand new story-driven tile-based role-playing game in the classical Ultima style. They’re pushing the hardware as far as they can with this new engine, working to break new ground in scope, story, animation, sound, and music. Early builds look great, and we’re really excited to see more! Megan’s journey with the Apple II parallels a lot of us. The machine sparked an interest in programming, and a fascination with RPGs and tile engines in particular. Nox Archaist is the fulfillment of that childhood dream to build such a game from scratch. Megan shares her war stories (that many of us can relate to) of strewing our childhood computers with half-baked game engines that were doomed from the start. As she and her team are proving, it’s never too late to revive and achieve that dream. KansasFest 2017 registration is now open! Early bird rates in effect as of this posting, so don’t wait. Attendance is limited to 100 this year. Sign up now!  Megan will be there and likely demonstrating Nox Archaist, so you won’t want to miss that. Meanwhile, Mike and Quinn yammer on about new hardware, new old games, old new games, and of course Woz. Also back this month is the controversial Softalk segment. Read along with us in issue #4! More information on everything discussed in this episode, after the jump. 6502 Workshop – The team building Nox Archaist. Using Assembly Language (PDF) – By Randy Hyde, the book that got Megan started. Hi-Res Graphics and Animation Using Assembly Language – Does not appear to be online. Dogfighters of Mars 2 (demo) – Get it now before his dropbox limit is hit! Manila Gear 2soniq – Now distributed by ReactiveMicro. KansasFest Registration – Early bird rates in effect. 100 person limit! Go now! WozFest PR#6 announced – If you’re on the bottom of our blue rock, you should go. Light Cycles 3D – A game killed in 1977 is finally released! Better late than never. MIDI to Mockingboard – Tom Porter has a nifty conversion tool. Woz on why he likes computers – It’s Woz! He’s saying stuff! Softalk #4 – Follow along with us as we re-live 1980 one periodical at a time. SFX Audio – Promo for Tom Porter’s Apple II sound library. The post Open Apple #70 (April 2017) – 6502 Workshop, 1st-Person Lo-Res, Softalk #4 first appeared on Open Apple.