Category: Vintage

Now you can easily build your own FTP client, or add FTP functionality to your IIgs applications. Just drop the new FTP Tool Set into your System:Tools folder, add a few simple commands to your applications, and it is done… Also being released is a new NDA, SOS.FTP. This utilises the FTP Tool Set, and from the IIgs Desktop, or while running an application, you can now easily send a single file to or from a host server using FTP….

Last year, 8bitdo, a Hong Kong company that specializes in Bluetooth and wireless controllers for retro systems, came out with a special receiver commemorating the Apple II after a successful kickstarter campaign. The key element of this device is the adapter that connects to the joystick port of the Apple II computers and converts it to Bluetooth, allowing the game pad to be used as a joystick on the Apple IIs. Unfortunately the users found out after receiving them that…

Marco Verpelli has created a volume of the MECC titles on a single hard disk image.  The volume which is the complete collection (Well, 158 titles is a mostly complete collection anyways), contains the available Apple II titles from 1980 to 1999 and is on two digital format .2mg floppy disks. For more on this and the process which allowed this volume to be created, check out the What is the Apple II gs website.  The image volume is also…

Another original Apple-1 computer has re-surfaced and is going on the auction block through the LiveAuctioneers.com website.   Serial number 01-0073 which according to the Mike Willegal Apple-1 Registry database is not rregistered, is apparently the working Apple-1 computer belonging to one “John D.” and was purchased on 30 November 1976 for a grand total of $692.25. For more information or to bid on the machine, check out the LiveAuctioneers.com website for the auction at: https://new.liveauctioneers.com/item/52749252_original-apple-1-computer-1976

Stepehen Heumann has announced the release of AFPBridge for the Apple IIgs.   According to the announcement on CSA2,  AFPBridge is “a tool that allows an Apple IIgs to connect to file servers using the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) over  TCP/IP.  It works by using the existing AppleShare FST, but redirecting  its network traffic over TCP/IP rather than AppleTalk.” AFPBridge is compatible with Apple IIgs’s with system 6.01 or later and a Network card compatible with Mainetti such as the Uthernet….

From the realm of Antoine Vignau: i’m fEDD up goes v2.3 and now supports RamWorks 8M from a2heaven.com: – You can load your 5.25″ floppies in a single pass, that may help create images of sync’ed titles, – We have added more messages for Brian Wiser 😉 Get your copy @ http://www.brutaldeluxe.fr/products/apple2/imfEDDup/ Next step is sync support for AppleSauce!

April 1, 2017 /RPNewswire/ — The 8-Bit Bunch announce an unexpected discovery for the 40th anniversary of the launch of the Apple II – an original game from 1977. You may have thought that Lemonade Stand and Little BrickOut were the titles to show off the capabilities of the Apple II. This, Light Cycles 3D, was the game that was supposed to ship with the computer but was pulled at the last minute for unknown reasons. We discovered the cassette…

A new 503 byte Sector Viewer created by John Brook has been released.   The viewer includes all source code as well as the executable.  According to John’s post on CSA2, ” This is a single-block (503-byte) ProDOS utility which will read DOS 3.3 sectors and dump+display them as both hex and ascii. It runs on all Apple II computers including Integer ROM and ][+ machines. It is a SYS file and can be run from Basic.System or launched directly. It…

Axel Muhr from Germany has announced the release of his T2A2 card, his transputer project for the Apple II. Read his announcement: I’d just like to send you a quick heads-up, that my T2A2 (“Transputer to Apple II”) interface finally became a real PCB – 6 years after you ran a news-line about the prototype (http://a2central.com/2683/t2a2-apple-ii-transputer-interface/). Well sometimes it just takes a tad bit longer 😀http://www.geekdot.com/t2a2-for-everyone/I ran a first initial batch of 20 as I have no idea how big…

The Drop III Inches podcast returned this month with their first episode in 3 months.   According to the posting on the Drop III Inches blog, We’re back, with an episode that was three months in the making. Mike and Paul talk (in November 2016) about the state of things in our Apple /// worlds, and then speak at some length with Don Burtis (in December 2016), who designed (among many other things) the Microsoft SoftCard III. Don Burtis, who is probably most…

Gerard Putter has announced the release of the latest version of his Virtual II emulator.  Virtual II is a Mac OS X based Apple II emulator which features a bevy of features not found on other emulators including realistic sounds, multiple speed, print to PDF among others. Version 7.5.4 includes a number of changes and fixes including: A new option allows forwarding all Command-key combinations to the virtual machine as “Open Apple” key combinations, instead of being handled by the…

8Bitdo has started shipping the Apple II-compatible bluetooth gamepad from their Kickstarter. Over on the Assembly Lines Video Podcast, Chris Torrence has a video review of the new controller. He shows how to hook the gamepad up to both a modern Mac/PC and also an Apple ][+, //e or IIc. Does the AP40 live up to its hype? Check out the video and find out!

The documentation / manual for the Apple II game, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, is now available from the Apple II Scans website.  The 10mb download offers a high definition look into the Silas Warner produced game and is a free download.  For more information or to download the manual, check out the Apple II Scans website at: http://www.apple2scans.net/2017/01/04/beyond-castle-wolfenstein-muse-software-1981/ Those users who wish to try the game out, you can find it on the Virtual Apple II website at: http://www.virtualapple.org/beyondcastlewolfensteindisk.html

A new Uthernet card for the Apple II series, announced through the A2Retro mailing list, set the date of sale for the cards as Late February.   In the email from the Uthernet creator, Glenn Jones, he says Hi, I am currently sending a refreshed PCB design out for new boards. When I get them back and build a few to do thorough testing to ensure no regressions, I will then be placing an order for additional stock. These boards will…

An intriguing post on twitter today caught my eye.  John Brooks, creator of ProDOS 2.4.1 has released a short program which scrolls Apple II gs text at 130 frames per second at 2.8 MHz. John is known not only for his recently released updates to the ProDOS operating system but also for his Bitsy Bye file manager on the Apple II series and the A.P.P.L.E. produced TurtleSoft ProDOS version as well as his old days fame for The Apple II…

Buckshot is a free to use, open-source image conversion utility for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux. It is based on a command-line image conversion tool called “bmp2dhr”. It’s mostly a toy to play around with, as it doesn’t support all features available in bmp2dhr, but it works well and is fun for checking out possible conversions. Get Buckshot

Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has updated the manual for the popular Apple II graphics programming tool Turtlesoft: Turtle Graphics for Applesoft with a new softcover manual. Originally published in 1983 by A.P.P.L.E., the new manual features revised formatting and now includes the 15 sample programs with screenshots. In addition to the original Turtlesoft DOS 3.3 version by Robert Gallup, John Brooks  converted it to work with ProDOS.  Both Turtlesoft disk images are available and also include sample programs….

David Schmidt has announced the immediate availability of ADTPro 2.0.2.  The latest update includes ProDOS 2.4.1 as the base operating system as well as a host of other new features and bug fixes including: New functionality: Support added for Uthernet II based on new integrated IP65 library from Oliver Schmidt (http://oliverschmidt.github.io/ip65/) Integrated John Brooks’ ProDOS 2.4.1 as base operating system for all ADTPro actions (Speediboot, text bootstrapping, base disks, etc.) [VDrive] Uthernet II virtual Ethernet driver from Oliver Schmidt that…

The What is the Apple IIgs website has announced that there are a number of new additions to their 8-bit floppy archive.   The site is one of the largest Apple IIgs specific websites and archives all of the floppies, documentation, and packaging covers.   For more on the latest additions check out the news page at: http://www.whatisthe2gs.apple2.org.za/more-8-bit-on-3-5-disk-software-added-and-just-in-time-for-christmas/?stage=Live

Antoine Vignau of Brutal Deluxe Software has announced the addition of four new software titles to the Apple II Cassette Collection.   The collection now contains a total of 653 titles that were produced on Tape for the Apple II computer during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. You can download the tapes at: http://www.brutaldeluxe.fr/projects/cassettes/