Author: A.P.P.L.E.

The latest version of the PinyInform Library has been released. Punyform 3.3 includes host of changes and bug fixes including the following items: Changes in functionality: Implemented ChooseObjects entry point routine. Added a ‘score’ verb for games with no score, which just prints a message saying there is no score in this game. Added an example of how to add random comments to a game (howto/comments.inf). Changed so that NPCs can’t use wildcards, such as “take all” (This was deemed…

For those of us who grew up with arcade games in the 1970’s, there were a few games which stuck out. Night Driver would be one such game. There have been many versions over the years, but now thanks to Apple hobbyist Ian Schmidt, the game has come to the Apple IIgs! Complete with artwork from the Fatdog Projects, creators of the monthly Apple IIgs art disks, the game comes with three track modes: Novice, Expert and Pro. Ian has…

Tom Harte has released an updated version of his Clock Signal multi-platform emulator for Mac OS X. The 19 December update includes a new section of code specifically allowing Clock Signal to emulate the Commodore Amiga. As Tom specifies in his release notes for the update, this release is a “low-Quality” emulator of the Commodore Amiga and he plans on updating it again soon with some better code. Currently the Clock Signal Emulator has a number of emulators including the…

The Applewin Apple II Emulator for Microsoft Windows has been updated. Applewin Apple II Emulator is a full featured emulator managed by Tom Charlesworth. Applewin Version 1.30.7 includes a number of fixes and changes including the following items: [Bug #997] Support VidHD card for IIgs Super Hi-Res (SHR) video modes, eg. for Total Replay box art. Support VidHD in slot 3 (via Config GUI or ‘-s3 vidhd’). Only partial VidHD support – ie. just for SHR video modes, but SHR is…

John Morris has announce the availability of the version 1.57 of the Applesauce Floppy Disk Controller Client Software. According to the release, The new version of the Applesauce Client includes the following changes: New Features Official support for 8-inch drives is here! You can now specify them in the Drive Configuration screen. If you were being sneaky and already using an 8-inch drive with a 5.25-inch profile, then you should edit your profile to change it to 8-inch. This will…

The latest rendition fo ColdMac from Mac Fixer is online. The annual startup of the annual test of the 2009 iMac has been upgraded a bit this year with some addition caching and query optimizing according to the owner. According to the ColdMac website, ” ColdMac is an old Apple computer that lives in my shed and tracks its own internal and external temperatures, and also hosts this webpage displaying that data. The shed this Mac lives in is very…

Steve Nickolas has released a zip of modified Infocom adventure disks that allow them to run on the Apple III One of the problems over the years has been getting original Apple II games on the Apple III computer.  While the traditional startup disk and then swap floppy method has been the preferred manner for many years, the Infocom games were always a bit problematic for the machines. Steve Nickolas has resolved this issue and has released a zip of…

Release 0.5 of the 8bit-Unity SDK is ALMOST ready!!! This version includes support for the NES/Famicom and Atari 400/800 (48K of RAM). As always, the API and Asset packager are compatible with all systems, making multi-platform 8bit game development a breeze!For now, I have uploaded the Tech-Demo disc which show the various features available in 8bit-Unity. You can download them from: http://8bit-unity.com/?page_id=617

The ProDOS Drivers Disk project has been updated. Joshua Bell, the projects owner has released a new ProDOS Order disk containing the following changes has been released: Add ROMX RTC driver, c/o Jeff Mazur. This is a modified version of the ROMX Real-Time Clock driver to improve compatibility with ProDOS applications that use page 2. BUHBYE: Compatibility fixes for Franklin ACE 2000 and ACE 500. Fix auto-launching quit handler, c/o @rharke You can download the disk at the ProDOS Drivers Disk…

Sean Bugler has released an updated version of the Ultima IV Remastered program. The version 1.2.6 release is a bug regression issue which apparently was introduced into the program in June 2021. The gold amount actually awarded to the player now matches the actual amount. You can download the latest version of Ultima IV Remastered from the Github page at:https://github.com/sean-gugler/u4remasteredA2

The latest version of the Applesauce Floppy Disk Controller software has been released. Applesauce FDC version 1.56.1 includes the following updates: Improvements and Fixes A new system has been created for processing hard-sectored disks. This will allow for the rapid implementation of support for new disk formats. Added another data repair technique for disks using IBM sector structure. Added DMK exporting for TRS-80 disks. Improved IMD exporting. Analog Chacteristics test has been revamped a bit to allow for drives with…

Marc Golembeck has released his entry for the Apple II Software Enthusiasts Challenge 2021 programming contest. The program, The Pudding Strikes Back, is a double low resolution graphical shooter game, is appropriately themed for the Christmas 2021. Pudding runs on an enhances Apple IIe, IIc and the IIgs as well as a variety of Apple II Emulators including Applewin and Virtual II. This is an unusual First Person Shooter game as it features a number of effects not normally seen…

Jim C. Warren Jr. was more than a technologist; he was a bridge between the free-spirited counterculture of the 1960s and the revolutionary dawn of personal computing in the 1970s. Born in the midst of the Great Depression and passing away in the era of ubiquitous digital connectivity, Warren’s life encapsulated the transformation of computers from monolithic machines to tools of empowerment for the masses. His contributions as an educator, entrepreneur, editor, and activist helped shape the Silicon Valley ethos,…

Jim Warren, the famed founding editor at the People’s Computer Company, publisher of Dr. Dobbs Journal has passed away. Jim was aged 85 and was known for his intelligent editing of Dr. Dobbs as well as the founding of the West Coast Computer Faire. He died on the 24th in  St. Michaels Medical Center in Silverdale, WA.. Some of the publications he worked on included Intelligent Machines Journal, Later known as InfoWorld, Silicon Gulch Gazette, Datacast Magazine, Computer World, in…

Kelvin Sherlock has released an update to the Ample MAME interface. Ample is a front end for the MAME emulator which is Apple II series and Macintosh centric. Complete with easy to use customization of the emulation setup, Ample is one of the easiest setups to use. The current version matches the current version of MAME. You can download the latest version of Ample from the GitHub page at:https://github.com/ksherlock/ample

Bobbi Manners has released the latest update to her emai//er suite for the Apple //e and Apple IIgs computers. The latest release, version 2.1.13 addresses the following issues in the program: * Both SMTP65.SYSTEM and NNTP65UP.SYSTEM parsed the first 20 lines of the message looking for headers, and failed to stop at the first blank line, as they should. The consequence of this was when forwarding an email, the headers of the message being forwarded were parsed when they should be ignored. Fix is…

Kent Dickey has announced the latest version of the Kent’s Emulated GS (KEGS) Apple II gs emulator. KEGS version 1.14 is primarily a minor bug fix with fixes for Pulse Audio and serial DCD signals as well as providing support for the M1 Silicon Macs. He has also added preliminary support for DynaPro. Changes in KEGS v1.14 since v1.13 (11/14/21) Better support for disk images inside .zip files. Linux sound fixes to make PULSE_AUDIO work a little better. Better handle…

In the run up to the holidays, Roby Sherman of Crow Cousins software has Re-released his Snow Display Demo for the Apple II. The Demo which was released last year, carries a Christmas theme and runs through 9 different animated displays as it runs. You can download the floppy disk image from the Crow Cousins Software website at:https://err0r.tech/crowcousins/let_it_snow_2020.dsk

Ultima IV Remastered is a fan project with over 40 bug fixes and enhancements upon the original 1985 game by Lord British. Notable features include: trainer menu (optional cheat codes); gender-neutral character creation; faster dungeon exploration with a single-character mode; skull artifact supported in combat; Mockingboard support on Apple IIgs and //c models.  The latest release of the game, Ultima IV Remastered Version 1.2.5, includes changes for a couple of items including: Fixed Lord British says Moonglow is on the…

For this folks who are fans of the Steve Chamberlain created ROM-inator, there is good news. Kay Koba, the owner of Kero’s Mac Mods store has contracted with BMOW to create and sell them again. The ROM-inator is a replacement boot ROM which allows the Mac 128K and 512K to have up to 1mb on the boot rom. Some of the features of the ROM-inator include: Startup beep is replaced by a glass “ping” Happy Mac icon is replaced by…