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

Apple II Desktop project curator, Joshua Bell, has announced the latest release of the Apple II Desktop project. Version 1.5 Alpha 3 introduces a Bulgarian version of the graphical platform for the Apple II. Changes since the previous version include the following items: General DeskTop Selector Disk Copy Desk Accessories The latest release of the Apple II Desktop package is available in one of 10 languages from the Apple II Desktop project Github page at:https://github.com/a2stuff/a2d

Programmer Robert Baruch of Mountain View, California, has announced the complete reverse engineering of the game Lode Runner for the Apple II series. Once one of the most popular games for the Apple II, this reverse engineering provides users a means by which to re-assemble the game and check out the inner workings of Lode Runner. The file, main.pdf, is the literate programming document for this project. The explanation of the disassembly is contained within the lines of the source…

From the creator of FujiNet, Thom Cherryhomes: The newest firmware for ATARI, Apple2, CoCo, and Coleco Adam devices, FujiNet Firmware 1.5, has been released! Below you’ll see a distilled set of changes that have gone into this firmware release, which supersedes the 1.4 release that happened last year in August.A huge thank you to everyone who helped get this release cut! FujiNet is a multi-peripheral emulator and WiFi network device for vintage computers. The first completed hardware was for Atari…

An apparently lost episode of the Open Apple podcast from 2018 featuring Applesauce Floppy Disk Controller creator John Morris has been located. Originally from July 2018 and hosted by Em Maginnis and Quinn Dunki, this two hour episode, Open Apple #86 (July 2018): John Keoni Morris of Applesauce FDC, includes a ton of Tidbits about the Applesauce Floppy Disk Controller and its workings. To listen to the episode, check out the Open Apple podcast website at:https://www.open-apple.net/2025/03/31/show-086-john-morris-applesauce/

Registration for Kansasfest 2025 has now opened. This year’s event will be a completely virtual event from July 18-20. Be sure and get your tickets soon to reserve your part in this annual Apple II related event. Check out the website for more information at: www.kansasfest.org/registration/

Get VCF East 2025 Tickets now! Early bird prices end 4/3! Prices are higher at the door! https://events.humanitix.com/vintage-computer-festival-east-2025The show is April 4-6 in Wall, NJ

From the author, Richard Soberka: Hi everyone, I just wanted to let the Apple II community know that I’ve made my game Zephyr available for download as a disk image (.DSK). It’s available for free on my personal website:https://www.soberka.com/games/ Zephyr is an action game — a combat flight simulator in double hi-res monochrome (DHGR, 560 × 192 pixels), designed for Apple IIe (128K), Apple IIc, or Apple IIgs computers. I wrote Zephyr in 1987 for the French publisher Froggy Software. The game was scheduled for…

Thomas Harte, Developer of the Clock Signal Emulator, has announced a bug fix update to the emulator. The latest version includes the following Macintosh related bug fixes: The Clock Signal Emulator is a clock accurate multi-platform emulator and is available for free download from: https://github.com/TomHarte/CLK

While the evenings of KansasFest are renowned for their spontaneity, the days are reserved for sessions spanning a variety of uses, extensions, and applications of the Apple II family. Just as varied as these sessions are the good people who volunteer to present them. If you have a topic you’d like to present, please fill out the session proposal form. Past sessions have included hardware, software and game demonstrations, and tutorials; integration of the Apple II with other devices; emulators; programming;…

From our friend David Greelish of Before Macintosh: There are currently three Apple Lisa computers being auctioned with RR Auctions, all ending on March 20th. One of them is an original Lisa 1. – Apple Lisa Computer with ‘Twiggy’ Drives, ProFile Hard Drive, Mouse, and Keyboard:https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/349773707146055-apple-lisa-computer-with-twiggy-drives-profile-hard-drive-mouse-and-keyboard/ – Apple Lisa 2 Prototype with Mouse, Keyboard, and ProFile Drive:https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/349916807146061-apple-lisa-2-prototype-with-mouse-keyboard-and-profile-drive/ – Apple Lisa 2 Computer Set with Keyboard, Mouse, and ProFile Hard Drive:https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/348390407146054-apple-lisa-2-computer-set-with-keyboard-mouse-and-profile-hard-drive/ There is also an original Apple 1 and two reproductions. A…

For those of you who are fans of the flying toasters of yesteryear, there is now reason to celebrate! Matthew Pierce (CybernetixZero) has modified the AfterDark program and the modules to run smoothly on MacOS 9.2.2. This release is a celebration of everything After Dark! For many years I’ve been on a mission to see After Dark running stable on Mac OS 9.2.2. Some time ago, a user by the name of Daxeria released a patched version of the After…

The Ample interface for the MAME emulation platform on MacOS has been updated. Ample version 0.275 includes the following additions: Ample is a graphical user interface which according to the author, Kelvin Sherlock, provides a more friendly interface for the MAME Emulation platform. Originally only supporting Apple and Macintosh based emulation, the latest version of Ample includes support for Dragon 32, Tandy computers, Commodore 64 and BBC Micro as well as a host of other retro computing platforms. You can…

Technology News and Views Since 1983March 2025 That title isn’ta reference to bus drivers on strike at the beginning of a bright sunny week. Rather, it is a reflection on how quickly worldly honours (glories) can vanish into oblivion, whether through conquest, or self-destruction via overweening hubris. Take, for instance politicians. (Please.) OTOH, they paint a glorious picture of how great will be their reign if the electorate will hand them and their party the keys to the empire. But…

From the Kansasfest 2025 Committee: KansasFest: a community united in passion, learning, and respect for the Apple ][ For over three decades, KansasFest has brought together enthusiasts, experts, and newcomers alike to celebrate the legacy of Apple II computing. More than just a gathering, KansasFest is a community—one built on a foundation of learning, fun, respect, and collaboration. We take great pride in fostering a safe and welcoming environment where attendees can share their passion, exchange knowledge, and build lasting…

The CLK Clock Signal multi-platform Emulator has been updated. 26 Feb 2025 release of CLK introduced the following changes to the platform: Clock Signal (‘CLK’) is an emulator that seeks to be invisible. Users directly launch classic software, avoiding the learning curves associated with emulators and with classic machines. The platform is for MacOS and includes emulation for the following platforms: It currently contains emulations of the: Acorn Electron;Amstrad CPC;Apple II/II+ and IIe;Atari 2600;Atari ST;ColecoVision;Commodore Vic-20; Enterprise 64/128;Macintosh 128K, 512K,…

The Apple II Cassette project, run by Brutal Deluxe Software, has added four new cassettes to its growing collection. Now reaching a total of nearly 700 cassettes, the project aims to gather all of the cassette based software items from the early days of the Apple II computing world. The new items include the following items: You can download the latest additions to the collection as well as many others at the Apple II Cassette Project webpage at: https://www.brutaldeluxe.fr/projects/cassettes/

The latest version of Card Cat, version 1.8, is now available for download. Card Cat is a system identification program created by Henry Lowe that identifies your Apple II series hardware information, memory and the cards in the slots. The latest release of Card Cat contains a number of new options and fixes including:

Joshua Bell has announced the latest pre-release of the Apple II Desktop, version 1.5 alpha 2, a Graphical User Interface operating system for the Apple II. This release has a number of new features enhancing the user experience for Apple II enthusiasts, offering a range of new features, bug fixes, text updates and improvements. As always, the developer warns users to use alpha and beta software with caution, as the latest release of Apple II desktop is still in the…

The SPIISD with an OLED display, V2, has debuted. This new version features an SPI OLED screen and UP, DOWN, and ENTER buttons, allowing users to select and save multiple ProDOS images stored on a FAT32-formatted MicroSD card. A configuration file, Config.txt, is generated in the root of the SD card, enabling up to four boot images to be selected and saved. In terms of speed and stability, it inherits the specifications of the previous version, V1.17. SPIISD V2.0 is…

MacEffects has announced their latest hardware upgrade for Macintosh 68030 machines. According to the product information, “the MacEffects Performer accelerator is the perfect hardware upgrade for your Macintosh SE. The Performer accelerator features a 68030 clocked to 16mhz and a 68882 FPU (math coprocessor) to speed up CPU performance and math calculations. With the Performer accelerator you can enjoy a new level of performance from your Macintosh. “ According to the product information on the Mac Effects website, this upgrade…