The organizers of INIT HELLO, a new Apple II conference, posted a press release about their event:
“On July 26-27, 2025, the inaugural meeting of INIT HELLO will take place, at the System Source Computer Museum, in Hunt Valley, MD (just north of Baltimore). INIT HELLO is a two-day gathering of Apple II enthusiasts, working on (and showing off) their projects, giving presentations, participating in workshops and contests, touring the museum, and just hanging out with fellow enthusiasts.
The keynote presentation will be given by Laine Nooney, author of The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal (2023, University of Chicago Press). Nooney, an Associate Professor of Media Industries at New York University, will speak about how the Apple II transformed society’s relationship to computers, sparked the creation of several new industries, and made computers truly personal.
The schedule also includes a vendor fair, a 24 hour 6-line programming contest, a Shufflepuck Café for Apple II tournament. There are workshops on programming the Apple II for FujiNet, hands-on disk preservation with Applesauce, using OnShape to design for 3D printing, and simple kit soldering. There are presentations on Total Reprint (a reimagining of Print Shop for modern Apple II users), using FujiNet on Apple II, updates from Juiced.GS, Ultima IV bug hunting and authenticating ProDOS, Primeval Machine Book (an Apple II e-reader), and a reflections on the preservation and development culture that still thrives around the Apple II.
The meeting will take place at the Computer Museum at System Source, with its extensive and magnificent collection of curated and working artifacts from all across computing history. A virtual tour is available on their site, but attendees at INIT HELLO will have a chance to see it all first-hand. See the Cray room, the IBM gallery, punch card sorters, and Univac hardware. Or peruse the collection of smaller personal and business computers. System Source has recently become home to much of the DigiBarn collection as well.
Please note that, in recognition of the fact that our community is now aging and many of us have health challenges, this event (still!) has a cautious COVID policy. Please be aware of this policy before registering. We want everyone to feel (and be) safe attending, and we want everyone to go home healthy.
Registration ($90) includes lunch on both days. Vendors should request space (vendor space is free, but limited). Attendees who wish to reserve workspace in the large open projects area (to work on or demo projects) can request workspace (there is a lot of space available). INIT HELLO shirts can be ordered separately (either shipped to you within the US, or picked up at the event).
Deadlines are coming up fast! INIT HELLO has secured discounted room blocks at two nearby hotels. Reserve at Holiday Inn Express before June 10, or at Courtyard by Marriot before June 25. Orders for INIT HELLO shirts must be ordered by June 15. Registration itself closes on June 30. So don’t delay, join us for an amazing weekend of Apple II goodness!”
