James Savage and John Leake have released the 519th episode of their RetroMacCast podcast. In this episode, James and John discuss eBay finds: Apple Portrait Display, Quadra 605 with Apple 2 Card, Apple 2 HD prototype case, and clear case 512k. They look back at March 2000 in MacAddict, and news includes new MacBook Air, iPad Pro, and a Mac clone. For more information about the RetroMacCast, check out their webpage at: http://retromaccast.ning.com/
Eric Rangell has announced that he will not be attending Kansasfest this year and thus, he has released what would have been his presentation at the event for all to view. The presentation is Reverse Engineering Ted Nelson and takes you through the the Ted Nelson library, a recent community funded scanning project for the Internet Archive. In the presentation, Eric takes introduces us to who Ted is and the works he was involved in including JOT. He has included…
Technology News and Views Since 1983 April 2020 Alas the Spy with this column breaks a many years’ long tradition, for there will be no levity (or levitation for that matter) this foolish month. There are more serious matters of the techie and wider world to ponder. Velocity, as the Spy’s regular geeky reader surely well knows, is defined as a measure of change per unit of time. Directionality matters (it is a vector) and we usually use it for…
From the europlus zone blog: Wow, what a month! When I announced WOzFest COLOR=15 I was looking forward to another fun get-together of fellow Apple ][ enthusiasts, and I’d already started planning to stream the day for those who couldn’t make it. Now, communities around the world are in lockdown (Australia is heading down that path) and people’s lives are being turned upside down. By mid-last week, I decided to go stream-only for WOzFest COLOR=15. While a difficult personal decision, it’s nothing compared to what some people…
The Applewin Apple II Emulator for Windows has been updated. Changes to version 1.29.11 of the Applewin emulator include the following: [Bug #771] Added new command line switch to load custom ROM: -rom . Supports 12KiB (at $D000) and 16KiB (at $C000) rom files. [Bug #765] Lancaster (Total Replay) hangs when starting second game. [Bug #734] DiskII controller card: support 13-sector firmware. The card auto-selects the firmware based on the .woz (v2 or higher) image properties. Only change the firmware at reset/reboot to…
The 518th episode of the the RetroMacCast has been released. In this episode, James and John discuss eBay finds: Picasso Mac poster, external floppy drive, and recapping service. They look back at Ambrosia Software, and news includes Apple store closures, WWDC 2020, and RR Auction results. RMC Website To listen to the latest episode of the RetroMacCast, check out their website at: http://retromaccast.ning.com/
Two new HTML tools for Babelfish on the Apple IIgs have been released. HTML+ and HTMLView by Chris Vavruska are now available from the Speccie website. According to the press release in the google groups, HTML+ is a translator for Babelfish, which allows you to import an HTML file directly into applications that support Babelfish, like Spectrum. Using the Babelfish utility Convert File you can translate HTML directly into other text formats such as the Apple IIgs format Teach. HTML+ also…
From the Apple Press Release: Cupertino, California — Apple today announced it will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Now in its 31st year, WWDC 2020 will take on an entirely new online format packed with content for consumers, press and developers alike. The online event will be an opportunity for millions of creative and innovative developers to get early access to the future of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS, and engage with Apple engineers as they…
From the europlus zone blog: WOzFest COLOR=15 will mark a new era for WOzFest with the launch of WOzFest TV – that’s right, I aim to stream all future WOzFests via Twitch. I felt, with the celebration of the Apple ][‘s support for colour graphics (usually touted via connecting to the family TV), it was time to take the streaming plunge. I’ll be incorporating any Skype calls, webcams from around WOzFest HQ, windows from tasks like Applesauce fluxing, and anything else that seems appropriate. For example, with the holding of QFest 15 to coincide with WOzFest COLOR=15, I’m…
Vince Weaver has created a new version of the game Myst. This one runs on the Apple II computer. For those who have seen the game on other platforms, this version will not disappoint. Using pure 6502 Assembly language, Vince has created a very playable demo version of the game. However incomplete the current version is, it does show great potential for a completed product. For more information or to download the Myst demo, check out The Apple II Myst…
Jeff Jetton has made the most of his past month and come up with a proverbial classic game for the Apple-1. 15 Puzzle for the Apple-1 is available in three flavors including a Javascript version which is compatible with Will Scullin’s Apple-1 Emulator via the Apple Tape format. The other two are the standard Apple-1 Binary and the Woz Monitor ready format or flat text format. Source code in 6502 Assembly Language is available for 15 Puzzle. For more information…
Just released Applesauce 1.32! This version allows you to open up and examine files on disk images (including resource forks for IIgs and Mac). Integer and Applesoft BASIC files can be displayed as detokenized source (including fancy REM text tricks). CP/M is now fully supported. Also new track location code to help determine tricky disk layouts. Tons of small improvements and fixes. You can update the Applesauce Floppy Disk Controller Client Software from within Applesauce or by downloading it from…
James and John have released the 517th episode of their popular Mac Podcast, The RetroMacCast. In this episode, James and John discuss eBay finds: 100 Apple decals, NIB Mac Plus, and unused Mac box. Mark from MacEffects talks about his latest Kickstarter: Clear Case for Apple IIe and IIgs. News includes the auction of Jerry Manock Apple items. RetroMacCast Website To listen to the latest RetroMacCast or to see the show notes, visit the RetroMacCast website at RetroMacCast. You can also…
Urgent – VCF PNW 2020 has been cancelled. March 5th, 2020 Most of you are aware that the Seattle area is considered to be the epicenter of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak in the US. Yesterday King County health officials issued new guidelines and requests, one of which was asking for large events to be postponed or cancelled. Living Computers:Museum+Labs (our host) is complying with those guidelines and requests and they closed their doors today until further notice. I found out…
Technology News and Views Since 1983 March 2020 Our long time reader will recall the Spy’s having many moons ago differed sharply from the majority view that the “global village” created by what we today call the Internet that many of us saw coming in the heady early 80s when this column was first started, would promote world peace and understanding and usher in a new era of understanding and co-operation. The Spy was rather criticized for his emphatic “not”,…
I’m very happy to announce the date for the next WOzFest, WOzFest COLOR=15 – Saturday 4 April 2020, starting around midday Sydney time (UTC+11:00). The theme for WOzFest COLOR=15 is the Apple ][‘s support for colour graphics via colour monitors and TVs. I’ve got a surprise lined up for WOzFest COLOR=15, but all I can say for now is…stay tuned! I will also be continuing to work on software preservation with the Applesauce. Applesauce is John Morris’ phenomenal USB interface for Apple ][ disk drives which takes Apple…
We regret to inform our readers of the passing of famed Robotics pioneer David Lee Heiserman. His obituary on the Funeral home site his family chose reads as follows: David Lee Heiserman, age 79 of Columbus, died Friday February 21, 2020 at Dublin Riverside Hospital. David was an educator, author, and visionary. David was a pioneer in robotics, authoring “Build your own working robot” (1976) and others. In total, he wrote over 40 books during the 70’s and 80’s. Diverse…
MacEffects, LLC, creator of the clear Macintosh SE case, just released the kickstarter for an Apple IIe case, and it’s fantastic! From their project:Our custom case will make your Apple II stunningly unique, yet still recognizable by its classic shape. You will have the ability to peer inside the system at its beautifully engineered internal components. This will instantly revitalize your computer and will allow it to serve as an amazing display that is sure to be a conversation starter in…
The Clock Signal Emulator for MacOS has been updated. This emulator simulates a variety of platforms including the Apple II series computers. Clock Signal currently emulates the following platforms: Acorn Electron; Amstrad CPC; Apple II/II+ and IIe; Atari 2600; ColecoVision; Commodore Vic-20 (and Commodore 1540/1); Macintosh 512ke and Plus; MSX 1; Oric 1/Atmos; Sega Master System; and Sinclair ZX80/81. In addition, emulation of the Atari ST is experimental. Clock Signal Author, Tom Harte writes of the new release saying “This…
Reactive Micro has announced the availability of a new version of the Apple II Plus Rev Seven RFI Boards. According to the posting on the Reactive Micro Blog, The Apple II Plus, Rev 7 RFI Motherboard project is offered in several options. As assembled or kit, with and without ICs and DRAM, and in 93-series ROM (original) or 27-series ROM (not yet released). It is designed to be a replacement motherboard for your existing Apple II and II Plus. It’s…
