Juiced.GS

As announced yesterday, the sixtieth issue of the world's longest-running Apple II publication has now shipped to all domestic and international subscribers.

Though the cover photo may suggest we've strayed from our focus of Apple II coverage, Mike Maginnis's piece on the Apple III is right in line with our mission statement. Rather than tread old ground by reviewing what made this machine Apple Computer, Inc.'s first commercial failure, Mike dissects the technological advances that debuted in the Apple III and were eventually incorporated into models of the Apple II. It's a great piece about the overlooked origin of aspects of our favorite computer.

Perhaps the issue's most substantial piece is an interview with Wayne Bibbens, who has been selling Apple II hardware and software for more than twenty years. After being featured in the documentary Welcome to Macintosh, reviewed in our December 2009 issue, Wayne's phone has been ringing off the hook! Rather than get in the queue for his attention via phone or email, Juiced.GS associate editor Andy Molloy drove to Bibbens' store and got a personal tour and interview, complete with photos.

This issue's installment of our five-part series on transferring files between the Apple II and a modern computer covers the reading of physical media (floppy disks, hard drives, CD-ROMs, and CompactFlash) as well as how to convert those same volumes into disk images. It was a fun challenge to get the wisdom and expertise of Tony Diaz, Ivan Drucker, Mike Maginnis, and myself all into a single article!

Hot on the heels of the KansasFest 2010 debut of Slammer is a behind-the-scenes look at its creation by its inventor, Ivan Drucker. This utility makes it possible to executes monitor commands from within Applesoft programs without requiring any external routines.

Martin Haye provides Juiced.GS with what could be the first piece of fiction we have ever published. His short story of two detectives puzzling over the disastrous consequences of an innocuous PEEK command is a fun read for programmers and budding sleuths alike.

Our regular columns round out this issue. In the quarterly editorial, I talk about how my academic pursuits have influenced Juiced.GS, and vice versa. DumplinGS reveals the KansasFest 2010 keynote speaker and looks at other recent events in the Apple II community, while hinting at content to be found in our March issue. Eric Shepherd's back-page column makes a call for the tools necessary to support a thriving Apple II development community. Interested in being a part of this project? Drop us a line!

The envelope in which your December issue will arrive includes a reminder of whether or not you've renewed for 2011. If you haven't, you can use the enclosed order form to ensure you receive another four issues of the last Apple II publication still in print. If you missed the 2010 volume entirely, all four issues can now be purchased for only $16, which includes shipping anywhere in the world. This volume is also now included in our print bundle and "Everything Juiced.GS" bundle.

Online resources referenced in this issue are indexed in the issue links. I think this issue marks a new record — I counted 35 URLs! Since not all our readers have easy or any access to the Internet, we do try to provide offline alternatives whenever possible. But so much commerce is conducted online these days, and print space is at such a premium, that it's impractical and nearly impossible to offer a postal address and phone number for each and every resource. I will continue to accommodate requests for this information, as has happened with the occasional postal letter to the editor.

This issue is also indexed in our exhaustive online database and is outlined on its own page.