Juiced.GS » Volume 15

The December 2010 issue in-depth

Ken Gagne — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:30:00 +0000

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.

Enjoy Juiced.GS Volume 15, Issue 4 (December 2010)

Ken Gagne — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:30:55 +0000

This issue features an interview with Apple II retailer and collector Wayne Bibbens, who was featured in the documentary Welcome to Macintosh; an analysis of technologies introduced in the failed Apple III that were more successfully deployed in the Apple II; a comprehensive guide to accessing ProDOS disks on modern computers, and how to convert those volumes to disk images; a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Ivan Drucker's Slammer; and much, much more!

Check out this issue's links to online resources for more related content.

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V15I4 (Dec 2010)

Ken Gagne — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 15:02:44 +0000

MusinGS

Wayne's Computer
Elbridge, New York-based retail store of Wayne Bibbens.

Old Apple Stuff
An Apple-centric subset of Wayne's Web site.

Welcome to Macintosh
The documentary that launched Wayne Bibbens to stardom.

Behind the Scenes

Slammer
Ivan Drucker's method of issuing monitor commands from within Applesoft programs.

S.H. Lam Revisited
A programming routine that inspired Slammer.

Retrospective

Apple III Resources
A site of manuals, tech notes, and disk images for the Apple III.

The Apple III Resource
Apple III software, manuals, emulators, and links.

Apple3-L
An email list for Apple III users.

Apple III Enthusiasts
A Facebook group for fans of the Apple III.

6502 Lane
Author Mike Maginnis's Apple III blog.

Connections: Physical Media

MacDrive
A Windows program by Mediafour for accessing HFS-formatted volumes.

CiderPress
Apple II file and disk reader and translator for Windows.

Trackstar
Information about a rare Apple II card for the PC.

FC5025
A 5.25" floppy disk drive controller with a USB interface.

Firewire-to-SCSI converter
An expensive adapter from RATOC Systems.

USB-to-SCSI converter
An expensive adapter from RATOC Systems.

Apple Floppy Drives
An index of the many kinds of floppy drives made for Apple computers.

Media Wiki
Information about many kinds of Apple II media and cables.

RetroFloppy
David Schmidt's commercial service for converting your disks for you.

Floppy Recovery
Kevin Savetz's commercial service for converting your disks for you.

Connections: Disk Images

ADTPro
Create, transfer, and convert disk images between an Apple II and a modern machine.

DiskMaker 8
Convert disk image files to real disks using your enhanced Apple IIe, IIc, or IIc Plus.

DSK2FILE
An 8-bit tool for creating disk images.

ImageMaker
Eric Shepherd's Apple IIGS utility for converting disks to images.

DiskMaker
Eric Shepherd's Apple IIGS utility for converting images to disks.

Asimov
Ninjaforce's utility lets you create and extract all kinds of disk images used by Apple II and IIGS emulators.

MountIt
Antoine Vignau and Olivier Zardini's utility for mounting disk images directly within GS/OS.

Saltine's Super Transcopy
Converts disks to NIV images.

ProDOS archivers
File compression utilities, including ShrinkIt. Also available via FTP.

GS/OS archivers
File compression utilities, including GS ShrinkIt (GSHK). Also available via FTP.

Semi-Virtual Diskette
A piece of hardware that can store disk images in a way the Apple II can access.

iDisk
USB and Bluetooth expansion card for the Apple II.

DumplinGS

KansasFest
Apple II convention in Kansas City, Missouri, coming July 19–24, 2011.

Retro Computing Roundtable
David Greelish's star-studded retrocomputing podcast.

FTA Wormz Party
Videos from a reunion of Apple II programmers, including the Free Tools Association.

Apple-1 Registry
Mike Willegal tracks and documents the whereabouts of the remaining Apple-1 computers.

Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing
A new exhibit at the Computer History Museum.

Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
Steve Wozniak dials into National Public Radio (NPR). Also available via iTunes.

Leadlight
A survival horror text adventure, based on Eamon, by Wade Clarke.

The power of creative association

Ken Gagne — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:12:18 +0000

The back page of the September issue featured a column about the power of creative association. Two recent books use that concept to scrutinize the question of where good ideas come from. The first, The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely Different Principles for Breakthrough Success, was released on Sep. 20 and examines how Steve Jobs conceives of and makes manifest the ideas that have made an innovative powerhouse of Apple Inc. An excerpt from that book makes apparent how this quality affected the Apple II:

While Wozniak was improving the internal circuitry and design of what would become the Apple II, Jobs concentrated on the case, which, in his opinion, had to appeal to non-hobbyists looking for a complete, ready-to-use computer. Otherwise it would not have the mass-market appeal that would be required to make the product, and the company, successful. Jobs envisioned the computer in the home, perhaps the kitchen, where the entire family would enjoy using it. Clearly the Apple II had to have a far more approachable look and feel than any computer existing at the time. It would have to be more like a kitchen appliance and less like something found in a hobbyist’s garage.

The other book, Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, released today, does not address technology specifically but is nonetheless relevant to anyone with the potential for The Next Big Thing. This four-minute video summarizes the author's hypothesis:

The Apple II is the product of genius, and those who use it today exemplify creative computing and imaginative problem-solving. Though I've not yet had the opportunity to read either of these books, I suspect their messages will resonate with members of our community.

(Hat tip to Cory Doctorow)

The September 2010 issue in-depth

Ken Gagne — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:01:28 +0000

As announced earlier today, Juiced.GS Volume 15, Issue 3 (September 2010) has now shipped to all domestic and international subscribers and is available to all new subscribers as well.

As per Juiced.GS tradition, the cover story for our third issue of the year is KansasFest, the annual Apple II convention held in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken Gagne and Mike Maginnis provide a play-by-play report of the sessions and events from this perennial event. If you weren't able to attend, our coverage should give you an idea of the value this conference offers Apple II users.

At this year's KansasFest, Martin Haye won the programming contest. In this issue, he provides a brief look at how he crafted the winning entry, while HackFest judge Ivan Drucker gives official insight into what earned this submission first place.

Juiced.GS's five-part series on methods to transfer files from an Apple II to a more modern computer continues this issue as Tony Diaz and Ivan offer a thorough tutorial for setting up AppleShare networks. If you don't know or can't remember the difference between AppleTalk, LocalTalk, EtherTalk, and Netatalk, this article serves as a useful reference.

We also have reviews of Ewen Wannop's SAM2 email client for the IIGS and Jason Scott's Get Lamp text adventure documentary. Are these products worth your time or money? Read our critics' recommendations.

The My Home Page editorial, the DumplinGS news roundup, and the back-page column round out this issue.

To find links to the online resources referenced in and related to this issue, please visit the issue links page. This issue is also indexed in our exhaustive online database and is catalogued on its own page.