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Volume 15, Issue 2 now shipping

Volume 15, Issue 2 (June 2010)
Volume 15, Issue 2 (June 2010)

It’s the last day of second quarter, which means if this news hasn’t come out by now, it has to be today: the June 2010 issue of Juiced.GS is now shipping!

The cover story of this twenty-page issue is a review of the FC5025, a controller card that lets a 5.25″ floppy disk be connected to a modern computer via a USB interface. Given that this storage medium was phased out around the same time USB was created (1996), it’s amazing that it’s only in 2010 that a commercial product bridging the two technologies has become available. Mike Maginnis looks at the strengths and weaknesses of this new device.

I didn’t want to represent this story on our cover with a shot of the actual hardware, as we’d published a similar cover in March when Mike reviewed the iDisk. Mike and I both had some great and creative ideas for the cover, but life conspired against us. I think what we ended up using is pretty fun, though I’m wondering how many readers will notice the floating laptop.

Other stories in this issue include Martin Haye’s tutorial for using his Super-Mon programming utility; Ivan Drucker’s opinion piece on the growing divide between users and programmers of Apple products; and the second in a five-part series on transferring files between the Apple II and other computers. Our thanks to Cabel Sasser at Panic for letting us use a still from a cool video they shot last month. (Their FTP client is pretty sweet, too!)

Despite having only four feature articles, this issue’s content was contributed by seven staff writers and seven readers — the latter in the form of letters to the editor. I can’t remember the last time we had this much feedback to publish, which probably means it hasn’t been during my four-year watch as editor. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Juiced.GS‘s readers more personally and hope to continue hearing from you, either on the blog, via mail or email, or next month at KansasFest.

Enjoy the issue, and check out the online issue links for related online content and resources!

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Structured Applesoft online supplements

Structured Applesoft screenshot

Shortly after Ivan Drucker joined the Juiced.GS staff last fall, he shared with me a concept he was working on: Structured Applesoft. It’s a new way of programming in a familiar language that makes the programs easier to develop, read, and edit, all without requiring new software, routines, or patches.

Structured Applesoft screenshot

Ivan started detailing the concepts of Structured Applesoft in the December 2009 issue and finished in March 2010. The limits of the print edition prevented him from fully outlining all the guidelines he’d devised, though, so we decided to save some of the more esoteric ideas for online, where interested parties could explore them without pushing out more general-interest topics from the print edition.

In the process of crafting this final installment, Ivan found an obscure error with some of the code that was printed in this week’s issue of Juiced.GS. Though a correction will appear in the June issue, we decided to include this update with the other content that was already intended for our Web site.

The correction and two supplements are now available online. You can view the material as a Web page or as a Juiced.GS-style PDF. Ivan has also provided a sample program that demonstrates these Structured Applesoft concepts. Links to these pages have been added to the issue links for Volume 15, Issue 1.

We hope you find these files to be useful elaborations on this approach to BASIC programming. Thanks to Ivan for pursuing this topic so thoroughly!

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Volume 15, Issue 1 now shipping

Volume 15, Issue 1 (March 2010)

Volume 15, Issue 1 coverIt’s nearly the end of the calendar year’s first quarter, which can mean only one thing: another issue of Juiced.GS has shipped to all domestic and international subscribers!

The 24-page March issue features several in-depth articles, including Mike Maginnis’ review of the iDisk card; the first of a four-part tutorial on transferring files to and from an Apple II; the conclusion to Ivan Drucker’s guidelines for programming in Structured Applesoft; and more. There were more engrossing articles than could fit into our usual 20-page format; I hope nobody minds the extra content.

One of this issue’s articles is a collaborative effort by members of the Apple II community who came together to commemorate Joe Kohn, who passed away earlier this year. If you’re a subscriber who can’t wait for your issue, this tribute is being offered as a free PDF download; if you aren’t a subscriber, then I invite you to share these memories of Joe.

There will be additional online content posted soon, as Ivan’s Structured Applesoft article touches upon some complex concepts that will be elaborated upon in bonus material he’s crafting for our Web site. Look for his sample code to be listed in the issue links as soon as it’s ready.

The Juiced.GS staff worked hard and had fun putting together this issue. I regret only that their hard work in helping ensure the issue is as accurate and polished as possible means they won’t have the pleasure of reading it for the first time when it arrives in the mailboxes later this week. The least I can do is buy them a drink at KansasFest — though in the case of associate editor Andy Molloy, I’ll pay that debt sooner than that. With our deadlines behind us, we can focus on having fun on the PAX show floor when we meet up in Boston tomorrow for a weekend of fun and games.

Enjoy the issue! Questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns? Please email us, or leave a comment on the blog!

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New price for 2010 wall calendar

Juiced.GS‘s first wall calendar was a successful product at both its KansasFest debut as well as this holiday season. We’re now looking to move our remaining stock and so have reduced the price from $16 to $12 — only a dollar per month! At the time of this writing, there are only four left, and no more will be printed, so it’s first-come, first-served.

The 2010 calendar was an experiment in using Juiced.GS content in new ways. If you bought one, what did you like about it? If you didn’t, what kept you from doing so? Would you like to see a 2011 calendar? If so, how can we improve this product for its second incarnation?

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A fifteenth volume of Juiced.GS

KANSAS CITY, MO — July 24, 2009 — Juiced.GS, the last remaining print publication dedicated to the Apple II computer, announced today that it would continue publication for a fifteenth volume.

“When Max Jones founded this magazine in 1996, the Apple II line had already been discontinued for three years,” notes current editor-in-chief Ken Gagne.  “Nobody imagined it would still be printed into a third decade — but come 2010, we’ll have four more quarterly issues.”

Juiced.GS was founded to provide focused coverage of the Apple IIGS, the only 16-bit model of the Apple II personal computer that Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs originally created in 1977.  As other magazines have ceased publication or moved to online-only formats, Juiced.GS has expanded to encompass all models of the Apple II.

Each issue of Juiced.GS brings a variety of news, reviews, how-tos, and interviews that look at the past, present, and future of the Apple II and its community.  Recent features have included interviews with Bob Bishop, who, with Steve Wozniak, comprised Apple Computer Inc.’s original R&D department; and 8 Bit Weapon, a modern-day “chiptune” band that performs live music using retrocomputers such as the Apple II.  Other features have detailed how to build your own Apple-1, reviews of the CompactFlash for Apple (CFFA) and MicroDrive/Turbo interface cards, a tutorial for programming with TCP/IP, and a gamer’s guide to interactive fiction.

“I am just delighted with [Juiced.GS] — each issue just has a ton of content,” said Carrington Vanston in an episode of 1 MHz, an Apple II podcast. “It’s exciting just to get an Apple II publication in [this day and age].”

Juiced.GS 2010 calendar coverTo commemorate Juiced.GS‘s fifteenth volume, publisher Gamebits has created a 2010 wall calendar that features pictures of Apple II hardware, software, and people seen in past issues of Juiced.GS, but now in full color.  The calendar also marks significant dates in the Apple II’s life, such as the founding of Apple Computer Inc., the release of AppleWorks 1.0, the first broadcast of an Apple II-specific podcast, and the dates for KansasFest 2010.

Subscriptions to Juiced.GS, which is available in hardcopy only, cost $19 for U.S. customers and $26 for international.  The Juiced.GS calendar costs $16, which includes shipping anywhere in the world.  These products as well as free sample issues can be found on Juiced.GS‘s newly redesigned Web site, https://juiced.gs/