A2 News and Notes June, 2006

INDEX
* Cloning Around
* What's My Spec?
* Old Parts, New Owner 
* Software Copyright
* Programming For The Masses
* Understanding Apple
* Online Group Kill
* VGA Support
* Color Our World
* KFest 
* Software News 
* Emulation News
* SignOff 


-- Another attempt to clone the Apple II has surfaced, this time out of 
France.  This particular project  is a portable, clone of the Apple 2, 
able to run Apple 2 software.  The site is in French, so go to 
http://www.babelfish.altavista.com and input this website: 
http://goctruc.free.fr/BricABrac/Epaule.html 


-- Retrocomputing has several homes on the Internet, but few places have 
both technical specifications and manuals for older computers like the 
Apple II.  For users who are picking up machines with interface cards or 
programs with no documentation, finding out how to set a switch or 
configure a game can be problematic.  One website, however, 
http://www.1000bit.net/  has some of this information available, as well 
as technical specifications on that Apple //c+ you just scored at the 
garage sale.


-- One of the oldest names in the Apple II mail order business has a new 
owner.  Sun Remarketing, (http://www.sunrem.com) whose website 
still shows some Apple II systems and accessories for sale as of the date 
of this writing, has been sold to Cherokee Data Systems.  No word if CDS 
plans on keeping Sun Remarketing's current Apple II inventory available.  
http://www.cherokeedata.com


--  Apple II users know that legally, a lot of software for our computers 
is no longer available.  Attempts from groups like the Lost Classics 
Project have reclassified several titles from commercial to freeware 
status, but for quite a few programs, tracking down the copyright holder 
is impossible to do.  An attempt to rewrite the U.S. Copyright laws has 
been started which would allow use of programs "abandoned" by their 
owners.  The Carnegie Mellon University libraries are involved with this 
process, and more information can be found at:  
http://www.educause.edu/content.asp?SECTION_ID=215&bhcp=1

--  Have you always felt that you're up to the challenge of programming 
for the Apple II?  Have you been itching to produce the next great game or 
utility for the rest of us?  Well, here's your chance!  Call-A.P.P.L.E has 
announced their 2006 contest for individual programmers.  First place 
prize is a CompactFlash for Apple II card, and $100 in cash.  Information 
and rules for the contest can be found at:  
http://www.callapple.org/2006AppleII.pdf

--  Call-A.P.P.L.E has also announced the release of the book 
"Understanding the Apple II" as a free downloadable PDF.  If you've been 
interested in the inner workings of your favorite computer, point your 
graphic browser to http://www.callapple.org/node/235 to access the file.  
(Note that you must register with the group to be able to access this 
document.)


--  Apple II users who have access to the Internet either remember or 
still use the Web's version of a BBS, called the Usenet.  Several Apple II 
areas are still active, such as comp.sys.apple2 or 
comp.sys.apple2.programmer, but some lists have fallen into disuse, or 
have been reported as being abused, such as being used to post illegal 
copies of software, or even commercial movies.  The Big-8 Management 
Board, which oversees Usenet usage and activity has announced plans to 
hold "hearings" and remove two Apple II groups: comp.sources.apple2 and 
comp.binaries.apple2.


-- Work continues towards the goal of using an Apple II with more modern 
LCD monitors.  One attempt, highlights a work-in-progress showing 
different Apple II  programs on a Samsung LCD television, and outlines the 
steps that were involved in getting these images displayed.  (change the 
"1.jpg up to 8.jpg for additional images)  
http://jws.oldspirit.net/IIgs/RGB2-1.jpg


--  Apple II users have been told for years that they had to "settle" for 
16 colors as all that our equipment could generate.  Brendan Robert 
wondered if there was a way to break thru this limitation, and has 
announced success. See his results at:  
http://brendan.robert.googlepages.com/pseudo-colorexperiment


-- One month to go!  KFest 2006 is currently in the process of taking 
reservations for this year's event.  This not-to-be-missed Apple II event 
will take place this year at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, KS from 
July 18-23.  More information, including a registration form can be found 
at:  http://www.kfest.org



--Software News

 - Work continues on the Apple GameServer, a Java-based program which 
allows the user to send  Apple II games directly to an apple // computer 
via the serial port, with no need for transferring to a disk. If you'd 
like to try the program for yourself, you can download Windows .zip files 
from http://developer.berlios.de/project/showfiles.php?group_id=6879

 - Andy McFadden and Faddensoft Software has released a new version, 2.4.1 
of his popular CiderPress software, which allows a user to manipulate 
Apple II software on a Window-based computer.  This current version 
contains bugfixes but no new features.  More information as well as 
download instructions can be found at:  
http://www.faddensoft.com/ciderpress/



--Emulation News

  - Virtual ][ by Gerard Putter which emulates an 8-bit Apple II under Mac 
OS X has been updated to Version 5.3.  This new version contains some bug 
fixes, and now supports the ability to run AppleScripts on a Mac running 
OS X.  More information can be found at:  
http://www.xs4all.nl/~gp/VirtualII/
  
  - In the pre-Mac OS X days, one of the more popular IIGS emulation 
packages was Eric Shepherd's Sweet16, which was written to run under the 
BeOS operating system.  With the demise of BeOS, Eric stopped development 
of the program, but has announced that he is in the process of re-writing 
the emulator to run under Mac OS X.  He announced that he plans on having 
the "new" emulator ready for distribution at next month's KFest.

  -  Apple II emulators abound, but that other orphan of Apple Computers, 
the Apple ///, have been few and far between.  Now a new, 
free-for-the-download emulator which will run on a Mac is available, from 
http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/sara.html  Note that you will need 
a ROM image of the /// in order to legally run this 
still-under-construction program.

 -  Is your cellphone MIDP 2.0 compatible?  And have you been wanting to 
run Apple II software on said cellphone?  Then check out Apple][Go, which 
the website claims is a fully functional Apple II emulator.  Information 
can be found at:   
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mressl/appleiigo/index.html





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A2 News and Notes is produced with real or emulated Apple II computers
using AppleWorks 5.1. Apple II Forever!

A2 News and Notes is (c) copyright 2006 by Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W. and
edited by Howard Katz. All rights reserved.

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