Monthly Archives: November 2016

Apple ][ casette software

Back in the day, the software was delivered in C-casette tapes before the 5.25″ floppies were used by Apple.

This box “Apple Software bank” – was donated to me but did not contain any tapes, but instead Disk ][-controller ROM chips. Still, very neat find!

apple-casette-software-front

apple-casette-software-inside

apple-casette-software-back

original

This is how the box looked with the tape inserted inside.

If you’re interested in software on casette-tapes, there’s great project by Antoine Vignau of Brutal Deluxe, in France, to digitize and preserve the tapes :

http://www.brutaldeluxe.fr/projects/cassettes/index.html

 

Konttorikone-messut 1986

Konttorikone-messut (1986) was big retail show in downtown Helsinki, held in Messukuskus, Pasila.

These pictures are taken by unknown person and donated to me by Markku Jussila.

km1986
The stand of Mustapörssi have also an sign “Apple II Forever” and clearly an Apple //c there for display. But in 1986, as the Macintosh had arrived (and possibly here, Macintosh Plus) the Desktop publishing was the new big thing and Apple ][‘s started to fade away from mainstream.

km1986_5
Apple Computer stand and Mercantile Data Oy. What an nice big display there!

km1986_3
Introducing the Macintosh Plus i assume?

km1986_4No Apple ][‘s to be seen anymore…

km1986_2
Donation of Macintosh Plus?

macintosh
This picture is actually not releated to the topic itself, as this must be the first Macintosh 128k been given to the first owner (or intruction time) – but as this blog is not about Macintosh, i’ll just leave it here.. Historical importance is however valid.

Beneath Apple DOS (Don Worth & Pieter Lechner (1981) Quality Software ISBN 0-912985-00-3)

I just had to share this. I was so happy few years ago to receive the classic Apple ][ – manual “Beneath Apple DOS” from Don Worth himself with an signature. The book is essential for understanding Apple DOS (there’s also an book about ProDOS).

Don loves Finnish Metal music, as you can see 🙂

don_worth_signature_s2

img094

OCR’d PDF available at:
https://archive.org/details/Beneath_Apple_DOS_OCR

Article about Don Worth:
http://apple2history.org/spotlight/worth/

And Don Worth’s own personal webpage:
http://worth.bol.ucla.edu/

 

 

Some German technical manuals scanned to PDF+OCR

Scanned some German-language technical manuals to PDF with OCR and are downloadable at Archive.org and also in Asimov.

apple-ii-disk-ii-laufwerk-technische-verfahren-rev-31-8-82-german_ocr

Apple II – Disk II Laufwerk – Technische Verfahren (Rev. 31.8.82-German)
https://archive.org/details/AppleIIDiskIILaufwerkTechnischeVerfahrenRev.31.8.82GermanOCR

 

apple-iii-technische-verfahren-rev-12-23-82-german_ocr

Apple III – Technische Verfahren (Rev. 12.23.82-German)
https://archive.org/details/AppleIIITechnischeVerfahrenRev.12.23.82GermanOCR

apple-iii-technische-verfahren-externes-diskettenlaufwerk-iii-rev-28-3-83-german_ocr

Apple III – Technische Verfahren – Externes Diskettenlaufwerk III (Rev. 28.3.83-German)
https://archive.org/details/AppleIIITechnischeVerfahrenExternesDiskettenlaufwerkIIIRev.28.3.83GermanOCR

 

Apple Stellar Invaders (A2D0031, 1980) 13-sector

I’ve thought this floppy just wont boot. I once received it among lots of old DOS 3.2/early 3.3 floppies and could not get it to boot (knew it was 13-sector after looking at it with disk editor) and put it side. Now i just came across it again and give it a try. It did boot. But not everytime.

There seems to be an later 16-sector version of it around as well, which kind of was an suprise.

There were great discussion about the game and the copy protection written by legendary Apple II hacker “HotRod” in Googlegroups at:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/comp.sys.apple2/elYDhdB6oPQ/xCrVZ5FL23gJ

apple-stellar-invaders-a2d0031-1980-13-sector-floppy
The original 13-sector floppy.

apple-stellar-invaders-starting-screen
Before you get to play the game, you are asked if you (really) need instructions, or if you are uisng game controllers or if you wish to hear the sound effects.

apple-stellar-invaders-game-screenshot
The game itself is pretty basic Invaders-clone shoot-em-up game with pretty amusing enemies that are attacking you. Shoot ’em all!

 

Apple //c in SALE!

The high price-point for the Apple //c then of cos lead to this.

Mustapörssi was electronics retailer of the 1980’s and was very aggressive with their pricing and commericals. I’ve wondered what was the “complete gaming software bundle” package they offered?

If somebody knows about what it containted, please contact me.

 

apple-iic-mainos_mp

 

Laser Shop!

Laser Shop sold Apple ][‘s as well, in this case, the Apple //c which got LOTS of ad’s in Microcomputer magazines trying getting back to the market. But.. Apple //c was quite expensive if you compare to the other 8-bits, like Commodore 64 or Spectrum whose ruled over the market before Amiga and then later Windows units.

laser-shop-ad

ATK and Computers in Schools

Apple ][ (+, //e) was quite popular in Finnish schools in earlier 1980’s. Lots of effort was made to get them into schools and some custom software were created as well.

Only later part of the 80’s Apple ][‘s were replaced with Macintosh Plus/SE’s and then by Windows PC’s in most cases.

atk-apple-ii