QFest 18 Announcement

SteveK in Brisbane has now confirmed he’ll be able to host a QFest to coincide with WOzFest 18 – hooray!

Not only that, he’s done the upgrade and got the quintessential mini-Australian-Apple ][-Fest infrastructure for use by attendees – a table tennis table!

Because of timezone differences, QFest 18 will be starting at 02:00 UTC (WOzFest 18 will be starting at 01:00 UTC), but we’ll stream with them as soon as they’re up and running at WOzFest TV.

Food and other refreshments will be provided by Steve (what a champ!), but registrations are essential – reach out to me or comment here if you would like to register.

Despite COVID-19, this is going to be a bumper WOzFest year, and I hope our Northern friends can keep up the pace!

Apple ][ Forever!

Community Service

As per the official WOzFest 18 announcement, the theme for the upcoming event is Community Service.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about giving back to our retrocomputer communities – it’s something I’m passionate about because of the significant help and support I’ve received not only from my own local community especially, but also from the wider community online.

I was never much involved in “the community” back in the day, and it took some time from when I first started getting back into Apple ][s in 1998 to when I found and became a part of the local retrocomputer community (in 2013/14). (I was, however, quite involved in the Mac community, which ended up seeing me start my Mac consultancy in 1997.)

But in the short time since I found the local retrocomputing community, here I am in 2021 planning four WOzFests and Skyping/communicating with some of the current leading lights of the Apple ][ retrocomputer scene!

I engage with the community in other ways, sometimes just participating in conversations, but, more importantly, also trying to find ways to give back to the community that has given me so much.

This is not to big note myself – many people are doing much, much more than I, but even a schlub like me can make a positive contribution to the community, and I’d like to share some of the ways I have done so over the years.

I hope this post will serve as inspiration to others and give them ideas on how they might be able to contribute to their retrocomputer community – every little bit really does count.

Offer help

First up, I’d say if you see a request for assistance you can answer, answer it! It doesn’t get any easier than that. Try to keep all contributions positive. This is most especially applicable when dealing with new members of the community.

You might know the answer immediately, or know which manual you have to open – you might even find yourself firing up some equipment to check behaviour. But it’s amazing how strange the path to helping might be.

For example, a question was asked on the KansasFest 2020 Discord about converting a vector PICT file – modern programs were having issues interpreting it. I also found none of the graphics or DTP programs I had on my macOS Catalina iMac wanted to convert the file.

However, I remembered one semi-modern (or at least able to run on semi-modern macOSes) program which I thought might have the legacy parsing code in it, even though it’s the worst page layout program I have ever used: MYOB AccountEdge. And guess what? Under macOS Mojave (10.14), MYOB AccountEdge v11.5 was able to load the PICT into an otherwise empty invoice layout screen, and print to PDF the file in its full vector glory!

Just jump right in and try things out when helping your fellow enthusiasts – in and of itself, overcoming such technical challenges can be rewarding.

Specialist skills – Silentype font

As a long-time desktop publisher and user of vector-editing programs, I’ve always been interested in fonts. In several DTP jobs, this led to using Fontographer to create bespoke fonts for customers to simplify logo and symbol use in their work.

When I started getting back into retrocomputers, I wanted to recreate the feel of one of my first printers, the Apple Silentype. I didn’t have a Silentype, but I was able to source a full character output “rainbow” printout via a request online.

With that in hand, I released the original version of my Silentype font in March 2004. Because of character rendering changes in OS X, I had to tweak the font and released v2 in December 2012. I released it under the Open Font License so that others could work on it if they wish.

Chris Torrence has done something similar with another font I always intended to work on, Motter Tektura. Not wanting to duplicate effort, I now just use his font and am happy to see it available before I got a chance to work on my own version.

Specialist skills – Proofreading

Once again utilising my experience in publishing and editing, I have proof-read a few items for different projects, most significantly early versions of the .woz file spec for John Morris’s Applesauce and more recently passing my eye over John Snape’s reprint of the Beneath Apple DOS/Beneath Apple ProDOS books.

I don’t always bring a deep technical knowledge to such a task, but I am very details-focussed, and often pick up slight inconsistencies otherwise missed. This helps the community as the documents have had more review, and being non-technical is in some ways an advantage as I will request details to try and make sure technical material is clear to cater to all levels of readers.

Grunt work – BBS Crackscreens

Sometimes the work is much less glamorous and/or much less interesting in its actual undertaking.

Many retrocomputer enthusiasts know of Jason Scott, who not only works at the Internet Archive but also maintains his own archives of information from and relating to BBSes.

He maintains a list of BBSes – including the dialin number, sysop, date/s in operation, etc. His tweet sought volunteers to scour old text files looking for such details, and as a follower of the Apple II Crackscreen Twitter account, I knew the details available in such crackscreens would need special attention as it wasn’t just text – it would all need to be manually transcribed.

With the bot owner’s permission, Jason provided all 8,000+ source images to me. On Jason’s suggestion I removed the screens without details, then went back and transcribed the details for all the BBSes I could find in the remaining images.

I ended up with about 750 screenshots with details to transcribe, which had about 1,450 BBS listings (many of which were, of course, duplicates). Jason is incorporating these details into his main list, and many Apple ][ BBSes will now be findable. On and off, this took me three months to complete.

Twitter image bot

Speaking of the Apple II Crackscreen Twitter image bot, it inspired me to create my own image bot, the Applesauce Fluxes bot, which tweets random flux .pngs from the Internet Archive’s Flux Capacity collection several times a day.

I just love the variety and beauty of the Applesauce flux images, I felt I had to share them with the world!

While I’m not regularly updating the bot’s image collection, there were over 20,000 images at the time of my download – this will keep things fresh for quite some time to come!

Preservation/digitisation

This is one which gets more critical every day as bits rot, pages moulder, collections are trashed upon death (bleak, I know), and knowledge and expertise fade.

I have an Applesauce I make available to WOzFest attendees, and others are brought to spread the load. Attendees bring scanners for scanning at WOzFests, and many attendees are scanning while at home, too.

While some preservation/digitisation requires specialist knowledge or specific equipment (not always cheap), even allowing others to undertake the preservation of your own items is a contribution to the community.

Reach out to other enthusiasts and find out how you can contribute material, time or effort to this very worthy cause.

non-eBay sales/disposal

Even when I didn’t have WOzFest HQ available to me, I acted as a clearing house for old tech for customers, family and friends.

With a reduction in e-waste collections generally in Sydney, I continue to offer to hold material for people, including WOzFest attendees, and will periodically visit the local Community Recycling Centre, which accepts e-waste and is only 5 minutes drive away. Occasionally, I’ll even offer items to Freecycle before e-wasting if they seem still usable.

I am diligent, however, in ensuring this “service” does not lead to accumulation of bulk material as I very much savour the free space I have available to me and I work tirelessly against the strongest of my hoarding inclinations (and I will always want to be able to meet my preferred definition of “collector”).

Society membership/volunteering

The Australian Computer Museum Society is trying to establish a national computing museum here in Oz – I recently became a Committee member (I like the fact that several WOzFest attendees are also Committee members or volunteers).

The Society has had a checkered past, and the new Committee is trying to get things back on the rails, which I think is well worth my time.

Beyond Committee matters, I also help out as they’re moving their massive collection to a single storage location, which involves pushing heavy, dirty computers on and off trucks – but it has to get done.

I’ve previously been on local and national Committees for APANA (an Australian community-based ISP), and was co-editor of (and contributor to) the Club Mac club magazine MACinations for a few years.

WOzFest

And, of course, I host WOzFests! I’ve enjoyed the 5+ years of WOzFests tremendously.

Product releases, Skypes to international luminaries, interesting technical discussions all feature at WOzFests, and I am also building up tools and resources for attendees to use (and perhaps borrow) including books, manuals, and test/repair equipment.

Providing space and motivation for attendees to work on projects has proven very rewarding and instructive, and I can now offer storage space for frequent attendees who can’t complete projects in one sitting but are space-constrained at home.

This is the hardest volunteering role for me to recommend to others – not because it’s hard work (it can be), but because it relies on a reliably-available venue. I would find it very hard to commit to hosting an event without the 42 m² (360 sq ft) in WOzFest HQ.

An alternative would be to get involved in the running of other events like Oz Kfest, KansasFest, VCF events, or just local gatherings of like-minded retrocomputer enthusiasts. I’m pleased that regular WOzFest attendee Murray now holds a generalist gathering called Nozfest.

Give it a go!

I’m sure others have more ideas for what they can do for their community – focus on things that “spark joy” for you, and it will make it that much more enjoyable. That said, grunt work can also be rewarding as there is a definite physicality to the contribution you’ve made.

Please add your own suggestions in the Comments below – it may even give me other ideas on what I can do, and hopefully will do the same for other enthusiasts.

WOzFest 18 Announcement

I’m very happy to announce the date for the next WOzFest: WOzFest 18 will be held on Saturday 20 March 2021, starting at midday Sydney time (UTC+11:00). UPDATE: QFest 18 has been announced for the same day!

The theme for WOzFest 18 is “Community Service” – I’m asking attendees to bring something to upload to the Internet, to update an online resource, to do some Applesauce imaging on the night, to do some scanning, to interview a luminary via Skype…anything which contributes back to the retrocomputing community (it doesn’t even have to be Apple ][-related!). These services would need to be performed during WOzFest 18.

Many WOzFest attendees already do these things, both outside of and during WOzFests – I just think it would be nice to have that as a theme of a specific WOzFest, and that everyone find some way to participate.

As per recent WOzFestsWOzFest 18 will be streamed on Twitch via WOzFest TV for the whole duration. I’ll be aiming to do some productive work to stream, and will have some Skype calls as well.

That said, I’ve not yet organised any Skype calls – but I’m sure I’ll be able to rustle up some Apple ][ enthusiasts from around the world to participate.

The COVID-19 situation continues to fluctuate here – currently 5 visitors are allowed, but that may ease (or tighten?!) before 20 March. All prospective attendees will need to pre-register their interest, and sign-in via QR code upon arrival. Masks are optional, hand sanitiser will be provided. I ask all prospective attendees to follow the NSW Government’s self-isolation rules.

Snacks and cider will be provided (I ask for a small donation for same), and those present at dinner time are welcome to join in our pizza order.

Lastly, for WOzFest 18 I’m continuing to raise funds via Ko-Fi. This allows small (or large!) donations to be made – check out my intro post there for the lowdown, and feel free to drop anything you can in the can to help me to run WOzFest moving forward.

I hope to see you there!

P.S. If you happen to be in Sydney and available on 19 March, drop me a line, I’m taking the day off and will be in WOzFest HQ for much of the day, so maybe some will get a little bit of extra retrocomputing done – the more the merrier, right?!

WOzFest 17 Oct/QFest 17 Announcement

I’m very happy to announce the date for the next WOzFest: WOzFest 17 Oct will be held on Saturday 17 October 2020, starting at midday Sydney time (UTC+11:00). An easy date to remember! And Steve in Brisbane has confirmed QFest 17 will be held at the same time – double the Apple ][ goodness!

The theme for WOzFest 17 Oct is, as it was for WOzFest SWEET16, “Community” – having supportive communities is important at the best of times, but especially so at the moment, so I’ve decided to extend the theme to cover WOzFest 17 Oct. The camaraderie involved in events like WOzFest certainly help me feel lucky in these trying times. So come and join my community for a few hours, no matter where you are in the world.

As per recent WOzFests, WOzFest 17 Oct will be streamed on Twitch via WOzFest TV for the whole duration. I’ll be aiming to do some productive work to stream, and will have some Skype calls as well.

That said, I’ve not yet organised any Skype calls – but I’m sure I’ll be able to rustle up some Apple ][ enthusiasts from around the world to participate. As usual, we’ll have a permanent connection to our QFest 17 buddies.

For WOzFest 17 Oct I’m continuing to raise funds via Ko-Fi. This allows small (or large!) donations to be made – check out my intro post there for the lowdown, and feel free to drop anything you can, in the can, to help me to run WOzFest moving forward.

I hope to see you there!

P.S. If you happen to be in Sydney and available on 16 October, drop me a line, I’m taking the day off and will be in WOzFest HQ for much of the day, so maybe some will get a little bit of extra retrocomputing done – the more the merrier, right?!

WOzFest SWEET16 Attendance, QFest 16 Announced

I’ve been pondering for some time how to handle attendees for WOzFest SWEET16 as restrictions ease. This post (largely) reproduces an e-mail to the Apple IIoz Mailing List regarding attendance given the evolving circumstances.

I am very lucky to have my own COVID-19 consultant – my wife works in the medical space, assessing current scientific literature to advise government, pharma, device companies, medical professional bodies, etc. on the current scientific evidence for drugs, devices and procedures.

She was already reading up on COVID-19 before she came down with a cough (not COVID, as it happens) 3 months ago and she and I started self-isolating. She subsequently started doing deep dives, and she has stayed completely up to date with what’s happening in relation to both medical and policy issues.

I say all this by way of introduction so no-one thinks I’m basing my thoughts on “Dr Google”, or “Google-based medical training”. However, this in no way forms medical advice, I’m not suggesting anyone agree with my conclusions, and please inform yourself before making your own decisions on the below. While informed by my discussions with my wife, this is solely my position, and does not necessarily reflect current or future positions my wife may hold in relation to COVID-19 professionally or personally.

Also, all of this is framed within the NSW Government recommendations and restrictions for private residences. WOzFest HQ is not a public space, and therefore public gathering advice and restrictions don’t apply.

So, that allows, as of 13 June, up to 20 visitors/attendees to our residence. While the NSW Government recommends (but doesn’t require) 1.5m spacing between people, it doesn’t currently stipulate a number per m² for such gatherings in residences.

For those of a mathematical bent, WOzFest HQ is about 6m × 7m. Usable space is about 5m × 6m with a table tennis table in the middle. Walking/standing around the table tennis table is a 3m × 4m rectangle. There is also a landing of approximately 2.5m × 3m directly outside WOzFest HQ which may be available for use subject to weather (rain will make it unusable) and whether we have washing on the clotheslines there!

Enough disclaimers and background? I hope so!

Now the real meat – I intend to proceed as follows:

Attendee limits/caps

I am not pre-setting a specific limit more restrictive than Government restrictions in place on 25 July. I’ve changed my view on this recently if you’ve seen me say otherwise.

Community spread is negligible (if present at all), and I expect anyone who is symptomatic or is in the usual risk groups to be self-isolating anyway.

Also, (and I can’t stress this enough) if you are immunocompromised, I would suggest you not attend, or at least consider things very carefully as we approach 25 July and we have a firm idea of attendee numbers, the current community situation, etc.

If you’re a medical professional, you may already have limitations on groups you can be a part of more restrictive than the normal limits – caveat doctor! (or nutrix!)

Travel is currently unrestricted between and within NSW, ACT and Victoria, the most likely origins of attendees as far as I’m aware.

Potential attendees from other states will need to review their Government’s entry requirements for their return journey should they attend as I believe all other States currently have entry restrictions. These may, of course, change in the next six weeks. I will not provide accommodation until you can return to your native state!

PPE

I will not be supplying PPE for attendees – if you want a mask, bring a mask. I will not make masks mandatory, although I understand there is evidence for them reducing the spread. I may wear a mask when I’m not in front of my iMac streaming/Skyping, but haven’t decided yet.

I don’t believe gloves offer any protection above good hand hygiene and avoiding touching your face (and if you touch an infected surface while wearing gloves and then your face, gloves will provide no additional protection), but you’re welcome to bring and wear them. I will not make gloves mandatory.

will be providing several hand sanitiser dispensers around the room, including at the main door.

Food

The usual provisions (pun intended) apply. I will provide some snacks and cider. Dinner will be delivery pizza. There is a fridge here available for your drinks (unless it’s full of bubbly!).

It is my personal opinion that transmission via food is unlikely if good hand hygiene is followed. That said, if you wish to bring your own snacks, you are, as always, welcome to – you can even preclude others from enjoying them without judgement!

If you wish to have your own pizza, that can be accommodated. Want to keep your drinks separate? Bring your own esky (can stay on the landing, rain, hail or shine!) and cups. If you wish to have your own eating implements and plates, bring them!

Attendee register

I’d like potential attendees to let me know asap that they’re interested in attending, and if there are any conditions on their attendance (e.g. not once attendance is over a certain amount). This register will also be available (in the unlikely event it will be necessary) for contact tracing, so I’ll ask all attendees to provide/confirm their mobile number. Please keep details you want private (subject to provision to relevant authorities for contact tracing) off this list. I will not provide anything beyond a list of attendee names (and state of origin if requested) to attendees.

Virtual attendance

Remember, I am streaming the whole ~10 hours of WOzFest SWEET16 and will be happy for those who otherwise may have attended to Skype in to chat with anyone here. If there are interstate gatherings on the same day, we’ll do a semi-permanent Skype. Local non-attendees will be easier to Skype to due to minimal timezone differences, so I will prioritise Skype sessions by timezone differences to encourage those further away to get in on the act.

Other considerations

We are in a state of flux…and not (just) because of the Applesauce!

There may be a second wave before 25 July.

Governments may change their recommendations or restrictions, which in turn may change or inform my above positions.

I may see or hear something which changes my mind independent of professional or Government advice.

I may get COVID-19 and ban attendees but still stream from my sick/death bed.

I may be capricious, change my mind for no reason, and modify any or all of the above – up to and including precluding any attendees and being stream-only.

I may have overlooked something. Please pull me up on these.

Something, something, blah, blah, unforeseen.

However, any changes on my position I obviously intend to let you all know.

That said, you’re solely responsible for your own “limits”, “lead times”, “thresholds”, “Oh god, they’re attending, I’m not!”, “I can’t believe they’re getting pizza again, I’m out!” decisions.

Feel sick? Don’t attend. Not enough info or protection for you? Don’t attend. Not sure? Don’t attend. Don’t like me? Don’t attend.

The WOzFest HQ door will be open at midday 25 July – notified attendees up to the current Government limit get to attend (first registered, first allowed in) – others will be turned away – I’ll set or toy Bichoodle Daisy on the surplus/non-registered! If everyone who thinks they’ll attend lets me know, we’ll be able to avoid that unpleasantness.

And after (despite?!) all that, I really do hope to see you at, or online for, WOzFest SWEET16!

UPDATE: QFest 16 Announced

Steve in Brisbane has announced QFest 16 will be held to coincide with WOzFest SWEET16 – I’ll have a permanent Skype session to QFest, which will feature in the stream. Let me know if you’re wanting to attend!

Some sites used in framing the above:

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19

https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/_emergency/Public%20Health%20(COVID-19%20Restrictions%20on%20Gathering%20and%20Movement)%20Order%20(No%203)%202020.pdf (presumably about to change due to limit changes on residential visitors)

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/social-distancing

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-advice-and-restrictions-faqs#other-states

WOzFest SWEET16 Announcement

I’m very happy to announce the date for the next WOzFest: WOzFest SWEET16 will be held on Saturday 25 July 2020, starting at midday Sydney time (UTC+10:00).

The theme for WOzFest SWEET16 is “Community” – having supportive communities is important at the best of times, but especially so at the moment. The camaraderie involved in events like WOzFest certainly help me feel lucky in these trying times. So come and join my community for a few hours, no matter where you are in the world.

As per WOzFest COLOR=15, WOzFest SWEET16 will be streamed on Twitch via WOzFest TV for the whole duration. I’ll be aiming to do some productive work to stream, and will have some Skype calls as well.

Sidenote: For those who don’t know, SWEET16 was Steve Wozniak’s 16‑bit interpreted language for the 8‑bit Apple ][ which was included in the Apple ][ ROM (see source code image above, courtesy of Call-AP.P.L.E., which has re-issued The Wozpak, full of early Apple technical information, including about SWEET16). Sweet16 is also the name of SheppyWare’s IIgs emulator (which I believe is currently being re-written).

It seemed appropriate to have something from so early in the Apple ][‘s story (and written by Woz himself!) label what is likely to be the last “named” WOzFest.

I think I’ve done an OK job naming WOzFests 1-16 with Apple- and Apple ][-related names, but looking past 16 the field of names is rather sparse rather quickly. So it’s over to just boring numbers from here on out – unless I get sent a barrage of suggestions that cover me for 17 to 6502 before WOzFest 17 in October/November.

The mid-year WOzFest is usually tied in to KansasFest, and this year things are no different…well, except that everything is entirely different for both WOzFest and KansasFest at the moment.

The KansasFest Committee has decided to go virtual-only this year, and registrations opened this week – US$20 seems a bargain to me, so I’ve registered, and ordered a t-shirt to boot.

With the timing, WOzFest SWEET16 is going to be wedged in between the two days of KansasFest 2020. For me, Day 1 of KansasFest 2020 will run from midnight Friday night to 07:00 Saturday – I’ll then try and grab a few hours sleep/rest (unless there are unofficial events on to snag my attention), get finalised for WOzFest, then run 10 hours of that through to 22:00. Day 2 of KansasFest starts at midnight Saturday night and runs to 07:00 Sunday – I think I’ll be a wreck on Sunday when everything’s done.

But what a great Apple ][ weekend it’s going to be! KansasFest sounds like it’s going to have a huge international contingent of “attendees”, and it’ll be interesting to see which sessions suit virtual presentation. Oz KFest 2017 had quite a few virtual presentations and I think they worked quite well.

In review, WOzFest COLOR=15 was fun, even if I was by myself. It was definitely experimental on the WOzFest TV front, and, although viewers had to put up with audio issues for an hour or so, I figured out the issue (don’t overload your broadcasting computer with too many video sources to encode). I’m hoping to post video highlights soon with edited audio to overcome the choppiness.

I learnt a lot, got a lot of scene layout ideas, researched audio production on the Mac for streaming, and have now got what should be a much better setup and idea for how to make things look and sound better.

I’m expecting that at WOzFest SWEET16 I’ll be able to get back to software preservation with the Applesauce. Applesauce is John Morris’ phenomenal USB interface for Apple ][ disk drives which takes Apple ][ software preservation to new heights by capturing magnetic flux-level images of disks.

I’ve done little with the disks sent by Alex of the What is the Apple IIGS website since originally imaging them – I have tried cleaning some which had imaging issues, but have not achieved any results worthy of updating WOzFest.flux, my Internet Archive item of disks I’ve fluxed (that item forms part of the larger collection of such Applesauce flux image items, Flux Capacity). That lack of flux activity means I also still have to do the disks that Steve from Brisbane dropped off at WOzFest 14.25045 MHz.

While the whole COVID-19 situation meant WOzFest COLOR=15 had to be a sole-participant affair, there is some light at the end of the tunnel – the NSW State Government has eased restrictions as of yesterday and up to two adults can visit others.

So I might have a couple of attendees, and I’m thinking of having a Golden Ticket lottery to see who that might be – unless things free up even more in the next 12 weeks.

I’ve not yet organised any Skype calls – but I’m sure I’ll be able to rustle up some Apple ][ enthusiasts from around the world to participate.

For WOzFest SWEET16 I’m continuing to raise funds via Ko-Fi. This allows small (or large!) donations to be made – check out my intro post there for the lowdown, and feel free to drop anything you can in the tin to help me to run WOzFest moving forward.

I am in the process of raising funds via the sale of excess interface cards and disk drives which will see me back in the black as far as tools and equipment for streaming is concerned, so I thank the local community for their support in that.

I hope to “see” you there!

WOzFest COLOR=15 Update

Wow, what a month! When I announced WOzFest COLOR=15 I was looking forward to another fun get-together of fellow Apple ][ enthusiasts, and I’d already started planning to stream the day for those who couldn’t make it.

Now, communities around the world are in lockdown (Australia is heading down that path) and people’s lives are being turned upside down.

By mid-last week, I decided to go stream-only for WOzFest COLOR=15. While a difficult personal decision, it’s nothing compared to what some people are experiencing.

I love hosting WOzFest and I love having enthusiasts here at WOzFest HQ – but for the next short(?) while, we all have to pull our head in.

I still need help, though – while I won’t have physical attendees, I’d like to do Skypes during the day. If you’re tinkering, if you have something to share or say, if you’re releasing a new product, if you’re lonely, whatever – let me know what time suits between 01:00-11:00 UTC 4 April 2020 and I’ll try and schedule you in. Let’s go around the world, let’s go around Australia, let’s show this stupid virus it won’t dampen our enthusiasm for the Apple ][!

On a practical level, I’ve been able to utilise some donated equipment for my streaming setup – a recently donated iMac 27” with 32GB RAM and 2GB VRAM is powerful enough to do the video processing. Two donated cracked-screen iPhones are acting as webcams, a donated webcam is being used above my Applesauce Disk ][, and a donated Airport Express is creating a dedicated WiFi network for the iPhone webcams.

But I have had to purchase some items – three camera mounts, two extra long USB cables to keep the iPhones running, a USB hub – all up, I’ve spent about AU$140.

I’m passing the hat around via Ko-Fi and asking if you’d like to support the stream please consider a small contribution to this. Large contributions welcome, too, of course!

The intention is that all future WOzFests will be streamed, but I expect this expenditure to be a one-off.

So, via Skype or Twitch chat, I’m looking forward to talking to some of you on 4 April and sharing some of the work I’ll be doing on the day. If I can I’ll try and draw up a schedule – for example, I wanted to do an Applesaucing session and discuss usage tips, etc.

WOzFest TV to go live at WOzFest COLOR=15

WOzFest COLOR=15 will mark a new era for WOzFest with the launch of WOzFest TV – that’s right, I aim to stream all future WOzFests via Twitch. I felt, with the celebration of the Apple ][‘s support for colour graphics (usually touted via connecting to the family TV), it was time to take the streaming plunge.

I’ve never streamed anything before, so this is definitely in the development/experimental stage, and I definitely need feedback on things like scene layouts and ideas for video sources and overlays.

I’ve had requests from non-attendees to stream for some time, and I can see the appeal for those who have never attended and can never get enough Apple ][ goodness, and also for prior attendees who can’t make any given WOzFest.

I’ll be incorporating any Skype calls, webcams from around WOzFest HQ, windows from tasks like Applesauce fluxing, and anything else that seems appropriate. For example, with the holding of QFest 15 to coincide with WOzFest COLOR=15, I’m planning on having a full-time Skype connection between the two ’Fests.

The Twitch URL is activated – I’ll announce on Twitter when I’m doing testing streams for layouts, etc., and the official Go Live will be at the start of WOzFest COLOR=15 on 4 April 2020 at 12:00 (UTC+11:00) – come and check it out and have a chat with us!

WOzFest COLOR=15 Announcement

I’m very happy to announce the date for the next WOzFest, WOzFest COLOR=15 – Saturday 4 April 2020, starting around midday Sydney time (UTC+11:00).

The theme for WOzFest COLOR=15 is the Apple ][’s support for colour graphics via colour monitors and TVs. I’ve got a surprise lined up for WOzFest COLOR=15, but all I can say for now is…stay tuned!

I will also be continuing to work on software preservation with the Applesauce. Applesauce is John Morris’ phenomenal USB interface for Apple ][ disk drives which takes Apple ][ software preservation to new heights by capturing magnetic flux-level images of disks.

I’ve completed most of the imaging of disks sent by Alex of the What is the Apple IIGS website – I have a few disks to try re-imaging after cleaning, but what I have done forms the basis of WOzFest.flux, my Internet Archive item of fluxed disks, which forms part of the larger collection of such Applesauce flux image items, Flux Capacity.

I’ll add titles over time – the next bunch of disks is the one Steve from Brisbane brought to WOzFest 14.25045MHz. Javier from America also kindly donated 3D-printed disk cleaning rigs which I used with great success on some of Alex’s disks, so those which need a bit of TLC will get a good buff.

I’m expecting possibly three Applesauces to be on hand, mine, Russell’s, and Michael’s (from The Retro Computing Roundtable). Michael has continued to acquire software titles which he’s hoping to prepare flux images of, and has previously preserved Sunburst titles (such as Learning to Cope with Pressure) at WOzFests.

I expect Applesauces to feature reasonably prominently at WOzFests for the foreseeable future. Not only on the strength of how many disks I have to image, but also based on the interest so far expressed by attendees and other members of the community.

Attendees are welcome to bring as many disks as possible for imaging – I’m not sure how many we’ll get done, though, at 3-5 minutes each (including entering metadata). I think I have about a thousand which need processing – and I don’t think that’s an exaggeration!

Existing projects are more than welcome to be brought along as well – whether it be repairs, upgrades, show and tells of new acquisitions…whatever you want to work on. If I get a chance, I’ll be testing a new troubleshooting/repair product I received this week which will help with my europlus refurbishment project, and will aid others working on pre-Apple //e machines.

I’ve not yet organised any Skype calls – I’ll give it some thought over the next few weeks.

As always, it will be held at my place at Wollstonecraft, on Sydney’s Lower North Shore – contact me for the address. Start time is 12:00(ish), with an expected finish time of around 21:30.

No lunch provided, but nibbles, soft drinks and Apple cider will be provided (I ask for a small contribution towards snacks), and we’ll all chip in for delivery pizza for dinner whenever we notice we’re hungry.

With WOzFest COLOR=15 I’m continuing to raise funds via Ko-Fi. This allows small (or large!) donations to be made, check out my intro post there for the lowdown, and feel free to drop anything you can in the tin to help me to run WOzFest moving forward.

I hope to see you there!

WOzFest 14.25045 MHz Announcement

I’m very happy to announce the date for the next WOzFest, WOzFest 14.25045 MHz – Saturday 23 November 2019, starting around midday Sydney time (UTC+11:00).

The theme for WOzFest 14.25045 MHz is the Apple ][ europlus, my favourite Apple ][! More generally, international Apple ][s (including the j-plus, which I have just secured a sample of) and clones will be the sub-theme – changing the PSU voltage and crystal frequency to allow (monochrome) PAL output is just the start of what Apple and international clone manufacturers did to get their machines suited to international markets.

I will also be continuing to work on software preservation with the Applesauce. Applesauce is John Morris’ phenomenal USB interface for Apple ][ disk drives which takes Apple ][ software preservation to new heights by capturing magnetic flux-level images of disks.

I’ve unfortunately not achieved much imaging since WOzFest 13 Sector, so I am hoping to really ramp up, with Alex from the What is the Apple IIGS website sending me four boxes of original software disks to image. It’s also looking like another set of disks will be personally delivered from interstate by a new attendee!

I’m expecting at least three Applesauces to be on hand, mine, Russell’s, and Michael’s (from The Retro Computing Roundtable). Michael has continued to acquire software titles which he’s hoping to prepare flux images of, and has previously preserved Sunburst titles (such as Learning to Cope with Pressure) at WOzFests.

I expect Applesauces to feature reasonably prominently at WOzFests for the foreseeable future. Not only on the strength of how many disks I have to image, but also based on the interest so far expressed by attendees and other members of the community.

Attendees are welcome to bring as many disks as possible for imaging – I’m not sure how many we’ll get done, though, at 3-5 minutes each (including entering metadata). I think I have about a thousand which need processing – and I don’t think that’s an exaggeration!

Existing projects are more than welcome to be brought along as well – whether it be repairs, upgrades, show and tells of new acquisitions…whatever you want to work on.

I’ve not yet organised any Skype calls – I’ll give it some thought over the next few weeks.

As always, it will be held at my place at Wollstonecraft, on Sydney’s Lower North Shore – contact me for the address. Start time is, appropriately, 12:00(ish), with an expected finish time of around 21:30. I may be a bit fuzzy after an early supplier Xmas party, but I reckon a room full of Apple ][s and Apple ][ enthusiasts will be a better hangover cure than hair of the dog!

No lunch provided, but nibbles, soft drinks and Apple cider (OK, I will be utilising hair of the dog as well) will be available (I ask for a small contribution towards snacks), and we’ll all chip in for delivery pizza for dinner whenever we notice we’re hungry.

With WOzFest 14.25045 MHz I’m trying something new – funding via Ko-Fi. This allows small (or large!) donations to be made, check out my intro post there for the lowdown, and feel free to drop anything you can in the tin to help me to run WOzFest moving forward.

I hope to see you there!