Today we present what may be the definitive page describing Apple's A/UX, at Applefritter.com.
"Perhaps you've heard of A/UX, Apple's version of UNIX for the original (Motorola 68K based) Macintoshes. You likely don't know much beyond the fact that it existed, however. It seems to be an enigmatic creature, the Sasquatch of operating systems. There's much heresay and speculation about it, and the rare person even claims to have seen a fuzzy glimpse of it long ago, but hard documentation of its biology and behavior is rather hard to come by."

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Apple A/UX

This article by Karen Goeller McCullough originally appeared in COMPUTE! Issue 42 / November 1983 and is brought to you via Atarimagazines.com. It just proves that the definition of "User-Friendly" sure has changed over the years. A menu! Imagine that!

"With an Apple II and a disk drive, you can use this versatile utility program to create menus that call other programs – or you can merge it with your own multifunction programs to create an effective master menu.
If you have an Apple II with Applesoft BASIC and at least one disk drive, this handy utility can save time and prevent confusion by generating menu programs. All you do is tell the program the number of options on your menu and their names. From that information a BASIC program is generated which presents a nicely formatted display of the options, allows the entry of a selection, and checks it for validity."

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Make Your Apple User-Friendly

Today we once again take a look back at the informative "This Week in Apple History" series at The Mac Observer. The April 25 - 30 entry in the series by Owen Linzmayer & Bryan Chaffin is entitled, "HP Frees Woz, Lisa Discontinued, iTMS Launched".

April 25 - 30: HP Frees Woz, Lisa Discontinued, iTMS Launched

A great bit of history from Folklore.org. This tale by Andy Hertzfeld recalls the formulation of the Macintosh introduction demo. It begins:
"It took a monumental effort, fueled by inordinate amounts of chocolate covered espresso beans (see Real Artists Ship), to finally finish the first release of the Macintosh software in time for the introduction. We finished with literally no time to spare, shipping the "golden master" of the "Write/Paint" disk to the factory at 6am on Monday morning January 16th, a week before the introduction. By that point, most of the software team hadn't slept for days, so we all went home to collapse."

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It Sure Is Great To Get Out Of That Bag!

From Atarimagazines.com, we bring you this article by Fred D'Ignazio, Associate Editor which was published in COMPUTE! Issue 47 / April 1984. It describes first contact with the Mac!
"The Apple Macintosh had its coming-out party at the monthly meeting of the Boston Computer Society on Monday evening, January 30.
The atmosphere was a cross between a football pep rally and a gala rock concert. People jammed into the elegant John Hancock Hall and filled it to the chandeliers. Everyone was talking loudly and pointing up at the stage.
On the stage was a dark brown podium and table with a fabric bag on top."

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Apple's Macintosh Unveiled

Part of the "Mac @ 20" celebration from 2003, this gallery of Apple television commercials at Forbes.com highlights some of the most memorable moments in Apple TV advertising and gives readers a chance to vote for their favorite.

Pick Your Favorite Apple Ad

A two-part article by Baine Mathieu from the continually expanding treasure trove at Atarimagazines.com. In part one, the author takes us from the simplest possible sound on the Apple to musical notes. Several useful demonstration programs are included. The first part originally appeared in COMPUTE! Issue 41 / Oct. 1983. In the conclusion of this two-part series, the author combines the ideas and programs from part one and presents the "Apple Music Writer." An effective tool for composing or reproducing songs, this utility is also easy to use because of its great variety of commands. There's a thorough discussion of how to use each command. Part two is from COMPUTE! Issue 42 / Nov. 1983.

Apple Sounds-From Beeps To Music - Part 1
Apple Sounds-From Beeps To Music - Part 2

Once again, we again take a look back at the informative "This Week in Apple History" series at The Mac Observer. The April 19 - 24 entry in the series by Owen Linzmayer & Bryan Chaffin is entitled, "Apple IIc Beats Mac, Mission: Impossible, & 5 Million iMacs".

April 19 - 24: Apple IIc Beats Mac, Mission: Impossible, & 5 Million iMacs

From the Apple Computer History Weblog:
"Early Apple sound designer Jim Reekes sets Sosumi myth straight
Earlier this week on BB, I pointed to Jon Lech Johansen's blog "So Sue Me." Several astute readers reminded us that the blog's title is actually a punny reference to 'Sosumi,' an Apple system sound file with an interesting history that's become an often mis-reported bit of computing lore.
Jim Reekes was the engineer on Apple Sound Manager for System 7, and he created the Sosumi sound -- so I asked him to set the record straight. Here's the Wikipedia entry (which is now being updated), and here's Jim's reply to Boing Boing readers!"

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Sosume Story

A brief article from Atarimagazines.com announcing the Apple III+. From COMPUTE!, Issue 20, January 1982.

"Cupertino, CA — A more powerful version of the Apple III personal computer, with greatly expanded mass-storage capability and professional application programs, will be delivered beginning in mid-December by Apple Computer Inc."

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More Powerful Apple III Features Mass Storage, New Software

From the Seattle Times comes this interview by John Boudreau with one of our favorite Steves! It begins:
"Steve Wozniak says he never intended to change the world. That was the other Steve, Steve Jobs."

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Q&A with Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak

Today we again take a look back at the informative "This Week in Apple History" series at The Mac Observer. The April 11 - 17 entry in the series by Owen Linzmayer & Bryan Chaffin is entitled, "Jobs' Demotion, IBM, Pink, Windows Lawsuit, Profit & Loss".

April 11 - 17: Jobs' Demotion, IBM, Pink, Windows Lawsuit, Profit & Loss

From Digital Deli, originally published in 1984 and online at atariarchives.org, comes this swashbuckling tale by Jim Edlin! Aaargh!
It begins:
"Programs and data are the stuff of life for personal computers, the binary elixirs that animate them out of paperweighthood into utility and playfulness. Programs and data are also a form of "intellectual property": lawyers' parlance for the notion that he who thinks something up, figures it out or puts it together in a new way is entitled to control over his creation and any commercial rewards it can be made to yield."

Publishers Vs. Pirates

From the Apple Computer History Weblog comes this account of the first MacLisa SIG meeting. Reprinted from the May '84 Applegram, published by the Apple Corps of Dallas and written by Ray M. Thompson, it Begins:
"There was literally standing-room-only at the first announced meeting of the MacLisa SIG! I didn't get a count, but some were standing and hanging out the door... We took a quick show of hands and about 10-12 of us already have our Macintoshes and about that many more have them on order. The rest of the crowd came to listen, ask questions, and hear and see more about the Mac (there... I've said it...the vernacular for Macintosh!)."

First Meeting of the MacLisa SIG

An interesting page at that great Apple history resource, Folklore.org by Andy Hertzfeld. Presented is a gallery of Susan Kare's MacPaint art from 1983. The intro:
"Bill Atkinson began writing MacPaint in February 1983, just after Susan Kare joined the Mac team to design bitmaps for fonts and icons. Susan became one of the first and most accomplished users of MacPaint, trying out new features as they were developed and using it for a wide range of practical applications.
Susan kept a notebook of many of the MacPaint documents that she created as the Mac team struggled to finish the Macintosh throughout 1983. They provide an interesting glimpse of the daily life of the Mac team during that period. I'm pleased to be able to present scans her beautiful drawings here as part of Macintosh Folklore."

MacPaint Gallery at Folklore.org

A new article at Low End Mac by the talented Tom Hormby. It begins:
"Michael Spindler was born during the last throes of Nazi Germany. The family was split up before Spindler was born, because his father was forced to work at a munitions plant. The absence of his father during his early childhood appeared to make Spindler even more motivated to prove himself. He excelled in school and graduated from the prestigious Rheinische Sachochschule with a degree in engineering in 1964."

Michael Spindler: The Peters Principle at Apple

An interesting article at Engadget presenting a well rounded history of Apple products. It begins:
"Has it really been 30 years since two buddies named Steve sold off their prized possessions (Woz's HP calculator and Jobs' VW van) to raise money and launch a company? Has it really been 30 years since the two Steves, tired of selling blue boxes, built the Apple I and began selling it for $666.66? Yes, it has, and if you don't believe it, just compare Jobs' hairlines from '76 and today. And while the company has become known for many things, from its groundbreaking GUI to the iTunes Music Store, we know Apple has always been a hardware company at heart. So here's to you, Apple: the good, the bad and, yes, the ugly from the past 30 years. Happy Birthday."

30 Years in Apple Products: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

A brief 1984 article from Atarirchives.org discussing the then new phenomenon of computers being advertised on television.
It begins:
"As the personal computer industry has grown, so has its advertising clout. Gone are the days when Apple's owners begged and borrowed the $25,000 necessary for the company's first color ad in Scientific American. In 1984 Apple Computer Inc. slated an ad budget of over $100 million."

Pitching the Personals

The March, 2006 issue of the A2 News and Notes Newsletter for Apple II fans has been posted by Howard Katz!
This issue:
* Old Roots Revisited
* Keeping the Apple II Humming
* Compact Storage
* Visually Apple
* Camp Geek
* Software News
* Emulation News
* SignOff

A2 News and Notes

Today we again take a look back at the informative "This Week in Apple History" series at The Mac Observer. The April 1 - 10 entry in the series by Owen Linzmayer & Bryan Chaffin is entitled, "Apple Founded, John Sculley Chooses Change, Irony".

April 1 - 10: Apple Founded, John Sculley Chooses Change, Irony