Today we return to the informative "This Week in Apple History" series at The Mac Observer. The July 1 - 10 entry in the series by Owen Linzmayer & Bryan Chaffin is entitled, "Hello Cat, So Long Gil, Goodbye Cube".

July 1 - 10: Hello Cat, So Long Gil, Goodbye Cube

This one was featured in VAN a few years back, but is really worth another look by our new readers. Check out this wooden mirror by Daniel Rozin, controlled by a Macintosh 8600 AV. This is mouth-hanging-open cool! (It doesn't take much to make our mouths to hang open) What is a wooden mirror? Unbelievable, that's what!

See it here:
Wooden Mirror

Here is another vintage data storage article. This time from the March 1986 issue of COMPUTE! by Selby Bateman. It begins:
"Dramatic changes are occurring in the ways we store computer information. Technological advances and lower production costs are affecting both magnetic and optical data storage media. Traditional 5¼-inch floppy disks are giving way to 3½-inch microfloppies. Hard disk drives are rapidly becoming cost effective for average users. And low-power lasers are making optical storage technology the medium of the future. Here's a look at how far and how fast data storage technology has come, and where it's headed next."

The Future of Mass Storage

The fantastic 8-bit Apple II emulator for Mac OS X, Virtual ][ has been updated to version 5.3.

New in this release:
• The program can now be controlled with AppleScript.
• Added an AppleScript menu with a number of example scripts; they demonstrate many of Virtual ]['s features.
• Added a menu function to save a snapshot of the emulated screen as a tiff file.

Visit the Virtual ][ Website

Rounding out the week is this article from the September 1985 issue of Creative Computing Magazine by Owen W. Linzmayer. It begins:
"On May 31, citing declining sales and the need to cut costs, Apple president John Sculley announced a company-wide reorganization that cost the jobs of 1200 employees and forced charismatic co-founder Steve Jobs to relinquish most of his responsibility for day-to-day operations. While it is far too early to tell if the reorganization will prove successful, my belief is that it can only help."

Read More:
Apple's troubled times, amazing II products, contest winners, color Mac coming?

Today we return to the informative "This Week in Apple History" series at The Mac Observer. The June 21 - 30 entry in the series by Owen Linzmayer & Bryan Chaffin is entitled, "Bill Gates Offers To Help License Mac OS".

June 21 - 30: Bill Gates Offers To Help License Mac OS

An article at Atarimagazines.com by Barry Bayer originally published in Creative Computing, August 1985 issue.
It Begins:
"Five years ago I drooled over the new 5Mb Winchester hard disk drives being introduced to the Apple II market. Although I knew how useful a hard disk could be, I also knew that I would never be able to justify the purchase of a $3000 mass storage device for a $2000 computer. I also knew that I would never be able to fill 5Mb of disk space."

Read More:
The Sider; 10Mb of Mass Storage for Apple II Computers at a Bargain Price

This 1984 article, by Steve Wozniak, was originally published in "Digital Deli; The Comprehensive, User-Lovable Menu of Computer Lore, Culture, Lifestyles and Fancy by The Lunch Group & Guests", and is online at Atariarchives.com. It begins:
"Without computer clubs there would probably be no Apple computers. Our club in the Silicon Valley, the Homebrew Computer Club, was among the first of its kind. It was in early 1975, and a lot of tech-type people would gather and trade integrated circuits back and forth. You could have called it Chips and Dips. We had similar interests and we were there to help other people, but we weren't official and we weren't formal. Our leader, Lee Felsenstein, who later designed the Osborne computer, would get up at every meeting and announce the convening of 'the Homebrew Computer Club which does not exist' and everyone would applaud happily."


Read more:
Homebrew and How the Apple Came To Be

This article by Selby Bateman, Features Editor of COMPUTE! magazine, originally appeared in the July 1984 issue. From the Atarimagazines.com archives, it begins:
"Apple Computer has made 1984 its year of surprises, first with the 'revolutionary' Macintosh and now with the 'evolutionary' Apple IIc. The new 7½-pound portable has already achieved critical acclaim and impressive early sales. Is it the computer for you?
'The IIc is not a home computer,' says Apple President John Sculley. 'It's for the serious user in the home.'
Sculley isn't just playing word games with that comment. It is as succinct a statement of Apple's plans for the IIc as you'll find. And it addresses the biggest challenge and the greatest opportunity for the Cupertino, California, company: To convince a huge untapped home market that the IIc is not a low-end computer. And at the same time, Apple is targeting owners of low-end microcomputers who want more power, more software, and more portability."

Read More:
Evolutionary To The Core: The Apple IIc Heads For Home

As you know, we are never ones to find humor at other people's expense. In this case we will make an exception. This clip, found at iFilm.com, in which the part of The Creature is played convincingly by Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, left us speechless. We don't say this often, but you gotta see this. Is it really Vintage Apple News? We're laughing too hard to think about that.
"It seems even the most illustrious of the scientific community have a hard time accepting The Creature. He doesn't intend to break the anti-trust agreements...he was just built that way."

See The Creature for yourself:
Young FrankenSteve

Today we return to the informative "This Week in Apple History" series at The Mac Observer. The June 14 - 20 entry in the series by Owen Linzmayer & Bryan Chaffin is entitled, "Lisa Born, Sculley Out, Spindler In, eWorld Now".

June 14 - 20: Lisa Born, Sculley Out, Spindler In, eWorld Now

A humourous 1998 article by Andy Yatter on the MacOpinion site.

"Put down the trademark slowly and step away from the penguin, or the dogcow gets it. I know that it wasn't an intentional rip-off, but why use a penguin in QuickTime 3? Apple already has a serviceable mascot in Clarus the Dogcow. Why use another that's similar to Tux the Penguin of Linux fame?"

Read more:
Seattle Mascot Shelter Puts Dogcow to Sleep (Free the Penguin)

An article at Atarimagazines.com by David D. Thornburg, Associate Editor of COMPUTE!. Originally appearing in Issue 78, November 1986, it begins:
"Apple's new IIGS computer is the latest—and strongest—addition to the company's "Apple II Forever" campaign. Completely compatible with earlier Apple IIs, the IIGS offers exceptional advances in both graphics and sound (hence, GS). With a new 16-bit microprocessor, 256K of RAM, and plenty of peripheral ports, the IIGS redefines the Apple II series in some amazing ways—and IIe owners can easily upgrade their machines to the IIGS."

Read More:
The New Apple IIGS

When and where was your vintage Mac made? Find out today with this handy decoder. Just type in your serial number and the online decoder does the rest!
Supported Apple hardware
Macintosh 128
Macintosh 512, 512e, and European variants
Macintosh Plus, ED, and European variants
Macintosh SE *
Macintosh SE/30 *
Macintosh Portable (Original and Backlit)
Macintosh II
Macintosh IIx
Macintosh IIcx *
Macintosh IIci *
Macintosh IIfx *
Macintosh IIsi *
Macintosh LC III
PowerBook 145
PowerBook 145B
PowerBook 170
Duo Dock II
Power Macintosh 6100 *
iMac (233 MHz)
PowerBook G3 (Bronze Keyboard, 333 MHz)
PowerBook G3 (Bronze Keyboard, 400 MHz)
Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White, 350 MHz, DVD-ROM)
Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White, 350 MHz, CD-ROM)
Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White, 400 MHz)
iMac (17-inch 1 GHz)
iMac (17-inch) Flat Panel
Macintosh Color Display

Try it!
Early Mac Serial Number Decoder

A tale at Folklore.org by Andy Hertzfeld. This time the topic is the Macintosh, and specifically, the very first location in low memory. It begins:
"The original Macintosh only had 128K bytes of RAM (that's one eighth of a megabyte), so dealing with memory management was usually the hardest part of writing both the system and applications. We allocated around 16K bytes for system use, and another 22K bytes for the 512 by 342 black and white screen, so applications were left with only 90K bytes or so. The bigger ones like MacWrite or MacPaint seemed to be bursting at the seams."

Read More:
Monkey Lives

Today we return to the informative "This Week in Apple History" series at The Mac Observer. The June 7 - 13 entry in the series by Owen Linzmayer & Bryan Chaffin is entitled, "The Woz Marries, Switcher Campaign Starts, IE Ended".

June 7 - 13: The Woz Marries, Switcher Campaign Starts, IE Ended

The May, 2006 issue of the A2 News and Notes Newsletter for Apple II fans has been posted by Howard Katz!
This issue:
* Old Hardware Made New, Redux
* Hardware-emulated Apple II
* Apple II Internet
* CFFA News
* Moving In Reverse
* Making Music
* VGA Support
* KFest
* Software News
* Emulation News
* SignOff

A2 News and Notes

Another interview with Steve Wozniak, this time by Hardy Green from May 23, at BusinessWeek Online.
It begins:
"As the inventor of the Apple I and Apple II, along with Apple's original software, Steve Wozniak is a living legend. Legendary, too, is his complicated relationship with Apple (AAPL) co-founder Steve Jobs, as well as the practical jokes that "Woz" played on colleagues in the headiest moments of the company's formative years. This fall, Wozniak will publish his memoir, I Woz: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Along the Way, written with tech journalist Gina Smith (Norton). BusinessWeek associate editor Hardy Green interviewed Wozniak on May 20 at the book industry's annual extravaganza, BookExpo America, in Washington, D.C."

Read More:
The Great Woz Tells All

Today we return to the informative "This Week in Apple History" series at The Mac Observer. The June 1 - 6 entry in the series by Owen Linzmayer & Bryan Chaffin is entitled, "Capps Leaves Apple For Microsoft, eMac Goes Public".

June 1 - 6: Capps Leaves Apple For Microsoft, eMac Goes Public