These web pages are text-only and can be accessed using an Apple //e running the Contiki suite of internet apps. The Contiki browser can surf any text-only pages including those offered at www.apple2.org
My Apple //e uses an "Apple II Ethernet Module" purchased from a2retrosystems.com on Jan. 22, 2011 for $89 in order to connect to the internet. The ethernet card is also used by ADTPro (Apple Disk Transfer ProDOS) to transfer disk images between a PC and the Apple //e physical 5.25" floppy disks.
On July 12, 2012 my dad installed a CFFA3000 card purchased 6/15/2012 from dreher.net for $175.10 (including 'remote buttons' + S/H). The CFFA card allows the Apple //e to use a USB memory stick as virtual floppy disks and/or hard drives. So now my Apple //e can boot to a "ProDOS 8 v2.0.3 06-May-93" partition in virtual slot 7; or, boot from a DOS 3.3 floppy disk image in virtual slot 6, emulating a "Disk II controller".
I've written numerous programs on the Apple //e and my laptop. The WindowsXP laptop uses "A2 Oasis" to emulate an Apple //e. I've also used AppleWin which can emulate a Mockingboard, sound card. They still make those, you know - Mockingboards!
To speed up programs written in AppleSoft BASIC, I use the "Microsoft TASC v2.0 1/10/82" compiler. Yes, among dad's collection of old 5.25" floppies was the compiler, back when Microsoft made software for the Apple //e.
My programs that control "real world I/O" use a custom game-port interface board built by my dad in November 2011.
I've used my Apple //e to control:
Now that I'm used to using both floppy and hard disk partitions via the CFFA card, I'm working with the Kyan UNIX operating system (KIX). This is great because the commands are similar to my RaspberryPI. I'm learning to use Kyan PASCAL and Kyan Assembly. When this stuff compiles, it runs faster than code compiled from BASIC by the TASC compiler. The Kyan turtle graphics libraries are real slow, though. They're lots slower than the Apple Pascal turtle graphics. I don't know why.
My Dad got me a No-Slot-Clock [DS1216E] on 3/5/2013 w/a little guidance from Henry Courbis & Tom Arnold. The files for the SmartWatch driver were written 11/20/87 by Matthew Stier to allow ProDOS to get the time/date stamp. So, now my files in ProDOS and KIX have accurate time stamps. But I really wanted to do stuff with the clock using BASIC in DOS 3.3 so my Dad put together a sample BASIC program; and a Pascal library. Now I can use the No-Slot-Clock from BASIC and Pascal.
I still like to do graphics in BASIC. That's easiest. Of course, I like to do stuff in DHGR using Beagle Graphics and other tools, like those create by Bill Buckels. Bill's BMPA2FC and A2FCBMP are utilities that run on a PC. They let you convert back and forth between a 16 color PC BMP file and an Apple // Double High Res image (.AUX / .BIN). He's also got a utility called DMONO that can take a black & white BMP and convert it to an Apple // 560 x 192 DHR mono image (.AUX / .BIN). So, even though I can't run PhotoShop on my Apple, I can move PhotoShopped pictures to my Apple //e. How about that Mr. Wozniak?
The week of 7/22/2014 - 7/26/2014 I'll be at K-Fest demoing apple //e control of my Rocket Launder, Roller Coaster Control and Gravitational Accelleration Calculator! The week prior I'll be back-country backpacking at Pictured Rocks w/no internet access. No tech to retro tech - should be fun!
Stay Tuned - more to come.