Hello all,
I discovered that the software for the Apple-1 is all scattered around the internet and there is no single place where you can find all of it. Also the format in which the programs are kept online differs and is not uniform. Also, it would be great to browse to the history of Apple-1 software, read its instructions and be able to play/use the software instantly. So I created a website for this: apple1software.com.
At the moment I finished researching 17 programs in 4 different categories: Games, Fun, Programming and Utilities. For each program you can:
- Read its history, instructions and other useful information.
- See directly what it looks like on the machine with screenshots.
- Establish a direct serial connection with a (real) Apple-1 (more on this below).
- View the Wozmon listing that can be copy pasted in an emulator for example.
- Download the binary file.
- The idea is to also offer the cassette download in AIFF format, but this is future work.
- See the BASIC or assembly source when available.
Also with regard to my - soon to be launched - Keyboard Serial Terminal (see this topic, still work in progress) this website is very handy. Through the Web Serial API, the website itself can establish a direct serial connection with an Apple-1 to transfer the program right away. I also incorporated Uncle Bernie’s TurboType algorithm, which speeds up serial and Wozmon transfers to the machine and emulators.
More content coming up, curious to get your feedback and ideas.
Regards from Holland and Merry Christmas,
Bobby
Hi, that's a great idea! Indeed, the little that has been written or adapted for Apple-1 is in different places and often in different formats. It would be much more convenient to organize it all somehow. I've thought about it myself, but unfortunately I'm not good at making websites. Nevertheless, I've collected some stuff, games and manuals, I can give it to you if you need it. I tried to keep the games simple and easy to understand.
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/PkeDgYyDib1gqw
Thank you for sharing your collection Igor, I will take a look at it!
I am trying to add all 9 original Apple tapes to the site, as sold in 1977, see below.
apple-1-tapes.png
However, I need some clarification for the 16K-Startrek and the Extended Monitor. Would be great to complete these 'tapes'.
There is also a StarTrek 2003 version around that has a starting banner by Vince Briel. Is this one based on the original 16K Startrek? Or another port of the game done by Vince?
It seems that a 16K Startrek variant is listed on Wendell's website, here: https://apple1notes.com/?page_id=42#ab. Is this the 'original' 16K Startrek, as sold on tape back then?
Is the 'Apple II Monitor on Apple 1' listed on this same site the Extended Monitor? I could not find any other programs that come close to this one.
Does anyone have a Wozmon or binary file of these two AIFF files from Wendell?
Thanks again!
This is a great project of Bobby to which I had the honor to contribute a few little tools from my Apple-1 toolbox.
Still, there is a lot of work to be done to collect, consolidate, test, and rectify the existing Apple-1 software until it is fit to be presented on Bobby's website. And - I hope - that enough volunteers will be motivated to contribute by writing new Apple-1 software, or by porting existing software to the Apple-1.
One problem with existing Apple-1 software floating around in the web is that many of these programs don't work as expected, or pretend to be for the Apple-1, but are too large for the basic Apple-1 or won't load without BASIC complaining about syntax errors. This then leads to requests like the one in the previous post:
In post #3, "njissen" asked:
" Does anyone have a Wozmon or binary file of these two AIFF files from Wendell ? "
Uncle Bernie comments:
Converting AIFF files to binary is a yet incomplete function of my unreleased "ACIace" tool, which otherwise works fine for generating AIFF files from binaries, Apple-1, Apple II and the "extended formats" supported by my PROMs for the improved ACI. I intended to continue working on ACIace early next year, so if you can wait until I can finish and release it, you could use it towards your conversion efforts.
But if you can't wait, just load the AIFF into the Apple-1 and then use the UPLOAD funtion of my keyboard emulator cable - I think I gave you all the sources etc. needed for that. Once you have uploaded a binary into your Linux based host you can then use the tools I gave you to make .APL and .TUR files and put them on your website.
I've never looked into the STARTREK games (not a big fan of the TV shows, although as a kid I tried to watch every episode of the original 1960s show on TV). But I am well aware of several versions of the game which crossed my ways in the last half century. There is a big version which won't fit into the basic Apple-1, but the good news is that back in the 2nd half of the 1970s, one of the fledgling microcomputer magazines of the time had a "TINY TREK" program listing which works with the bare bones TINY BASICs of the the time, and with very little RAM. This might be the original source for any Apple-1 STARTREK game which fits into 4k of RAM (other than the 4k for the BASIC interpreter). If you want, I could go looking for this magazine.
One issue I ran into with some BASIC games for the Apple-1 is that they just don't work ! It may be due to different versions of Woz' BASIC interpreter, I don't know, it's only a guess, but for instance, I had to massage the "HAMURABI" game quite a lot until it did fit and work in the Apple-1 having only 2 x 4k of RAM. I think it did put this version of HAMURABI into the last release of my keyboard emulator cable software published here on Applefritter - sorry I can't find the thread anymore, it was a separate thread from the original one where this emulator cable was first released.
Some info for the readers who may wonder about my role in this project:
I gave Bobby my toolkit to turn binaries into APL and TUR files. APL files are just WOZmon syntax which can be auto-typed into the Apple-1 by a suitable keyboard emulator, the first of which was my keyboard emulator design published here on Applefritter, and free for anyone wanting to build it. You need a vintage DOS based computer with a parallel printer port, though, which is a drawback. So Bobby's upcoming keyboard emulator which works with modern computers and notebooks was a worthwhile project for me to support with a few little tools. The TUR files ("TurboType") are a hybrid file which first uses WOZmon syntax to install a loader on the Apple-1, which allows very fast pumping of code, contained in a compressed format in the same TUR file, into the Apple-1. The whole process is secured by CRC. I developed "TurboType" for my own software development work on the Apple-1, as I could not stand the time consuming autotype process of APL (WOZmon syntax) files, once my software grew in size. Since I have "TurboType", I did not use the ACI anymore, except for testing AIFF files. "TurboType" speed is in the ballpark of floppy disk drives, like drinking from a firehose ;-)
I will soon release part#1 of my Apple-1 toolchain here on Applefritter, to enable and encourage you all to port or develop software for the Apple-1, which then can be made available via Bobby's website. The only missing piece is competion of the manual for the toolchain. I hope I will find some time to finish that manual soon. Stay tuned !
- Uncle Bernie