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This month on Open Apple, we sit down with legendary Apple II programmer, Bill Budge. In addition to being an icon of Apple II gaming and graphics, he is the number-one-requested guest by listeners of the show. Mike and Quinn are very excited he was able to make some time to talk to them, and hope you agree it was worth the effort. Bill is, of course, the author of such seminal classics as Raster Blaster, Pinball Construction Set, and MousePaint. He was an influential force in the golden years of Electronic Arts, and did many good works with early Apple as well.
After chatting with Bill, Mike and Quinn chew the fat about Soviet Apple II clones, slowing down the IIc Plus, and documenting rare II models. Meanwhile, Quinn constructs an impromptu sound studio in a conference room, and Mike waxes nostalgic about harpsichords. Also, this episode marks the most Apple III references snuck in to date. Mike even manages to goad the guest into bringing it up. Don’t miss Quinn struggling to remember the word “Dacta”, and Mike taking a cheap shot at Elevator Action.
A quick update to Quinn’s Floppy Emu Model B review- since this was recorded, Steve has updated the firmware so it now remembers the last disk image you used.
More information on everything discussed in this episode, after the jump.
- Bill Budge!
- Penny Arcade – Bill’s first game.
- Tranquility Base – Refinement of Bill’s line rendering and physics techniques.
- 3-D Game Tool – A demo (we believe) of Bill’s 3-D Game Tool in action.
- Raster Blaster – Bill moves from vector rendering into bitmaps.
- Computer Chronicles – Bill’s appearance on national television.
- Ultima V – A comprehensive history by Jimmy Maher.
- Britannia Manor – A video tour of Richard Garriott’s house.
- Floppy Emu – Quinn reviews one of the newest solid state options.
- Mike’s Rev 0 – Mike begins documenting his rare beast.
- No boot for you – Video of Mike’s ailing machine at KansasFest.
- Communist clones – The Apple II was a popular clone target in the Eastern Bloc.
- Circuit Cellar interview – #ThrowbackThursday
- Cracking senses – Do you know what copy protection sounds like?
- Inside Technic Control Center – Lego’s first interface to an Apple computer.
- The Dacta box in action – Courtesy of Alex Lukazi.
- Usborne programming books – The beloved kids’ books are now free to download.
- Woz expresses fatigue – He’ll still sign your crap, but don’t push it.
- Miner – The prototype that will make you really really appreciate Lode Runner.
- Slowing down the IIc Plus – Quinn makes a nicer default for clock speed.
- Patreon – Help keep Open Apple on the air!