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Welcome to the Open Apple podcast, where we share news and memories of the Apple II, Steve Wozniak's most famous personal computer.

Mike Maginnis & Quinn Dunki


    • Nov 6, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 38m AVG DURATION
    • 83 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Open Apple

    Open Apple #81: Remembering Tony Diaz

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2021 40:52


    For decades, Tony Diaz held the record of the only person to have attended every KansasFest. Whether at that convention, on the comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup, or on his livestreams, he would share his comprehensive knowledge of Apple II hardware and demo the rare prototypes in his vast collection. When KansasFest lost its home at Avila READ MORE The post Open Apple #81: Remembering Tony Diaz first appeared on Open Apple.

    Open Apple #80 (July 2021): KansasFest 2021 Megapodcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2021 54:25


    Welcome to Poly Retro Assembly Cast Chicken Missile Drop Grue Museum, the annual “megapodcast” from KansasFest, hosted again via Zoom. Participants: Charles Mangin (Chicken Missile) Carrington Vanston (Retro Computing Roundtable & Eaten by a Grue) Chris Torrence (Assembly Lines) Joe Strosnider (Joe's Computer Museum) John Leake (RetroMacCast) Kate the Cat (Chicken Missile & RetroMetal) Ken […] The post Open Apple #80 (July 2021): KansasFest 2021 Megapodcast first appeared on Open Apple.

    Open Apple #79 (July 2020): KansasFest 2020 Megapodcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2020 86:42


    Welcome to Retro Open Poly Roundtable Chicken Missile Lines Drop Museum Gruecast, the annual "megapodcast" from KansasFest, this time conducted virtually via Zoom. The post Open Apple #79 (July 2020): KansasFest 2020 Megapodcast first appeared on Open Apple.

    Open Apple #78 (September 2018) – Retro Antic Assembly Chicken Missile Talks Our Way Out Of It

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2018 71:40


    This month on Open Apple, we bring you the traditional big group podcast that we record every year at KansasFest. Tune in for a casual chat with your favorite retro podcasters, and get a behind-the-scenes peek at what makes KansasFest special. This year we managed to twist the following arms into joining us: Quinn Dunki – […]

    Open Apple #77 (March 2018) – Kevin Savetz & Carrington Vanston, Eaten By A Grue

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2018 107:31


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Kevin Savetz and Carrington Vanston of the Eaten By A Grue podcast. Eaten By A Grue is a game-by-game style of podcast where the intrepid hosts are playing every Infocom game. They both play the game, then discuss it in detail, with and without spoilers. They discuss […]

    Open Apple #76 (January 2018) – Ken Gagne & Andy Molloy, Juiced.GS, Nukes

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2018 100:51


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Ken Gagne and Andy Molloy of Juiced.GS, the longest running continuously published Apple II magazine (that you can still get in your mailbox to this day!). Juiced.GS is in its 23rd year, which has to be a record for magazines of almost any type. Ken and Andy […]

    Open Apple #75 (October 2017) – Seth Sternberger, Class Apples, GS Graphics

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2017 119:51


    We’re baaaack! Sorry for the unscheduled hiatus folks, but your intrepid hosts had some family matters to attend to. This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Seth Steinberger of 8-bit Weapon. We talk about their new album Class Apples, which was made entirely on an Apple II. Yes, every sound on the album is […]

    Open Apple #74 (September 2017) – Mark Lemmert, Nox Archaist Kickstarter, Fake Quinn, and Softalk #5

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2017 156:46


    This month on Open Apple, the part of Quinn Dunki is played by RCR Podcast co-host Carrington “Fake Quinn” Vanston. A post-KansasFest Mark Lemmert of 6502 Workshop returns to the show to promote the new Nox Archaist Kickstarter. You should contribute because it’s awesome to support those still developing for the Apple II and not […]

    Open Apple #73 (August 2017) – Assembly Chicken PolyANTICast Roundtable

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2017 60:52


    This month on Open Apple, we run the annual group megapodcast that is recorded live at KansasFest! This is a four-year-old tradition whereby all the attending retro podcasters get together and do one big silly show together. It’s clunky, it’s pointless, and the audio quality is terrible because we’re all crowded one microphone in a grungy […]

    Open Apple #72 (June 2017) – Peter Neubauer, KansasFest, Last Jedi

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2017 87:08


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with KansasFest committee member and lifelong Apple II user Peter Neubauer. We talk lots about the upcoming KansasFest, of course, but also Peter’s own experiences with the machine. He has a passion for Logo, and a special place in his heart reserved for the Apple IIc Plus. I […]

    Open Apple #71 (May 2017) – Michael Packard, Alien Downpour, Kermit (The Frog)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2017 100:11


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Michael Packard, author of the upcoming new game Alien Downpour. Michael has gone back to teach himself assembly language and make the kinds of games he wished he had made back in the day. The results are indeed impressive, and his first foray into solo Apple II game […]

    Open Apple #70 (April 2017) – 6502 Workshop, 1st-Person Lo-Res, Softalk #4

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2017 104:08


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Mark Lemmert, co-founder of 6502 Workshop. Him and his partners (Mike Reimer, Bill Giggie, Robert Padovan, Gordon Mackay, and Galactagog) have been building Nox Archaist, a brand new story-driven tile-based role-playing game in the classical Ultima style. They’re pushing the hardware as far as they can with […]

    Open Apple #69 (March 2017) – Craig Peterson, KansasFest, Computer Show!

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2017 94:47


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Craig Peterson, who got involved with hardware and software development very early in the life of the Apple II. Craig integrated Apple II computers with a numerical control manufacturing system, producing G-code for the cutting machines in a factory. He was a pioneer in using the Apple II for what computers […]

    Open Apple #68 (February 2017) : Emulator Updates, EDD, Softalk #3

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2017 113:33


    This month on Open Apple, Mike and Quinn sit down with each other and catch up on all the news they’ve been neglecting lately. Mike and Quinn discuss the disappointing 8BitDo controller, get excited about remanufactured printer ribbons, and pretend to know anything about EDD. Follow along as we review Softalk volume 1, number 3. The […]

    Open Apple #67 (January 2017) : Year End Roundtable!

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2017 56:58


    This month on Open Apple, we round out the year with our annual tradition of sitting around a virtual table with some friends of the show, discussing whatever comes to mind. Mike and Quinn are joined by Jeremy Barr-Hyde, Jorma Honkanen, Kate Szkotnicki & Chris Torrence. We have a really fun mix of Apple II fans from all walks of life […]

    Open Apple #66 (December 2016) : Glenda “The Atom” Adams

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2016 101:15


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Glenda Adams, better known on the Apple II as The Atom. She was a cracker of some note back in the 1980s, and she shares great stories with us of her exploits in boot tracing, cracking, and distributing software in the glory days of the Apple II […]

    Open Apple #65.5 (December 2016) : Mike Whalen At KansasFest

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2016 80:06


    This week on Open Apple, we run a special piece of extra content, courtesy of friend-of-the-show Mike Whalen. Mike brought his mobile audio production gear to KansasFest back in July, and he captured a series of interviews and biographies during the event. He has graciously agreed to let us run it here on our feed. It’s wonderfully […]

    Open Apple #65 (November 2016) : Alex Lee, What Is The Apple IIgs?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2016 133:07


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Alex Lee, purveyor of the canonical IIgs reference site What Is The Apple IIgs?  We talk about what it was like being one of the brave few with this machine, and that feeling of living in a secret world of incredible graphics and sound that nobody else seemed […]

    Open Apple #64 (October 2016) : John Brooks, Tiger Learning Computer, Softalk

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2016 91:37


    This month on Open Apple, we share an excerpt of an interview with John Brooks, courtesy of Juiced.GS.  John talks about how and why he updated ProDOS, and his experiences getting back into the community. Tune in to hear Quinn lose 20 years of time perception around the Tiger Learning Computer, then pretend to know stuff […]

    Open Apple #63 (September 2016) : Kate Szkotnicki, ProDOS 2.4, KansasFest

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2016 100:31


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Kate Szkotnicki, long time Apple II fan and new addition to the retro community. We chat about her first impressions as a newcomer to the community, and the big splash she made at her first KansasFest. Kate is a cosplayer and frequent attendee of anime and comic […]

    Open Apple #62 (August 2016) : Mark Pilgrim, Passport, Ancient Legends

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2016 88:41


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Mark Pilgrim, one of the most active software preservationists in the Apple II community. Mark has been spending his free time working on Passport, an automated cracking tool. It automatically detects and defeats copy protection schemes on Apple II disks, producing copyable disks that are otherwise completely […]

    Open Apple #61 (July 2016) : KansasFest 2016, Chicken Missile Megapodcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2016 85:31


    This month on Open Apple, as is tradition, we present the megapodcast recorded live at KansasFest. Most of your favorite retrocomputing podcasters attend KansasFest each year, and we all get together in a basement room to record a giant group podcast. This year’s recording includes, in no particular order: Quinn Dunki of Open Apple Paul Hagstrom of Retrocomputing […]

    Open Apple #60 (June 2016) : Sean Fahey, KansasFest 2016 Warmup

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2016 78:33


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Sean Fahey of A2Central, major league collector, and member of the KansasFest Committee. It’s not too late to register! Go to kansasfest.org right now. If you listen to this show, you should definitely be there. The Garage Giveaway will be larger than ever this year. You won’t want […]

    Open Apple #59 (May 2016) : Amy Kefauver, Lorri Hopping, Stuff4YourGS

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2016 100:23


    This month on Open Apple, Kevin Savetz sits down with Amy Kefauver and Lorri Hopping. Amy was the editor of Scholastic Microzine, an educational magazine focused on the Apple II. Lorri was a writer and editor for Microzine. They share many great memories creating lessons with computers, the nature of the educational market, and how computers can engage kids […]

    Open Apple #58 (April 2016) : Huibert Aalbers, IIGS Stuff, Taiwanese Ham

    Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2016 127:21


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Huibert Aalbers, author of Soundsmith. It’s hard to overstate what a platform-defining piece of software this was for the Apple IIgs. Few people appreciated what the audio system in this computer was capable of, until Huibert unlocked it for the world to hear. Games and scene demos […]

    Open Apple #57 (March 2016) : Bill Budge!

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2016 92:23


    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 […]

    Open Apple #56 (February 2016) : Peter Lount, Gemstone Warrior, KansasFest

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2016 92:10


    This month on Open Apple we sit down with Peter Lount, co-developer of Gemstone Warrior and Gemstone Healer for the Apple II. Canadian programmer Peter and his partner Trouba broke new ground in video games by combining fast action combat with procedurally generated caves and dungeon content. Gemstone Warrior doesn’t get credit for being the predecessor to […]

    Open Apple #55 (January 2016) : Henry Courbis, UltimateMicro, ProDOS conversions

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2016 104:28


    This month on Open Apple we sit down with Henry Courbis, co-proprietor of Ultimate Micro, serial entrepreneur, and Open Source guy. Henry is boldly going where no hobbyist has gone before, by making Apple II hardware his real day job. If anyone can do it, Ultimate Micro can! We talk massive modem phone bills, phreaking, warez, and statutes […]

    Open Apple #54 (December 2015) : Year End Roundtable!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2016 87:22


    This month on Open Apple, we round out the year with our annual tradition of sitting around a virtual table with some friends of the show, discussing whatever comes to mind. Mike and Quinn are joined by Randy Brandt of Beagle Bros fame, Charles Mangin of RetroConnector, and some guy named Carrington Vanston. We talk about connecting old things […]

    Open Apple #53 (November 2015) : David Schroeder, Phreaking, 8-bit Mice

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2015 98:29


    This month on Open Apple we sit down with David Schroeder, author of classic Apple II games such as Crisis Mountain, Dino Eggs, and Short Circuit. We talk about the randomness of our passionate brand-loyalty, the logistical realities of early Apple II development, and the magical era of “one-person, one-game”. We get into a lot of the technical […]

    Open Apple #52 (October 2015) : GEOS! Robert Bowdidge, and more GEOS!

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2015 162:13


    This month on Open Apple we sit down with Robert Bowdidge, one of three interns at Berkeley Softworks who ported GEOS to the best line of 8-bit computers. We talk about what a great place Berkeley Softworks was, along with the power of good tools and proper software engineering. Robert has great memories of the culture there, the […]

    Open Apple #51 (September 2015) : Mike Westerfield, Opus ][, The Byte Works, Merlin 32

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2015 132:53


    This month on Open Apple we sit down with Mike Westerfield, of The Byte Works’ fame. We talk about his adventures writing assemblers & compilers for 8/16 bit computers, and we see what he’s up to nowadays. We talk about small-system compilers, Logo, the perils of open source, and where to go for Byte Works’ products. It’s a compiler […]

    Open Apple #50 (August 2015) : Rebecca Heineman, Plamen’s Clones, GS/OS Updates

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2015 120:59


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Rebecca “Burger Becky” Heineman. Becky is a legendary Apple II developer (not to mention many other platforms), and was the keynote speaker at KansasFest 2015. We discuss Becky’s KansasFest experiences then and now, how the community has changed, and what she’s up to now. She has a […]

    Open Apple #49 (July 2015) : Laine Nooney, Technowarp, 4am

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2015 173:11


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Laine Nooney, researcher of early computer and software companies. She has been digging into the history of such greats as Brøderbund and Sierra On-Line. In particular, she has done some awesome research on the infamous Soft Porn Adventure, including behind-the-scenes details on the infamous advertising photo. We talk […]

    Open Apple #48 (June 2015) : Tony Diaz, KansasFest Memories, Prototypes, and 8-bit DNS

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2015 153:34


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Tony Diaz- KansasFest committee member, and consummate Apple II collector. With KansasFest just days away, we go deep on Tony’s amazing collection of unique prototypes, documents, peripherals, and the stories that go with them. If there’s a person with deeper knowledge of the early history of Apple […]

    Open Apple #47.5 (June 2015) : John Brooks via Matt Ownby

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2015 87:56


    Welcome to a special extra episode of Open Apple! Fellow Apple II enthusiast Matt Ownby recently sat down for a chat with John Brooks, author of Rastan on the IIgs. It’s a fascinating conversation with tons of technical detail that you won’t want to miss. They talk copy protection, cycle counting, fast GS sprite rendering, and lots […]

    Open Apple #47 (May 2015) : Jason Scott, Kaboom!, Infocom Secrets

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2015 137:48


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Jason Scott, documentary filmmaker, historian, public speaker, and archivist. We talk about the importance of a nuanced appreciation of history, the flavors of sadness in comment threads, whom not to trust with special data and the nature of humanity, and failing at life. Don’t miss Mike Hate Sponge […]

    Open Apple #46 (April 2015): Paul Lutus, ReactiveMicro, and KansasFest Keynote

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2015 128:40


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Paul Lutus, author of seminal early Apple II software such as AppleWriter and GraFORTH. We talk about the impacts of software development on society, the value of the individual in the process, and the trials of coding software in the woods. We talk extreme offsite backups, […]

    Open Apple #45 (March 2015): Mark Kriegsman, FastLED, Transwarp GS Clone, and Newsapalooza

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2015 189:27


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Mark Kriegsman, author of Star Blaster, and a modern Apple II hacker. He has ported the awesome FastLED driver library to the Apple II, so you can drive many hundreds of 32-bit RGB LEDs with your Apple II. Meanwhile, we browbeat people into attending KansasFest, we rationalize our […]

    Open Apple #44 (February 2015) : Beagle Bros Reunion Roundtable, Andrew Roughan

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2015 129:10


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Beagles Bros Randy Brandt, Mark Simonsen Tom Weishaar, and Alan Bird. We share stories of Beagle’s development, poke lots of fun at each other, and check in on where everyone is now. We spread the love for Oz KFest with Andrew Roughan, and amazingly resist the urge to […]

    Open Apple #43 (January 2015) : Happy New Year with Ben Heck!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2015 113:55


    This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Ben Heck, one of our most-requested interviews. We talk about his Apple I replica, his Apple IIgs laptop, and Adam Sandler for some reason. Meanwhile, Mike and Quinn talk about Apple Porsches, Pinball Construction Set, and Western Design Center. In the comedy department, we get back to our roots (making fun […]

    Open Apple #42 (December 2014) : 2014 Year-End Roundtable, Eric Shepherd, Sarah W., Carrington Vanston

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2015 113:16


    This month on Open Apple, we close out the year with our traditional Year-End Roundtable discussion. We’re joined by Eric ‘Sheppy’ Shepherd, Sarah W., and Carrington Vanston. We talk about alternate universes, our collective love of the IIgs, and Quinn takes cheap shots at Carrington. It’s the holidays, so Commodore users are given a respite. […]

    Open Apple #41 (November 2014) : Randy Brandt, Neuromancer, Bob Bishop

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2014 181:02


    This month on Open Apple we present an early holiday gift, in the form of an epic three hour episode. We sit down for a great conversation with Apple II legend Randy Brandt, perhaps best known for his work at Beagle Bros. We go deep on Beagle Bros, exploring the making of their quirky, innovative software and […]

    Open Apple #40.5 (November 2014) : Mike and Quinn Watch ‘The Goldbergs’

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2014 25:55


    Now for something completely different. We have a bit of a gap between shows here on Open Apple, due to the timing of some interviews we have lined up. Rather than keep you waiting, we thought we’d try something wacky. In this “episode” of Open Apple, Quinn and Mike sit down together and watch The […]

    Open Apple #40 (October 2014) : Chris Torrence, Printers, Celebrating Lode Runner

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2014 90:28


    This month on Open Apple, we talk to Chris Torrence, the new Roger Wagner Volunteer Archivist on behalf of Softalk magazine. Chris is a lifelong Apple II fan, and has recently undertaken the valuable effort of producing a book containing all of Roger Wagner’s Assembly Lines columns. This will include all of the articles included in Roger’s original book (Assembly Lines: […]

    Open Apple #39 (September 2014) : Gary B. Little, New Segments, Apple IIc Cards

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2014 103:00


    This month on Open Apple, we talk to Gary Little, prolific author of many technical reference books about various models in the Apple ][ line. In addition to writing great books that go deep on the hardware, Gary also wrote lots of great software, including such gems as AmDOS, and the popular Point To Point […]

    Open Apple #38 (August 2014) : The Lawless Legends Team

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2014 91:21


    This month on Open Apple, we go deep on Lawless Legends with most of the team building it. We’ve managed to corner Seth Sternberger (of 8-bit Weapon fame), Martin Haye, and Brendan Robert (Dave Schmenk, we’re coming for you…) to grill them on this amazing effort. We also wish a fond farewell to co-host Ken Gagne, […]

    Open Apple #37 (July 2014): Quinn Dunki, Veronica, Halt and Catch Fire, KansasFest 2014

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2014 84:32


    This month on Open Apple, Mike chats with Quinn Dunki about her early programming experiences, and she gives us a brief overview of the development of her 6502-based homebrew computer, Veronica. Other topics this month: Apple IIc clones, KansasFest, Ultima VI on the IIGS, Quinn’s cease and desist from Origin Systems, Halt and Catch Fire, […]

    Open Apple #36 (Mar 2014): Evan Koblentz, VCF East, Softalk, and Apple2pi

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2014 86:00


    This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Evan Koblentz, producer of Vintage Computer Festival East. VCF East 9.1 is happening this spring, and Evan has an inside look at the event’s founding, growth, and lineup. Margot Comstock has been announced as the keynote speaker of KansasFest 2014, prompting us to reflect on […]

    Open Apple #35 (Feb 2014): Sean Fahey, Uthernet, Silvern Castle, and the Mac’s 30th

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2014 89:13


    This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Sean Fahey, proprietor of A2Central.com and KansasFest committee member. Sean and James Littlejohn distribute a plethora of Apple II hardware and software every year to KansasFest attendees, and next year’s haul will be bigger than ever — we have the details why. Glenn Jones is […]

    Open Apple #34 (Jan 2014): 2013 end-of-year roundtable

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2014 87:27


    At the dawn of 2014, Open Apple engages in its annual tradition of reflecting on all that has transpired in the Apple II community in the past year. Ken Gagne moderates a panel of Mike Maginnis, Andy Molloy, Ivan Drucker, and David Schmenk to look at topics in news, emulation, hardware, software, conventions, and publications. […]

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