Another KFest report (LONG)

[taob@r-node.io.org (Brian Tao)]

    Here's a thread from the local usergroup BBS started by a member,
Larry Beam, who attended KansasFest this year.

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Msg #9956 in *Apple II* Created on 07/23/93 at 21:21:13
To: ALL, From: LARRY BEAM
Subject: Report From KansasFest

This year I decided to drag a computer and modem along to Kansas, so I
thought I'd take the opportunity to let the folks at home know what's
happening.

This year's A2-Central Summer Conference is somewhat scaled down from
those of previous years, and is being attended by just under 100
programmers, developers, publishers, and hacks (like myself).  Attendees
came from all over the US, as well as Australia (5), Canada (2), Germany
(1), England (1), and Saudi Arabia (1).  This is down from last year's
peek crowd of over 130.  Missing this year are the two-day programming
"colleges" which have preceeded the conference in past years, as well as
the Central Apple Expo which followed the conference during the past two
years (not organized by Resource-Central).  Also missing this year was the
offical delegation from Apple (although Matt Deatherage is here in another
capacity).

As you have already heard, Resource-Central has discontinued the paper
version of their flagship newletter A2-Central (which will continue on in
disk form only), and completely cancelled their latest publication
Fishhead's Children.   In addition, Tom Weishaar is planning to down-size
the company in general by letting go most of his staff and moving
operations back into his home.  Hopefully this move will allow the company
to survive.

(Burger) Bill Heineman is still talking about his Avatar Project (Apple
IIgs clone).  He's lost his funding and is way behind schedule, but he
insists that he'll eventually get a product to market.  To pay the bills,
he's now working on a Super Nintendo hardware add-on, which will allow it
to run Apple IIgs software.

Today we heard about a couple of new products for the Apple II.  Randy
Brandt when through his latest classic AppleWorks add-on project,
Quadriga, which will be available from Quality Computers for $79.95 US.
It's supposed to be what AppleWorks might have been if Apple had continued
to support the Apple II.

Mike Westerfield also showed us his latest project, 3D LOGO.   Yes, that's
right, LOGO!  Eventually, there will be a stand alone version for both the
Mac and IIgs, as well as being the default scripting language for Roger
Wagner's Mac version of HyperStudio.  At some point down the road it may
appear as an add-on scripting language for the IIgs.

Word has it that Apple has finally completed work on the Apple II Ethernet
card.  It only took them three tries, and three different design teams, to
get it right.  Unfortunately, the product has now been scrapped, and will
never go to market.

That's all for now (someone just brought in a pizza).  I can't wait to get
the bill for this call!

Larry (Posted from Kansas) ....

P.S.   >>>>  BRIAN TAO  Joe Kohn says "HI".  I've told him all sorts of
       lies about you.   ;)

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Msg #10046 in *Apple II* Created on 07/26/93 at 12:37:31
To: LARRY BEAM [Recvd], From: BRIAN TAO
Subject: (Reply To #9957) Report From KansasFest

>Word has it that Apple has finally completed work on the Apple II
>Ethernet card.  It only took them three tries, and three
>different design teams, to get it right.  Unfortunately, the
>product has now been scrapped, and will never go to market.

    What marketing wizard came up with this idea?  Someone explain this to
me... Apple spends all this R&D money to produce a *finished* product, and
now they don't want to sell it?  And Apple wonders why they aren't making
any money on Apple II products?  It's their own bloody fault.  Manny,
explain this one to me...

> P.S.   >>>>  BRIAN TAO  Joe Kohn says "HI".  I've told him all
>              sorts of lies about you.   ;)

    Ack!  Time to send Joe some e-mail to straighten things out... :)

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Msg #10055 in *Apple II* Created on 07/26/93 at 17:17:00
To: BRIAN TAO [Recvd], From: LARRY BEAM
Subject: (Reply To #10046) Report From KansasFest

> What marketing wizard came up with this idea?  Someone explain this to
> me... Apple spends all this R&D money to produce a *finished* product,
> and now they don't want to sell it?

I wasn't exactly correct about (un)availability of the Apple II Ethernet
card.  Apparently, it will be available in Australia, but not the US or
Canada.  So it still might be possible to get one if you really want one.

More bad news.  The Apple II Developer Technical Support group has been
completely disbanded.  And, don't expect additional updates to GS/OS
(Note: v6.0.1 doesn't include support for the Ethernet card).

 > Ack!  Time to send Joe some e-mail to straighten things out... :)

I also spent an hour in Jawaid Bazyar's room (he was trying to help me
figure out how to do text page 2 shadowing in software).  He says "HI" as
well.  Brian, you should have gone to Kansas!

Larry ....

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Msg #10122 in *Apple II* Created on 07/28/93 at 15:07:01
To: LARRY BEAM, From: BRIAN TAO
Subject: (Reply To #10055) Report From KansasFest

>I wasn't exactly correct about (un)availability of the Apple II
>Ethernet card.  Apparently, it will be available in Australia,
>but not the US or Canada.

    Oh lovely... at least that will satisfy all those Australian users on
comp.sys.apple2 who complain they don't get any of the "good stuff" down
under.  ;-)

>I also spent an hour in Jawaid Bazyar's room (he was trying to
>help me figure out how to do text page 2 shadowing in software).
> He says "HI" as well.  Brian, you should have gone to Kansas!

    I know, I know... not enough time and not enough money.  If they have
KansasFest next year, I definitely plan to go.

******

Msg #10056 in *Apple II* Created on 07/26/93 at 17:18:51
To: JIM LOW [Recvd], From: LARRY BEAM
Subject: Report From KansasFest

Jim, I hope you don't mind me responding to this publicly.  I thought that
other members might benefit by it.

> I sure hope Resource Central survives.  Sounds like a good trip to
> Kansas - and I'd like to go some day.  Does it sound like "retrenching"
> is going on?

There is still a lot of third party support for the Apple II.  Someone
said that now that Apple has completely dropped support for the Apple II,
that it was dead.  I replied by telling them about the Toronto Adam User
Group, and the stuff that's still available through them for the Adam.
Generally, most people are seeing this as an opportunity for the "little
guys" to step in and fill the void (and make a buck doing it).

Uncle DOS (Tim Weisharr) indicated that this might be the last KansasFest,
but that was when he thought only 50 people were going to show.  When
nearly 100 finally registered, in front of 100 people (and on video tape)
he said, "I've been known to change my mind."  I hope you haven't left it
too late.  Everyone left this year believing that we would see each other
next year.

> Hell, the Apple II has so much potential.  I wish Apple would just
> licence Apple II technology - or sell it off - to let third parties
> REALLY develop it.

There is nothing preventing Apple from doing this with the 8-bit Apple IIs
(except that they are still making money selling them).  In the past
people thought that licensing Applesoft from Microsoft would be
impossible, but it has just been done by Bill Heineman for his Avatar
project.  The Apple IIgs is another matter.  I doubt Apple would every
license the technology for it, as it share too much proprietary technology
with the Macintosh.

Apparently Apple and Microsoft are arguing over who owns Applesoft.  If it
ever gets to court, all Microsoft has to do is submit an Apple IIc+
motherboard as proof (Apple silkscreened "(c) Microsoft '77" on it).

Larry ....

******

Msg #10061 in *Apple II* Created on 07/26/93 at 18:14:50
To: LARRY BEAM [Recvd], From: JIM LOW
Subject: (Reply To #10055) Report From KansasFest
MESSAGE HAS REPLIES.

Is there any chance that additional development of GS/OS and other Apple
II stuff could be done unofficially - and still be legal?

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Msg #10095 in *Apple II* Created on 07/27/93 at 19:15:31
To: JIM LOW, From: LARRY BEAM
Subject: (Reply To #10061) Report From KansasFest

> Is there any chance that additional development of GS/OS and other
> Apple II stuff could be done unofficially - and still be legal?

Oh yes, that's still a possibility.  There are still several members of
the Apple II team working at Apple on other projects.  Several of them
have worked on and released Apple II related stuff of their own in the
past, and there is no reason that this won't continue.  However, I doubt
that there will ever be a complete system software update done this way.
The most you can hope for are drivers, inits, and the like.  And there
would be nothing illegal about it (unless Apple caught them doing it on
company time).

Larry ....

-- 
Brian Tao:: taob@io.org (Internex Online, 416-363-3783, 10 lines, v.32bis)
::::::::::: 90taobri@wave.scar.utoronto.ca (University of Toronto, 9T4)