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Website with new Apple II BASIC programs

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gatewa...@yahoo.com

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Oct 25, 2021, 4:26:06 AM10/25/21
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Hi all,
Now that I FINALLY figured out how to transfer programs I made on my Apple II+ to a modern computer with a serial connection, I made a website where a few of my programs are available to download. It's been a LONG time since I've made a website and I'm very rusty! (I had learned how to do it myself and I was never really that experienced to begin with). I had to re-learn some HTML code, and I had to look up things that have changed. The website is very basic (pun actually not intended!), but I'm happy with it so far and it gets the job done. I tried to give it kind of a "retro" look to go along with the theme of vintage 8-bit computers.

The programs are in zip files. They include a .DO disk image which you can load in an emulator like AppleWin. There are also .wav files which you can use to transfer the program to a real Apple II computer, using the "cassette input" jack. I made the wav files with C2T. Just insert a blank disk into the Apple II drive, type "LOAD" and play the wav file. The program will be automatically copied onto the disk. Probably most of you are already familiar with the process. Most of the programs have 2 versions of the wav files...one that will format the disk first, and another that doesn't format the disk. To be on the safe side, use a BLANK disk! I sometimes had some weird problems with the settings in C2T and I'm not 100 percent sure that it won't format the disk!

I also included the BASIC source code in a separate folder, which you could use to transfer to a real Apple II with a serial connection by sending the text of the code.

Please also be sure to read the README text file in the zip files. They tell a little more about the programs and how to use them. The "Map Maker" program is definitely the biggest and most complex program. I wrote a thorough manual that explains everything about the program and how to use it...I definitely recommend reading it!

At the moment, I have 3 programs available - "Cozy Cottage," "Common Calculations," and "Map Maker." I'm working on more!

If anyone is interested in physical copies of the program with a floppy disk and printed manual, just let me know. I had the manual for Map Maker printed and bound, and it turned out pretty nice!

Here's the address for the website. Please a take a look and let me know what you think!
https://lab6502.netlify.app/

- Chris Tobar

Oliver Schmidt

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Oct 25, 2021, 11:40:02 AM10/25/21
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Hi Chris,

> Here's the address for the website. Please a take a look and let me know what you think!
> https://lab6502.netlify.app/

The monitor of the pixel art computer on the upper right seems to say "C:".
It should rather say "]".

Regards,
Oliver



D Finnigan

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Oct 25, 2021, 11:54:49 AM10/25/21
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Or perhaps ">"

:-)

Charlie

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Oct 25, 2021, 3:36:02 PM10/25/21
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Nice!

It's good to see some new old programs. :-)

Charlie

Bob Piltz

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Oct 25, 2021, 11:09:59 PM10/25/21
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Love your site. Simple, direct, lean, no ridiculous Javascript, just the straight dope! I honestly wish the web was still like this, it makes things so much easier and direct. Really appreciated. And, no your website skills aren't "rusty", they're lean and perfect!

And it is so wonderful that you're sharing your new "old" work with the community. I am grateful, and can't wait for other goodies from you. Thanks for taking the time to set this site up.

gatewa...@yahoo.com

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Oct 26, 2021, 1:35:49 AM10/26/21
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Thank you everyone for the replies!

Bob, I'm really glad you like it! I agree completely, websites have become so cluttered and bloated with plug-ins. It's annoying and completely unnecessary. All we need is text, images, and links! I wanted to give the site a certain "look" but also keep it simple and straight-forward. We don't need all the cheesey little animations and fancy graphics to bog everything down that sites have all over the place now. I'll go play a video game if I wanted to see fancy graphics!

Although the site is called "Lab6502," it won't be strictly limited to Apple II and other 6502 based computers. That will probably be my MAIN focus (I love writing programs for old 8-bit computers!), but in the future I will also have programs for Windows with kind of a "retro" feel. Maybe also MS DOS. At the moment though, I am focusing on Apple II BASIC programs. I'm working on a few others right now and hopefully I'll be ready to add them to the website soon. They are still relatively simple programs, although I have a lot of ideas for games I want to make!

- Chris

Bob Piltz

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Oct 26, 2021, 10:00:52 AM10/26/21
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On Monday, October 25, 2021 at 10:35:49 PM UTC-7, gatewa...@yahoo.com wrote:

> Although the site is called "Lab6502," it won't be strictly limited to Apple II and other 6502 based computers. That will probably be my MAIN focus (I love writing programs for old 8-bit computers!), but in the future I will also have programs for Windows with kind of a "retro" feel. Maybe also MS DOS. At the moment though, I am focusing on Apple II BASIC programs. I'm working on a few others right now and hopefully I'll be ready to add them to the website soon. They are still relatively simple programs, although I have a lot of ideas for games I want to make!
>
> - Chris
Love the simple programs, especially. And it is fabulous you're thinking about MS-DOS as well. That is still a favorite of mine to this very day. Yes, people are still coding for it in 2021, there have been recent "retro" programming events where the focus was on MS-DOS and other 8-bit systems. Your retro skills are indeed most appreciated and welcomed.
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