The early registration deadline for KansasFest 2013 is May 31. If you register after this deadline, you'll pay more, can't get a t-shirt, and will have less money for the latest Apple II gadgets. Register today or read the registration announcement for more details. If you're already registered, sign up to present a session.
While the evenings and nights of KansasFest are renowned for their spontaneity, the mornings and afternoons are reserved for sessions spanning a variety of uses, extensions, and applications of the Apple II family. Just as varied as these sessions are the good people who volunteer to present them. If you have a topic you'd like to present, fill out the session proposal form at:
http://www.kansasfest.org/sessions/
Some sessions already on the dock for this year include:
Do you have a topic you would like to see presented, even if you aren't the one to do it? Contact us here.
Past sessions have included hardware, software and game demonstrations and tutorials; integration of the Apple II with other devices; emulators; programming; Apple II history; or any subject that would be
of interest to Apple II users.
We are especially interested in and prioritize sessions that focus on Apple II-related topics, but as space allows, we also love Mac, iOS, and a stray Windows or UNIX session or two.
Sessions are typically 30 to 60 minutes in length and are held at various times throughout the daytime hours.
If you've never done a session, check out a sample of past year's contributions at http://www.kansasfest.org/downloads/.
KansasFest, the 25th annual convention dedicated to the Apple II computer, is now open for registration. Users, programmers, hobbyists, and retrocomputing enthusiasts are invited to Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, from Tuesday, July 23, through Sunday, July 28, for six days and five nights of sessions, demos, announcements, contests, and camaraderie.
The week kicks off with keynote speaker Randy Wigginton, Apple employee #6, who worked on the Disk ][ disk drive, Apple DOS, and Applesoft BASIC. Wigginton will be available immediately afterward for a Q&A and autograph session.
The week then offers a variety of presentations and workshops, including but not limited to:
Attendees are encouraged to share their knowledge by presenting their own hardware and software sessions, especially of the Apple II but including Macintosh, Windows, Linux, iOS, and others. All KansasFest sessions are presented by the attendees, who are known for unscheduled events and debuts, too. Whether it's a behind-the-scenes look at new software, preorder opportunities for new hardware, a live-action text adventure, a podcast recording session, GShisen and Dueltris tournaments, or an athletic round of Bite the Bag, there are experiences to be had and memories made at KansasFest that aren't possible except in the company of surprising, brilliant, diehard Apple II fans.
Register before June 1 to guarantee a price of $375 for a double room or $445 for a single, which includes admission to all sessions as well as most meals. Official KansasFest shirts are extra and optional and must be ordered by May 31; registration for staying on-site closes July 8. Veterans of the event are invited to bring a first-time attendee; if each indicates the other's name on the registration form, both will receive a $25 referral rebate at the event. To register, please visit the official Web site at http://www.kansasfest.org/.
KansasFest sponsor 16 Sector invites any and all Apple II users, fans, and friends to attend the world's only annual Apple II conference. Please browse our Web site for photos, videos, schedules, and presentations from past year's events and for our email list.
Here's the official KansasFest 2013 logo. Randy Wigginton, our keynote speaker, worked on the Disk ][ disk drive, Apple DOS, and Applesoft BASIC, and the logo represents these themes. When registration opens, which will happen really soon now, you'll have the opportunity to get a shirt with this logo.
What are you doing to get ready for KansasFest? Please join our e-mail list and share.
The logo is also available in small (100px x 100px), big (1920px x 1080px), huge (1800px x 1800px), and "retina" (2880px x 1800px) sizes.
KansasFest alumnus Dagen Brock just released an 8-bit KansasFest-themed demo for us to enjoy over the holidays. Dagen also agreed to an interview (see below) about his work.
What were your goals for this project?
I had wanted to port and release this fire code to an 8-bit platform for some time. I had a GS prototype years ago and realized it would probably run fast enough on a IIe, but I had to rewrite some of the 16-bit instructions. I finally got around to it sometime in early November, and once it was done I decided it would be neater to release it as a little demo with some extra effects.
What about KansasFest inspired you to pursue this project?
The people involved with KansasFest are inspiring for their commitment to the platform. So many people are still creating new content and hardware for a platform that is 100% commercially unviable. Those people do it for the thrill and the love, not for money. So this is about love. ;)
Did you work on this alone? If not, who contributed?
This was all me. I should collaborate more. We all should. It makes everything better. However, I was only able to do this "alone" due to all of the people who have helped me learn along the way. There's a great community on the CSA2 newsgroups that is always incredibly helpful when I get stuck.
What languages or tools did you use for this demo?
I started this in Merlin 8/16+ on the Apple IIgs emulator "kegs". Then I decided to move to a more modern editor so I built some custom tools that allow me to write code in "vi" on a modern computer, and then rapidly bundle that to a disk image and build it back in Merlin under kegs. I also wrote some image/sprite conversion tools in PHP and my bundler uses a custom version of to_pro to make ProDOS images, which is written in C. Finally, I test on a real IIe with the help of the awesome CFFA3000 card that lets me copy my bundle to a USB thumbdrive and boot it up.
What obstacles did you encounter?
I didn't learn assembly until I got an Apple IIgs as an early teen. So I've never really done strictly 8-bit assembly programming before. There's a lot effort involved because you end up using a lot more zero-page pointers since you can't use 16-bit index registers.
Where may I find the demo, including a video and disk image?
Demo is online in a ".dsk" file that you should be able to boot up in any Apple II emulator. I have all of the assembly source code there too, but not all of the image tools I used to generate it. I may clean those up and post them as well if I get time or there's interest.
Disk Image/Source Code:
https://github.com/digarok/festroVideo:
Festro by DigarokHappy Holidays! See you at KFest!
DECEMBER 17, 2012 — KansasFest 2013, the Apple II convention scheduled for July 23–28 in Kansas City, Missouri, comes on the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Disk ][ disk drive, Apple DOS, and Applesoft BASIC. To celebrate this anniversary, Randy Wigginton, Apple employee #6 and engineer who worked on all three of these innovations, will be the keynote speaker.
In 1978, Wigginton was a brilliant young high school student working alongside Apple co-founder Wozniak. Wigginton was an early member of the famous Homebrew Computer Club, often caught rides to club meetings with Wozniak, and was there for the unveiling of the Apple I. At age 14, Wigginton started writing software for the Apple I. He assisted with the early design of and software for the Apple II and manned the booth at the West Coast Computer Faire introducing the Apple II. He was part of the all-night coding session in January 1978 that allowed Apple to introduce a working disk drive the following day at the Consumer Electronics Show. Later that year, Wigginton adapted Microsoft BASIC to become Applesoft BASIC and wrote the RWTS (Read/Write Track/Sector) software routines critical to the operation of Apple DOS and the new disk drive. The MacWrite software was among Wigginton's contributions to the company beyond the Apple II. Wigginton continues to work in the computer industry today, currently with Square.
Wigginton's work on DOS and Applesoft contributed to the success of the Apple II computer. The low cost disk drive and DOS revolutionized data storage on the Apple II. The low cost disk drive and DOS revolutionized data storage on the Apple II. Previously, users had no choice but to use slow and unreliable cassette tapes to store and distribute their programs and data. Applesoft BASIC became the most widely used programming language for the Apple II and the foundation for much commercial and hobbyist software.
KansasFest is an annual convention offering Apple II users and retrocomputing enthusiasts the opportunity to engage in beginner and technical sessions, programming contests, exhibition halls, and camaraderie. KansasFest was originally hosted by Resource Central and has been brought to you by the KFest committee since 1995. Any and all Apple II users, fans, and friends are invited to attend this year's event. Registration details will be announced on the KansasFest Web site in early 2013. For photos, videos, and presentations from past KansasFests, please visit the event's official Web site at http://www.kansasfest.org/.
Not everybody appreciates an Apple II as a gift.
If you're buying something through Amazon, please visit our affiliate link at http://HelpKFest.org first. It won't cost you even a penny extra, but Amazon will send KansasFest a tiny bit for every purchase. Every cent we get will go back into making KansasFest even better. Thank you for your support!
KansasFest 2012 was an amazing event attended by alumni and newcomers alike. The many sessions, competitions, programs, and antics they shared made for memories that will last a lifetime.
Apple II enthusiasts around the world will have the opportunity to make new memories together next year, when KansasFest returns to Rockhurst University, July 23–28. More details, including pricing, keynote speaker, and more, will be announced on this site as they become available. In the meantime, it's never too early to start saving your pennies or to request time off from work. The 25th annual Apple II convention will be the best yet!
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