The original Apple II - 30 years ago!

I didn't have an original Apple II, but I knew someone who did. I would play games on it that were loaded from tape. Later, they got a disk drive. The Apple II ran INTeger BASIC in ROM. I remember a language card with Applesoft BASIC that was plugged into slot 0. The computer booted to a monitor prompt and you typed 6 Ctrl-P to boot the disk drive. Later they upgraded the PROM on the disk drive to be able to use 16 sector disks. It wasn't until late in 1982 that I bought my own Apple II, but it was a plus.

My first computer was also an Apple II plus, acquired some time in 1983 or 1984. It served as the family's computer. It already came with disk drives so I never got to use tape for data. The DOS 3.3 System Master disk was often used to boot. The computer also came with a green monochrome monitor, which I kept for a very long time afterwards, even after upgrading to an Apple IIe. I never got to use a color monitor, so all my Apple II memories are in filtered bright green color :-). Sabotage, an action game and Sherwood Forest (1982), an adventure game by Dale Johnson and Dav Holle were among the first games I played on it. I also used Magic Window , a neat and simple word processor to write book reports and do homework. Many many other uses of all sorts would follow later on.

I would go to KFest, but I don't have the money. Heck, I live in town and KFest is literally right across Rockhurst Ave from the University I used to go to (UMKC).

I use to live in Newton, MA back in 1979. This was the year that my dad bought me my Apple ][ plus.

One day I happen to bump into my friend Raines Cohen IIRC at the Newton Center Public Library. The topic of computers came up and I discovered he had gotten an Original Apple ][. (Back then the Library used dumb terminals and these were the BLUE colored units IIRC.

I believe he had a Language Card in it because I remember him having Integer Basic and he needed to load in Applesoft because his Apple ][ would boot up to the '>' and my Apple ][ plus would boot up to the ']'. In any case he was 'Mac Head' back then way before the term would surface. He had a Disk ][ attached with also a interface card for a LARGE drawing tablet (these were the ones with the magnetic wires IIRC).

He programmed custom software for his mother to use with the drawing tablet. She was an artist and did metal iron work sculptures. They lived back then on Court Street. From this Raines eventually started N.A.K. (Newton Apple Kids) which I was invited to join. The Boston Globe back then sent a reporter come by that day and an article was written about it. I recall being in the photo back then... what memories of the Original Apple ][. I lost my original copy of that article but will eventually head the the NYC Main Public Library and print out a copy.