Looking for Five Apple II Books in PDF Format

[Keatah]

I like whatever can supply the info. Or whatever can accept info *I* provide.

[The Usotsuki]

I'd actually like to see a clone of the Arcade Board - and maybe support for it in Applewin. (I don't have luck interfacing anything to the TMS9918 or AY8910 emus I've seen, and I can't seem to grasp chips of that complexity.) Maybe it'd be worth trying to translate Z80 code and get some MSX stuff up on the ][.

[Keatah]

One of my buddies BITD got all gung-ho on somehow using the Z-80 card as a co-processor. It required a few kynar jumpers to the main board, and he used the one from AE. I never figured out quite how it all worked. I was too busy making my 300-Baud Hayes MicroModem jam at 450 baud so I could get more warez and I couldn't be bothered with a dumb-ass Trash-80 Z-80 chip in **MY** Apple! Anyhow, with this Z-80 cranking we had some wicked realtime vector-line graphics going.

 

Too bad I didn't have a camera that could do moving pictures at the time. For now it's all a memory. It's possible I have the code since I was a real whore when it came to copying stuff - onto unlabeled disks. Couldn't afford labels at the time and I knew masking tape worked well with sharpies - but I refused to use it because it crumpled into a fine powder with age. So..

Edited March 29, 2013 by Keatah

[dudeslife]

and no 3rd grader is going to benifit from reading a pdf of outdated material for a computer that no longer exists, so take your bag of fail and sack it

 

no longer exists?

 

you mean I am imagining the Apple IIe on my desk next to me? You know, the one that doesn't exist in my avatar. rotfl.. done with you troll.

[ballyalley]

I started this thread looking for a few books to give me an introduction to the Apple II. This topic has gone way off from what I expected... which is fine, fun and not anything I could ever expect to control. Maybe if I give some details about why I am looking for these older publications it may help to shed some light as to why these books are important to archive.

 

I know next to nothing about the Apple II. I grew up with it in classrooms (along with the TRS-80 Model III used in our middle school-- a rarity in schools the early eighties, I guess). I had a C64 at the time, and throughout the 1980's, and so did most friends. It was what we played games on. We typed in BASIC programs expecting them to be as good as they were described. I don't think that they ever were, but they were fun anyway. It was the USE of the computer that brought joy, and not just what we were playing or doing.

 

I have fond memories of playing games on green-screen Apple II's at school. I'm just looking for a taste of that now and also what thoughts Apple users had at the time when I was using my C64.

 

Compute! books, like the three books that I mentioned that I was looking for in pdf format, are what introduced me to my Commodore 64. Later, in the early nineties to mid-nineties, it was, again, Compute! books that introduced me to the Atari 8-Bit computers. Not only did I learn a bit about Atari's BASIC, I learned the history of the machine as it was happening, which is what I find most interesting.

 

If you read through older magazines and books, then you get a different picture of the computer then if you rely on what you read on the internet. People were excited about the computers that they were using. A BASIC game that we might only snicker at now could occupy a person's time for days (weeks!) on end. It's difficult to see this without reading period books and magazines.

 

When I can manage it, I like going through books and magazines in chronological order. It's interesting to "discover" tricks that really impressed people at the time of a book or magazine's publication. It is for THIS reason that I want to read through these old books. I'm not trying to write a game. Or a demo. Or even a short BASIC program. I just want to learn about the history of the computer as I use it (under emulation). I'm quite willing to take books in the order that they were published and read about what was going on at the time. That's my preferred method of introduction to a machine. I don't want to read forums and online articles telling me about how it was back in 1982 when I can read about that time in a book written by an author who writes in an informal manner, as though he or she is speaking straight to me. This is the beauty of these older books, and in Compute! books in particular.

 

It's history that I'm after... and it's history that I'll find in these books. I have no problem with that. That's exactly what I'm looking for when I read, skim and type-in a short program here and there.

 

Adam

[potatohead]

I like this too. Well said.

[+wood_jl]

I have fond memories of playing games on green-screen Apple II's at school

 

Me too. Like many middle-agers, the Apple II was the first computer I ever touched.

 

What's the name of the game with the little Evil Knievel motorcycle jump? Does anybody remember that? It was popular at the time of "Oregon Trail."

[Osgeld]

done with you troll.

 

hah says the guy that kicks in the thread moaning about nekbeads not giving him instant gratification

[Keatah]

Stunt Cycle?

OneOnOne_Shuffleboard_StuntCycle_MicroGolf.zip

 

Anyhow.. I wouldn't worry about the trolling in this thread. We should lock it just to spite'em.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Keatah

[dendawg]

..............

Edited March 29, 2013 by dendawg

[ballyalley]

In April I received my InterLibrary Loan request for "Compute!'s Second Book of Apple." I skimmed it and I quite liked it. On April 30'th I ordered the book in "good" condition for $5.00 ($8.49 total). I got that yesterday. It's SO much easier to read then the bound copy of the library book. I'm glad I have that now. I'll try to at least scan and post copies of the front and back cover as well as the table of contents.

 

Today I got an email from my library saying that my request for "Compute!'s Third Book of Apple" had been denied. There are numerous reasons that this can happen, but basically it amounts to that the book is rare enough that none of the four libraries in the United States that have the book listed on WorldCat are willing to lend it out. I might try requesting it again later in the year, as it's possible that the book will be lent out by one of the libraries at that time. All it will take will be a different person at the library making a different decision. I can't find this book available at this time for sale anyplace. If you have it, then I'd love to see it scanned so that I can look through it.

 

On a more positive note, "Compute!'s First Book of Apple" is easy to find as a pdf. Today I bought a used copy for a shiny penny ($3.99 total). This book is quite easy to find and there are actually other copies available for that same price on Amazon right now.

 

Perhaps the "Third Book of Apple" has never been scanned because no one wants to risk ruining their personal copy to scan it. It'd be weird if Atari folks start scanning Apple books, wouldn't it?

 

Adam

[akator]

I'll try to at least scan and post copies of the front and back cover as well as the table of contents.

 

Na na na na, here's the front and back cover as well as the table of contents. You can't have the rest because it's mine, mine, mine.

[ballyalley]

As promised, here are pictures of the front and back covers of "Compute!'s Second Book of Apple:"

 

 

 

The description on the back of the book says:

 

There are millions of Apple II computers in American homes and businesses. Evidence of this demand is obvious-- COMPUTE! Books' First Book of Apple has been a best seller since it was released. Now COMPUTE!'s Second Book of Apple gives you more excellent, tested, clearly documented programs-- more sophisticated games, more thought-provoking educational programs, more useful home applications, more dazzling graphics generators, and more programming utilities.

 

COMPUTE!'s Second Book of Apple offers a collection of superior Apple programs from past issues of COMPUTE! magazine and COMPUTE!'s Apple Applications, as well as programs and articles never before published. Here's just a sampling of what you'll find inside:

 

- "Heat Seeker," a fast-action arcade game that pits your piloting skills against persistent heat-seeking missiles.

 

- "Bowling Champ" puts you on the alley, going for your first 300 game.

 

- "Home Financial Calculator" lets you figure almost every loan and investment possibility.

 

- "QUICK.BUT.DUMB," a simple-to-use terminal program, connects your computer and modem with databases like CompuServe, The Source, Dow Jones News/Retrieval, and hundreds of electronic bulletin boards.

 

- "Missile Math" teaches addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division while children play a game.

 

- "Chess," a five-level computer chess opponent.

 

- "Apple SuperFont," a sophisticated character generator for the Apple hi-res screen.

 

- "Apple lie RAM Disk Mover" effectively puts a second disk drive in your Apple lie.

 

- "Softsearcher," a utility which finds any string of characters in any program.

 

Each program is ready to type in and run. Instructions are clearly written and complete.

 

COMPUTE!'s Second Book of Apple continues the tradition of offering quality programs to Apple owners. It gives you more of what you want-- outstanding software for your Apple computer.

 

After I read through a bit, then I'll post about what's in it, possibly including a listing of the table of contents.

 

Adam

[Keatah]

- "Apple lie RAM Disk Mover" effectively puts a second disk drive in your Apple lie.

 

Gotta love OCR.

[LoTonah]

I love collecting old computer programming books, both in digital and real paper formats. I probably have enough reading material for several lifetimes.

 

But I gotta say, the Compute! books are pretty useless except as a compendium. I have pretty much every issue of Compute! magazine, and atarimagazines.com has an article index if I'm looking for something fast.

 

Why the fascination with the Compute! books?

[+wood_jl]

I get what you're saying about the Compute books. They're not quite as great in the modern sense, since so much info is available on the web. But in a historical context, the Compute! books were pretty nice, when that's all there was to go on. I suppose it's through rosy-colored, nostalgic glasses that I see them through, since they were quite nice back in the 80s. Many had spiral bindings, which meant they would lay open while you were typing in listings.

 

I like having the scans of them, because one never knows how long a given website will be around, of course.

[ballyalley]

- "Apple lie RAM Disk Mover" effectively puts a second disk drive in your Apple lie.

 

Gotta love OCR.

 

I did read that over the OCR'ed material and that error flew right past me. Even after it was pointed out to me, I had to re-read. I just got these new glasses too! It should say: "Apple lIc RAM Disk Mover." Even the "e" was incorrect. Man, I loved using a RAM disk on my Atari. Even the 130XE's small one was nice. Using my 256K upgraded 800XL was really great. Man, those numbers are small, aren't they?

 

BTW, for OCR work I use ABBYY Finereader 11. It works amazingly well. I have a love hate relationship with OCR. One, I love it because without it I wouldn't have added the back of the book. The scans of the covers would be all that exist. However, OCR introduces errors. Then again, with today's technology there are probably fewer errors than because of retyping. Especially by someone who types like me.

 

Adam

[ballyalley]

But I gotta say, the Compute! books are pretty useless except as a compendium. I have pretty much every issue of Compute! magazine, and atarimagazines.com has an article index if I'm looking for something fast.

 

Why the fascination with the Compute! books?

 

I grew up with Compute! books. I loved them. However, that's not why I look out for them. It's exactly because the books are mostly compendiums that I want them. The books also usually offer some new material that the magazines didn't have to get magazine buyers to shell out for them too. I used to have all the paper issues of Compute!, most of Compute!'s Gazette as well as Antic and Analog (among many others). It turns out that they just take up WAY to much space. I sold those off in the early 2000's and I decided then that if I was interested in any of that material then I'd refer to the pdfs... which I VERY rarely do. However, I DO read the Compute! books. They have been edited in a style that makes them available for just that: sit down and read them, learn about your computer and have fun with it. It's also helpful when I investigate new platforms.

 

Learning about a system that you've never used before is a completely different experience now then it was in say, 1984. It's quite difficult to approach a computer that you've never used and not look at it from today's perspective. Reading online material can't help but be part history lesson. If I don't want that, then I have no choice except to read material that was current at the time: books and magazines. I'm interested in learning ABOUT the machines and thus books work best for me. Best of all, I can read a real book with easy anywhere. Sure I can read a scan on portable pads or readers, but it's not even CLOSE to the same experience.

 

So, I love Compute! books because they were aimed at people who are like I am now: a person that wants to learn how to use a platform without getting into the nitty-gritty of it. I want to just have fun with it, and for me, Compute! books provide the best method to do that... and give me a nice healthy dose of nostalgia at the same time even when reading a book that I've never encountered before.

 

Adam

[ballyalley]

Many had spiral bindings, which meant they would lay open while you were typing in listings.

 

That is correct. Laying the books open is absolutely great... if you're going to type from them. I did type in programs back in the day (didn't most people do this?). I think that I typed in every game and many other programs from "Compute!'s First Book of the Commodore 64." Nowadays it's easy to download the programs. I should have done the equivalent back in the day, which was to buy the disk companion for the book (you could order it for most (all?) of the Compute! books). The downside of the spiral binding is that they rust. Not all of my books are rusted, but a few are. None are terribly bad, but eventually I'm sure that they will be awful given enough time.

 

I like having the scans of them, because one never knows how long a given website will be around, of course.

 

Scans of the books are nice too, but I prefer the book. If I like the scan and I'd actually read it (or, uh, intend to read it "one day"), then I nearly always hunt down the book with the, you know, intent of getting to it. Even when I don't read most of a book, just glancing and skimming through the books is more rewarding than reading a paperless edition to me.

 

Adam

[ballyalley]

Here is the Table of Contents for "Compute!'s Second Book of Apple:"

 

Foreword - v

 

1 Ideas and Applications - 1

Home Financial Calculator

Patrick Parrish - 3

QUICK.BUT.DUMB: A Simple Terminal Program

Tim Victor - 24

Softball Statistics

Roger Felton (Translation by Patrick Parish) - 27

Apple Screen Dump

Donald W. Watson - 40

Fast Filer

Richard Mansfield and Patrick Parrish - 45

 

2 Games - 51

Heat Seeker

Tim Victor (Original game concept by Jeff Wolverton) - 53

Paratrooper

John Goetz (Translation by Tim Victor) - 69

Webster Dines Out

Walter Bulawa (Translation by Tim Victor) - 74

Fill-In-the-Blank Adventure Games

Dale Kroke - 85

Apple Bowling Champ

Joseph Ganci (Translation by Patrick Parrish) - 90

Space Dodger

Matthew Marullo (Translation by Rob Terrell and Tim Victor) - 96

 

3 Education and Logic - 105

Starving Artist

Clark and Kathy H. Kidd - 107

Mindbusters

Ned W. Schultz - 111

Chess

John Krause - 116

Missile Math

Gerry S. Wick (Translation by Kevin Martin) - 131

Reflection

Sean Puckett (Translation by Chris Poer) - 138

Build a Quiz

Clark and Kathy H. Kidd - 149

 

4 Apple Graphics - 159

Apple SuperFont: Custom Character Set Graphics for the Apple

Tim Victor - 161

Hi-Res Character Graphics for the Apple II

Tim Victor - 181

3-D Drawing Master

Donald E. Smith - 186

Apple Fractals

Paul W. Carlson - 201

Automatic Scaling Plotter

R. R. Hiatt - 209

 

5 Utilities and Programming Aids - 217

Apple IIc RAM Disk Mover

Christopher J. Flynn - 219

Apple Variable Lister

Paul F. Stuever - 230

Lightning Sort

Russ Gaspard (Translation by Tim Victor) - 235

Applesoft Lister

David Dobrin - 239

Softsearcher

Ilan Reuben - 243

Apple Universal Input

William Simpson - 247

Function Keys for the Apple

Ilan Reuben - 250

Random Access DATA Statements for the Apple

Robert Jacques Beck - 253

 

Appendices - 259

A. Guide to Typing In Programs - 261

B. Apple Automatic Proofreader

Tim Victor - 263

C. AppleMLX: Machine Language Entry Program

Tim Victor - 267

 

Index - 273

Disk Coupon - 275

 

Hope you find that useful!

 

Adam

[Keatah]

Has anyone ever scanned in lon poole's Apple II User's guide? It's available on ebay ranging from 4.00 to 90.00 ..

[ballyalley]

Has anyone ever scanned in lon poole's Apple II User's guide? It's available on ebay ranging from 4.00 to 90.00 ..

 

There are several editions of this book, all published over the course of several years (1981-1985, it seems). I'm not sure how different each edition is from one another. Here is a link to the third edition, published in 1985:

 

ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/documentation/misc/Apple%20II%20User%27s%20Guide%20for%20IIPlus%20and%20IIe%20-%20Lon%20Poole.pdf

 

Is this what you were looking for?

 

Adam

[Keatah]

ahh yes of course thx