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The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive. Administrator: Steve Nelson
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground resource file: R021V6HIST.TXT
Apple II History: Volume VI
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____________________________
APPLE II HISTORY
===== == =======
Compiled and written by Steven Weyhrich
(C) Copyright 1992, Zonker Software
APPENDIX A -- APPLE II SOFTWARE HITS, PART 1
Softalk magazine tracked sales of Apple II software during it years of publication from 1980 to 1984. This information was tabulated in a monthly column, "Softalk Presents The Best Sellers", which included a "Top Thirty" list, as well as top selling programs in several specific categories. Further, in April of each year (1981 through 1984) they presented a list of the top new programs for the previous year, as voted by Softalk readers. For the monthly compilations they contacted a sample of Apple-franchised retails stores throughout the country, and asked the store managers what programs were doing well and how many copies they were selling. This gave somewhat more useful information than what could be learned from contacting the software companies themselves; they would only be likely to know how many copies of a program were SHIPPED, and not necessarily be relied upon to tell how many were returned unsold. Softalk used a formula that created an index number for each program, determining its position on the Top Thirty list. The index number also gave an indication of the relative strength of each program's sales.
Another service provided by Softalk each month, beginning in the May 1982 issue, was a column called "Fastalk". Here were listed new program releases, as well as other older Apple II programs that continued to enjoy popularity and good sales. The introduction for the column stated the following: "Fastalk is a quick guide to popular, specialized, new, and classic software. When you need a particular kind of program or just want to see what's new, Fastalk is the place to look for fast answers." They listed new programs with a check mark, and if it failed to gain popularity, it was dropped after three months. A "bullet" marked program titles that Softalk magazine designated as a classic, "based on its ability to stand up over time, its significance for its time (breaking new ground, or introducing a new genre), or its archetypical qualities." They went on to mention that some programs listed in "Fastalk" were included simply because they met a need that no other software package could, even if they were not high volume sellers.
In trying to create a compendium of the best Apple II software over the years, I have relied heavily on the Softalk best seller list and their "Fastalk" column for the years 1980 through 1983, years for which the annual Top Thirty lists are available. I have reproduced the annual lists for 1978-80, 1981, 1982, and 1983, both the Top Thirty and the specific lists for each category. When a program was also listed in "Fastalk" as a classic, or if I felt it was a unique program, I have included Softalk's capsule description in quotes with the program entry. If I have comments of my own, they are included without quotes.
After Softalk ceased publication late in 1984, no other magazine made the same effort to keep track of such information. Consequently, the lists of software programs for the years 1984 through 1992 are NOT going to reflect as accurately their popularity in terms of actual sales. Rather, I had to review available copies of magazines of the time, find what programs were being advertised, and list them. Also, if there was any program that I KNOW has done particularly well over the years, I have tried to find out when it was first released and include it as well. Some of these programs may have additional information available listed with them that I have learned, either through my research or from personal experience. For the sake of continuity, I elected to keep the same category names as were used by Softalk, although I have included "Productivity" with "Business", "Hypermedia" with "Educational" (originally called "Home Education" in Softalk), and "Desktop Publishing" with "Word Processing". The category "Home/Hobby" eventually changed to "Home" and "Utilities" in the magazine, and I have made it into "Utilities/Programming". Probably there are better organized methods that could be used today, but this one worked for my purposes.
There are several programs that were designated in "Fastalk" as classics, but failed to make the annual Top Thirty lists. I have included a description of these separately, just before the first Top Thirty list. Here I have also described the meaning of each category title. The descriptions in quotes are directly from Softalk; the ones not in quotes are mine.
Finally, I have included the programs and hardware innovations that were honored in the 1990 and 1991 Apple II Achievement Awards ceremonies. For those of you who experienced it, enjoy the nostalgia!
SELECTED SOFTWARE, 1980-84
("Adventuresome story games in which players must deduce commands, make maps, and solve logical puzzles.")
CYBORG by Berlyn. "Text adventure with brief action skill game hidden in plot. As a futuristic part man, part robot, you're lost in a strange forest, desperately needing food and power. At its release, in its realism and use of true plot, CYBORG represented one of the most significant advances in adventuring since the original ADVENTURE. Sentient Software."
S.A.G.A. SERIES by Scott Adams. "Scott Adam's prototypical adventures--12 in all--spruced up with 100-color graphics and Votrax vocals. Fun, not always logical, very story-oriented series. Each adventure has its own theme and often exotic locale. They map small but score big on imagination. Adventure International." S.A.G.A. stood for Scott Adams Graphics Adventures. Originally published as text-only adventures for the TRS-80 computers, these were enhanced with graphics and released for the Apple II. The "100-color graphics" mentioned were still single hi-res, but used "dithering", where dots from several colors were displayed next to each other, allowing more varied pictures. This technique was first used by Sierra On-Line for their graphics adventures. "Votrax vocals" referred to an early voice synthesizer that accepted "phoneme" text commands and translated them into a speaking voice.
SWORDTHRUST SERIES. "Set of adventures, seven so far [as of 1984], that integrate fantasy role playing. Create one character, make friends in each new adventure, battle monsters and achieve goals together. Good stories, fun to map. Vocabulary no mystery, but puzzles are. Single character goes through all. CE Software."
(Programs that could be useful particularly to people in a business
setting).
(Programs useful for controlling a modem to communicate with other computers).
P-TERM: THE PROFESSIONAL. "Supports all Pascal-compatible interfaces, asynchronous serial cards, Apple-compatible modems, and baud rates up to 2400. Southwestern Data Systems." This was a Pascal-based terminal program.
Z-TERM: THE PROFESSIONAL. "More than an update. Compatible with a great variety of modems, interface cards, and screen modes. Simple file transfer with integrity. Southwestern Data Systems." This terminal program was CP/M-based (Z-80 processor).
("Role-playing games involving characters that develop through experience in adventuresome stories, and whose actions players determine via set commands.")
BENEATH APPLE MANOR by Worth. "The original dungeon game for the Apple, created in 1978. Even in lo-res, it still stands up. Quality Software." [Later re-released in a hi-res version that had a few more magic items. No relation to Quality Computers, an Apple product mail-order company that began in the late 1980's.]
WILDERNESS CAMPAIGN by Clardy. "First fantasy game to leave the dungeon for the great outdoors; first in hi-res; first to bargain with merchants; and more. Synergistic Software."
(Programs that allowed the user to display, manipulate, or draw graphics pictures on the Apple II).
LPS II. "Superb hi-res graphics drawing system with light pen. Draw freehand or use circles and lines to create geometric shapes. Fill routine with colors and patterns; fun animation demo; programmable Pentrak driver. Gibson." [LPS stood for "Light Pen System".]
(A variety of programs useful on a computer at home, including home finance, music, inventory, and many other programs that didn't fit well into any other category).
CROSSWORD MAGIC. "Crossword puzzle maker. Choose subject, words, and clues; program automatically connects words. Play on-screen or make printout. L&S Computerware."
("Fast-action skill games; may include elements of fantasy.")
(Educational programs for various ages).
FRENCH HANGMAN, LATIN HANGMAN, SPANISH HANGMAN by Protelsch & Earl. "Hangman games that tell you the answer--in a foreign language. Interesting sentences, many formats. Addicting! Two-sided disk. George Earl."
GERTRUDE'S SECRETS. "Gertrude the Goose teaches four- to nine-year-olds shape and color relationships. Solve logic puzzles, create forms. The Learning Company."
THE NEW STEP BY STEP and STEP BY STEP TWO. "The New Step By Step teaches beginning programming. Step By Step Two teaches intermediate BASIC programming, peek and poke, hexadecimal numbers, concatenations, and more. Program Design."
("Thinking, planning, plotting games, from war games to backgammon to cards".)
COMPUTER AMBUSH by Williger. "Gutty soldier-to-soldier street fighting in World War II France. Latest version is 40 times faster than the original, which was one of the best games ever created for Apple, except for slowness. Strategic Simulations."
MICROGAMMON II. "Program for play, practice, improvement of backgammon skills. Pretty good competition. Artsci."
(Various programs for managing disk files or to use in simplifying programming).
COPY II PLUS. Automatic bit copying of protected programs, parameter lists on disk, plus easy copying of files between DOS 3.2.1 and DOS 3.3. Later versions provided the same ease for moving files between DOS 3.3 and ProDOS. Original v1.0 released in 1981, and at that time was only a bit-copy program suitable for copying protected disks. Central Point Software.
GLOBAL PROGRAM LINE EDITOR by Konzen. "Enhanced version of PROGRAM LINE EDITOR with programmable cursor and listing control. Edit line by line or by range of lines and search for strings. [Published originally by A.P.P.L.E., later by] Beagle Bros." This program considerably simplified the entry and editing of Applesoft programs. Instead of the repetitious ESC-key cursor movements, PLE and GPLE allowed editing to be clearly displayed on the screen as it was done.
SUPER DISK COPY III by Hartley. "Easy-to-use menu-driven software utility; correct file sizes, undelete, free DOS tracks, more. Sensible Software."
(Programs to enter, edit, and print text).
SCREENWRITER II by Kidwell/Schmoyer. "No extra hardware for upper-lower case, 70 column display, printer spooling. Edits BASIC, text, and binary files; complete search and replace. Sierra On-Line." [This solved the hardware problem of no lowercase display and only 40 columns of text by creating hi-res graphics characters. Because of the limits of the hi-res screen, it was only possible to get 70 columns of text in this mode. This method was later used in other word processors and even for Applesoft programs through add-on modules.]
SUPER-TEXT II by Zaron. "Basics of text editing plus split screen. Character-oriented, floating cursor edit with add, change, math, print, and preview modes. Muse Software." Later update, Super-Text III, added 80 column capability, footnotes and headers, and an expandible math mode.
-----------------------
MOST POPULAR SOFTWARE OF 1978-1980 (SOFTALK READER'S POLL)
The Top Twenty:
1 Super Invader by M. Hata, Creative Computing; arcade. "Progenitor of
home-arcades. Still good hi-res, still a challenge. SOFTALK readers'
Most Popular Program of 1978-1980." This was an Apple version of
"Space Invaders".
2 Adventure by Crowther & Woods; adventure. "The original text
adventure, created on mainframes, contributed to by so many over a long
time. Very logical within fantasy framework, excellent puzzles, maps;
complex, convoluted, and great. Solving problems takes precedence over
life/death peril. Several publishers including Microsoft, Apple
Computer, and Frontier Computing".
3 VisiCalc by Bricklin & Frankston, Personal Software; spreadsheet.
"Electronic worksheet for any problem involving numbers, rows, and
columns. No programming necessary."
4 Sargon II by Spracklen, Hayden; strategy game. "Computer chess game
with seven levels of play."
5 Asteroids In Space by Wallace, Quality Software; arcade. "Make little
asteroids out of big ones, plus occasional hostile alien ships.
Hyperspace, autobrake, autofire. Quality Software." Later called
Meteoroids In Space, this was a clone of the popular arcade game,
"Asteroids", which itself was a commercial version of a very early
computer game called "Spacewar". That game was written to run on the
CRT screen of a PDP-1 by hackers at MIT in the 1960's.
6 Flight Simulator by Artwick, SubLogic; strategy. "Uses aerodynamic
equations, airfoil characteristics for realistic takeoff, flight, and
landing. Two years on the Top Thirty." Later updated to give animated
3-D color graphics, transcontinental flight, and a World War I aerial
battle.
7 Hi-Res Adventure #2: The Wizard and The Princess by Williams, On-Line
Systems; adventure. "The king has offered half his kingdom to the one
who will bring back the kidnapped princess. Cross mountains, deserts;
battle the wizard to claim your reward."
8 Odyssey: The Compleat Apventure [sic] by Clardy, Synergistic Software;
fantasy. "Fantasy adventure far beyond one place and one setting.
Castles, catacombs, an ocean voyage, and the orb of power."
9 DOS 3.3 by Apple Computer; operating system.
10 Apple Writer by Lutus, Apple Computer; word processor. "The most
popular word processing program in town. Type, erase, move words
around, save and insert segments from disk, and print out. Easy to
use."
11 Bill Budge's Space Album by Budge, California Pacific; arcade.
11 (tie) Temple Of Apshai by Epyx/Automated Simulations; fantasy. "Lead title
in Dunjonquest series, winner 1981 Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and
Design 'Computer Game of the Year' award."
13 Hi-Res Adventure #1: Mystery House by Williams, On-Line Systems;
adventure. "Whodunit in a Victorian mansion. First adventure with
pictures. Two-word parser with logical comprehension."
14 Cyber Strike by Nasir, Sirius Software; arcade.
15 Easy Writer by Draper, Information Unlimited; word processor. The
author, John Draper, was the "Captain Crunch" of blue box fame, friend
of Jobs and Wozniak and early Apple employee.
15 (tie) Dogfight by Basham, Micro Lab; arcade. This was later included as a
free bonus with Bill Basham's Diversi-DOS speedup for DOS 3.3. It
would allow as many as eight players to play at once, assuming all
those hands could get to their respective controlling keys on the
keyboard without too much local conflict.
Business 3:
1 Easy Writer by Draper, Information Unlimited; word processor.
2 Apple Plot by Apple Computer; graphics plotting.
3 Data Management System by Herman, Personal Software; database.
Graphic 2:
1 Bill Budge's 3-D Graphics System by Budge, California Pacific.
2 Apple World by Lutus, United Software Of America. This interesting
program allowed creation and display of 3-D line drawings of objects,
such as a house, and then rotate and display them from other points of
view, including zooming in on the object.
Hobby 2:
1 DOS Tool Kit by Apple Computer.
2 Apple-Doc by Wagner, Southwestern Data Systems; Utility to simplify
editing and debugging of Applesoft programs.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
APPENDIX A -- APPLE II SOFTWARE HITS, PART 2
MOST POPULAR SOFTWARE OF 1981 (SOFTALK READER'S POLL)
The Top Thirty:
1 Raster Blaster by Budge, BudgeCo; arcade. "First realistic pinball
game. SOFTALK readers' Most Popular Program of 1981."
2 Castle Wolfenstein by Warner, Muse; strategy game. "First game to fuse
successfully strategy, home-arcade, fantasy. Escape from Nazi
stronghold with secret plans. Room layout changes with each new game.
Enemy speaks (in German.)"
3 Apple Panic by Serki, Broderbund; arcade. "Rid a five story building
of crawling apples and butterflies by running up and down connecting
ladders, digging traps, then covering critters before they devour you.
Extremely addictive, excellent hi-res play." This was my first game
Apple game, and I can agree with the description. One "feature" that
would probably not appear today was allowing control of the game ONLY
via the keyboard, rather than making use of a joystick.
4 Olympic Decathlon by Smith, Microsoft; arcade. "Ten standard decathlon
events. Hi-res animated athletes, muscle-stirring music; you provide
the sweat."
5 Gorgon by Nasir, Sirius Software; arcade. "Fly over planet shooting
and dodging invaders and saving kidnapped inhabitants. Outstanding
hi-res graphics, challenging refueling sequence." Played like the
arcade game, "Defender".
6 Alien Rain by Suzuki, Broderbund; arcade. "Monsters in this
home-arcade classic seem to take it personally when you gun down one of
their kind." The original name of this game was actually "Apple
Galaxian", but both the company that produced the arcade game
"Galaxian" and Apple Computer objected to their name being used in the
title of this game, so Broderbund was obligated to change it to
something else. This became quite typical for computer translations of
arcade games; even if it looked and acted much like a particular arcade
game, it was unlikely that the game's arcade name would appear on the
personal computer version, unless it was an "authorized" version.
7 Wizardry by Greenberg & Woodhead, Sir-Tech; fantasy. "Ultimate
role-playing fantasy; ten-level maze in hi-res. Generate 20
characters, 6 at a time on expeditions. Gripping game; superbly
reproduced."
8 DOS 3.3 by Apple Computer; operating system.
9 Space Eggs by Nasir, Sirius Software; arcade.
10 Sneakers by Turmell, Sirius Software; arcade. "Many-layered shooting
game; one of the best. Stomping sneakers and other creatures requires
varying techniques. Fun."
11 Ultima by British, California Pacific; fantasy. "Hi-res color
adventure, progressing from Middle Ages to beyond the space age. A
masterpiece."
12 Snoggle by Wada, Broderbund; arcade.
13 DOS Tool Kit by Apple Computer; utility.
14 DB Master by Stone, Stoneware; database. "Comprehensive
database-management system with password protection, extensive report
creation options. 1,000 characters per record." The most
comprehensive database program ever released for the Apple II, it
survived through various versions up until 1991, when it was finally
discontinued. It was eventually available in a Shareware form (DB
Master Version 5) and a commercial version (DB Master Pro).
15 Personal Filing System (PFS) by Page, Software Publishing Corporation;
database. "User controls data in totally unstructured database. Up to
thirty-two pages (screens) of information in each record." Later
renamed PFS: File, the IIe version supported 80-columns,
upper/lowercase. Written in Pascal.
16 Pool 1.5 by Hoffman, Germain & Morock; Innovative Design Software
(IDSI); arcade. "Makes most shots you could on a real pool table, with
advantages of instant replay and slow motion. Four different games,
also offers a higher or lower friction mode." This game was great;
with the low friction mode you could almost clear the table on the
first shot, as the balls would continue to rebound until they finally
slowed to a stop or fell into the pockets.
17 Sabotage by Allen, On-Line Systems; arcade.
18 Zork by Blank & Liebling, Infocom; adventure. "Part one of mainframe
adventure; understands complete compound sentences and questions.
Simultaneous manipulation of objects. Text." This games accepted far
more complex commands than most adventure games of the time. Instead
of just "Get knife", Zork understood commands like "Get gold knife from
stone table", and later Infocom games could even handle sentences such
as, "Say to elf, 'Don't crush that dwarf'".
19 Magic Window by Shannon & Depew, Artsci; word processor.
20 Robot War by Warner, Muse; strategy. "Strategy game with battling
robots is great teaching device for programming." This game allowed
creating your own robot with its simple program that determined how it
fought. In some parts of the country, Robot War aficionados had
tournaments pitting one person's robot-program against another. It
gave experience in simple artificial intelligence programming.
21 Locksmith by Omega Microware; utility. Used for duplicating
copy-protected software.
22 Gobbler by Lubeck, On-Line Systems; arcade.
23 Falcons by Varsanyi & Ball, Piccadilly Software; arcade.
24 ABM by Warner, Muse; arcade. "Missle Command" clone.
25 Epoch by Miller, Sirius Software; arcade.
26 Asteroid Field by Nitchals, Cavalier Software; arcade.
27 Threshold by Schwader & Williams, On-Line Systems; arcade.
28 WordStar by MicroPro; word processor.
29 Hi-Res Adventure #3: Cranston Manor by DeWitz & Williams, On-Line
Systems; adventure.
30 SuperScribe II by Kidwell, On-Line Systems; word processor.
Adventure 5:
1 Zork by Blank & Liebling, Infocom.
2 Hi-Res Adventure #3: Cranston Manor by DeWitz & Williams, On-Line
Systems.
3 The Prisoner by Mullich, Edu-Ware. "Superb TV series captured in
computer game. Escape from an island requires player to solve logical
puzzles, overcome obstacles, and answer riddles."
4 Zork II by Blank & Liebling, Infocom. "Zork comes into its own. Great
text adventure technique and communication."
5 Hi-Res Adventure #0: Mission: Asteroid by Williams & Williams, On-Line
Systems.
Business 10:
1 DB Master by Stone, Stoneware.
2 Personal Filing System (PFS) by Page, Software Publishing Corporation.
3 VisiTrend/VisiPlot by Micro Finance Systems/Kapor, Personal Software.
The author went on to write Lotus 1-2-3 for the IBM PC, and later
bought out the rights to VisiCalc to ensure domination of the market.
4 BPI General Ledger by Moss & Debower, Apple Computer.
5 VisiDex by Jennings, Personal Software.
6 VisiPlot by Micro Finance Systems/Kapor, Personal Software.
7 BPI Accounts Receivable by Moss & Debower, Apple Computer.
8 Data Reporter by Clardy, Anson & Branham, Synergistic Software.
9 PFS: Report by Page, Software Publishing Corporation. Report module
for Personal Filing System.
10 Datadex by Information Unlimited Software.
Fantasy 5:
1 Wizardry by Greenberg & Woodhead, Sir-Tech.
2 Ultima by British, California Pacific.
3 Hellfire Warrior by Automated Simulations.
4 Akalabeth by British, California Pacific. A predecessor to Ultima's
dungeons, its only purpose was to allow you to descend into a dungeon,
fight monsters, and make your way through the maze.
5 Dragon Fire by Nelson, Dakin5/Level-10.
Hobby 10:
1 DOS 3.3 by Apple Computer.
2 DOS Tool Kit by Apple Computer. "Excellent utility package; Apple II
assembler-editor system and Applesoft tool kit. Edit, assemble machine
language programs; write, edit BASIC programs. Simplifies graphics,
includes character generator.
3 Locksmith by Omega Microware.
4 The Inspector by Omega Microware. Disk sector editing utility,
interfaced with Locksmith. Inspector was even available as a plug-in
chip for the empty ROM socket on the Apple II.
5 DOS Boss by Kersey & Cassidy, Beagle Bros.
6 Multi-Disk Catalog by Hartley, Sensible Software.
7 Expediter II by Einstein & Goodrow, On-Line Systems. Applesoft
complier.
8 E-Z Draw by Jewell & Nasir, Sirius Software.
9 Complete Graphics System by Pelczarski, Penguin Software.
10 TASC by Peak & Howard, Microsoft; Applesoft compiler.
Home 10:
1 Data Capture 4.0 by Hughes & McClelland, Southeastern Software.
"Copyable, modifiable smart terminal program; compatible with Apple III
and most lower-case adapters." Written in Applesoft with machine
language extensions.
2 Graphtrix by Boker, Data Transforms. "Matrix graphics system designed
to add graphics, footnotes, and chapter capabilities to Apple Writer
text editing system."
3 ASCII Express by Blue, Southwestern Data Systems. "Modem software
provides automatic redial, individual macro files, and improved file
transfer capabilities. Sends any DOS file; uploads one character or
one line at a time. Included utilities convert Integer BASIC,
Applesoft, or binary programs into text files."
4 Z-Term by Blue, Southwestern Data Systems. "Flexible, customizable
communications software written specifically for the CP/M Apple. A
quality package.
5 The World's Greatest Blackjack Program by Special Delivery
Software/Apple Computer.
6 MasterType by Zweig, Lightning Software. "Learn to type by playing a
game; simple and ingenious. IIe version teaches new keyboard." The
new keyboard refers to the full keyboard on the IIe. Later, when the
IIc appeared on the scene, the game was updated to teach typing on the
optional Dvorak keyboard layout. The scenario used here involved a
wizard standing on a planet with satellites or space ships slowly
approaching from four directions. Each object had a word on it; you
had to type the word and press the space bar to fire a "zap" at the
object. If it got too close, you had to type the word twice. The IIc
version used double hi-res graphics, and both versions allowed the user
to set up a personal vocabulary on which to practice.
7 Goodspell by Baker, Special Delivery Software/Apple Computer.
"Dictionary companion to Apple Writer with 14,000 words. Flags words
not listed when printing out." That is, it prints out words not in the
dictionary.
8 Personal Finance Manager by Gold, Special Delivery Software/Apple
Computer.
9 VisiTerm by Keith, Personal Software.
10 Home Money Minder by Schoenburg & Pollack, Continental Software.
Strategy 5:
1 Castle Wolfenstein by Warner, Muse.
2 Robot War by Warner, Muse.
3 Warp Factor by Murray & Clayton, Strategic Simulations.
4 Hi-Res Football by Sullivan & Williams, On-Line Systems.
5 Computer Baseball by Merrow & Avery, Strategic Simulations. "Simulates
individual player abilities from the teams of 13 famous World Series.
Enter and play teams of your own creation."
Word Processors 5:
1 Magic Window by Shannon & Depew, Artsci.
2 WordStar by MicroPro; CP/M based.
3 Superscribe II by Kidwell, On-Line Systems.
4 Executive Secretary by Sof/Sys.
5 The Correspondent by Wagner, Southwestern Data Systems.
-----------------------
MOST POPULAR SOFTWARE OF 1982 (SOFTALK READER'S POLL)
The Top Thirty:
1 Choplifter by Gorlin, Broderbund; arcade. "Fly your chopper to rescue
64 hostages, avoiding interceptor jets, homing mines, and tanks.
Challenging, realistic, and playful. Stunning graphics." One of the
few games that appeared first on a personal computer and later was
translated for play on a coin-operated arcade game. You really wanted
to rescue these little people running out of their barracks, waving to
your helicopter for help (and ignoring the enemy aircraft and tanks
that were shelling them and your 'copter.
2 Wizardry by Greenberg & Woodhead, Sir-Tech; fantasy.
3 Cannonball Blitz by Lubeck, Sierra On-Line; arcade. "Donkey Kong"
clone.
4 Knight Of Diamonds by Greenberg & Woodhead, Sir-Tech; fantasy. Second
scenario in Wizardry series.
5 Night Mission Pinball by Artwick, SubLogic; arcade.
6 Star Blazer by Suzuki, Broderbund; arcade.
7 Snack Attack by Illowsky, DataMost; arcade. "Pac-Man" style game.
8 Taxman by Fitzgerald, H.A.L. Labs; arcade. "Very smooth, fast-moving
eat-the-dots--all you expect from fruit to nuts. Keyboard control
returns excellent expert-pleasing response; turn on a Sheila-sized
dime." A VERY accurate reproduction of "Pac-Man", complete with
"cartoons" every few levels. So accurately did it imitate Pac-Man that
Atari's lawyers strongly suggested that H.A.L. Labs to stop selling it.
9 Ultima II by British, Sierra On-Line; adventure.
10 Graphics Magician by Jochumson, Lubar, & Pelczarski, Penguin Software;
graphics utility. "Outstanding animation package consisting of a
picture editor and shape table extender designed to allow programmers
to design and store graphics files. Comes with utility program to
transfer binary files."
11 Swashbuckler by Stephenson, DataMost; arcade.
12 Home Accountant by Schoenburg, Grodin, & Pollack, Continental Software;
home finance.
13 Serpentine by Snider, Broderbund; arcade.
14 The Arcade Machine by Jochumson & Carlston, Broderbund Software;
arcade.
15 Bandits by Ngo & Ngo, Sirius Software; arcade.
16 Frogger by Lubeck, Sierra On-Line; arcade. "Not even close." That is
all the comment Softalk gave it in the "Fastalk" column. This
"official" version of the arcade game got poor reviews when it was
released, as the graphics were not as good as the Apple II was capable
of doing.
17 Crossfire by Sullivan, Sierra On-Line; arcade. "Critters come at you
from four directions on a grid laid out like city blocks. Strategy and
intense concentration required. Superb, smooth animation of a dozen
pieces simultaneously. One of the great ones."
18 Threshold by Schwader & Williams, Sierra On-Line; arcade.
19 Microwave by Zimmerman & Nitchals, Cavalier Computer; arcade.
20 Time Zone by Williams & Williams, Sierra On-Line; adventure.
"'Microepic' hi-res adventure featuring ten periods from past and
future history all over world and universe on eight double-sided disks.
Good puzzles, many dangers."
21 Bag Of Tricks by Worth & Lechner, Quality Software; utility.
22 Deadline by Infocom; adventure. "Episode one in a projected series of
murder mysteries by the authors of Zork. Interrogate, accuse, make
transcripts. Includes inspector's casebook, lab report".
23 Zork II by Blank & Liebling, Infocom; adventure.
24 David's Midnight Magic by Snider, Broderbund Software; arcade. Pinball
game.
25 Bug Attack by Nitchals, Cavalier Computer; arcade. "Centipede" clone.
26 Aztec by Stephenson, DataMost; arcade.
27 Snake Byte by Summerville, Sirius Software; arcade.
28 Apple Mechanic by Kersey, Beagle Bros; utility.
29 Sensible Speller by Sensible Software; word processor utility.
"Spell-checking program sports listable 85,000 words, extensible up to
110,000 words. Recognizes contractions, gives word counts, word
incidence, number of unique words. Clear documentation and simplicity
of operation. Works with many word processors' files. Best of breed."
Originally called "The Apple Speller".
30 The Mask Of The Sun by Anson, Clark, Franks, & Anson, Ultrasoft;
adventure.
Adventure 10:
1 Time Zone by Williams & Williams, Sierra On-Line.
2 Deadline by Infocom.
3 Zork II by Blank & Liebling, Infocom.
4 The Mask Of The Sun by Anson, Clark, Franks, & Anson, Ultrasoft.
5 Starcross by Infocom.
6 Hi-Res Adventure #4: Ulysses And The Golden Fleece by Davis & Williams,
Sierra On-Line.
7 Zork III by Blank & Liebling, Infocom. "Text lives! A masterpiece of
logic and a grand adventure to revel in. Hard, logical puzzle with
unique point system." The scoring system rewarded benevolence instead
of giving points for finding treasure or killing monsters.
8 Transylvania by Antiochia, Penguin Software.
9 Kabul Spy by Wilson, Sirius Software.
10 Escape From Rungistan by Blauschild, Sirius Software.
Business 10:
1 dBase II by Ratliff, Ashton-Tate. "Speedy relational database
management system. Requires [Z-80] SoftCard".
2 General Manager by Brillig Systems/Malachowski & Cooper, Sierra
On-Line. "Database program that allows economic projections, search
and select options, and screen formatting for data entry."
3 PFS:Report by Page, Software Publishing Corporation.
4 PFS:Graph by Chin & Hill, Software Publishing Corporation.
5 Multiplan by Microsoft. Was available in both Apple CP/M and 6502
versions.
6 VersaForm by Landau, Applied Software Technology.
7 First Class Mail by Schoenburg & Pollack, Continental Software.
8 List Handler by Silicon Valley Systems.
9 VisiCalc Formatting Aids by Data Security Concepts.
10 Data Reporter by Clardy, Anson, & Branham, Synergistic Software.
Fantasy 8:
1 Wizardry by Greenberg & Woodhead, Sir-Tech.
2 Knight Of Diamonds by Greenberg & Woodhead, Sir-Tech.
3 Ultima II by British, Sierra On-Line.
4 Prisoner 2 by Mullich, Edu-Ware. "Totally re-landscaped but loyal
version of original game, Prisoner: Full-color hi-res graphics added,
puzzles reworded, obstacles expanded. Sophistication and difficult
exercise in intimidation with elements of satire. Escape from an
island requires player to solve logical puzzles, overcome obstacles,
and answer riddles. Excellent computer fare; nothing else like it."
5 Crush, Crumble, And Chomp by Epyx/Automated Simulations.
6 Apventure To Atlantis [sic] by Clardy, Synergistic Software.
7 Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves by Smith, Quality Software.
8 Empire I: World Builders by Mullich, Edu-Ware Services.
Hobby 10:
1 Graphics Magician by Jochumson, Lubar, & Pelczarski, Penguin Software.
2 Bag Of Tricks by Worth & Lechner, Quality Software.
3 Apple Mechanic by Kersey, Beagle Bros.
4 Utility City by Kersey, Beagle Bros.
5 Zoom Grafix by Holle, Phoenix Software.
6 Merlin by Bredon, Southwestern Data Systems. Assembler.
7 GraForth by Lutus, Insoft. "A graphics language rewritten for maximum
speed. Plotting, line, text display, character image, and high speed
3-D graphics, with variety of colors and drawing options. Includes
music synthesizer".
8 Alpha Plot by Kersey & Cassidy, Beagle Bros.
9 Special Effects by Pelczarski, Penguin Software.
10 Apple-Cillin II by Jones & Peters, XPS. Diagnostic software.
Home 10:
1 Home Accountant by Schoenburg, Grodin, & Pollack, Continental Software.
2 Personal Finance Manager by Gold, Apple Computer.
3 ASCII Express: The Professional by Blue & Robbins, Southwestern Data
Systems. "Greatly improved version of original modem software package
... Works with a plethora of hardware."
4 Electric Duet by Lutus, Insoft. "Two-voice music without hardware. A
bit involved, but superb sound quality." Many song files compatible
with this were created over the years.
5 Dow Jones Market Analyzer by Burch, RTR Software.
6 Transend by Dygert & Kniskern, SSM; Available eventually in three
versions, Transend 1, 2, and 3. "Intelligent-terminal software with
multiple hardware compatibility. Advanced, easy to use. 1 sends text
only; menu-driven, limited editor. 2 sends text and files like
VisiCalc, verifies transmission. 3 does both and handles electronic
password mail with automatic redial, clock calendar, and password
protection. SSM.
7 Ceemac by Boering, Vagabondo Enterprises. "Visual composition
language. Compose-execute-compose swapping by single key commands.
Interpreter released as Fire Organ".
8 Tax Manager by TASO, Micro Lab.
9 DataFax by Bianchi & Diezmann, Link Systems.
10 Real Estate Analyzer by Howard, Howardsoft.
Home-Arcade 20:
1 Choplifter by Gorlin, Broderbund.
2 Cannonball Blitz by Lubeck, Sierra On-Line.
3 Night Mission Pinball by Artwick, SubLogic.
4 Star Blazer by Suzuki, Broderbund.
5 Snack Attack by Illowsky, DataMost.
6 Taxman by Fitzgerald, H.A.L. Labs.
7 Swashbuckler by Stephenson, DataMost.
8 Serpentine by Snider, Broderbund.
9 The Arcade Machine by Jochumson & Carlston, Broderbund Software.
Allowed user to custom design your own maze games.
10 Bandits by Ngo & Ngo, Sirius Software.
11 Frogger by Lubeck, Sierra On-Line.
12 Crossfire by Sullivan, Sierra On-Line.
13 Threshold by Schwader & Williams, Sierra On-Line.
14 Microwave by Zimmerman & Nitchals, Cavalier Computer.
15 David's Midnight Magic by Snider, Broderbund Software.
16 Bug Attack by Nitchals, Cavalier Computer.
17 Aztec by Stephenson, DataMost.
18 Snake Byte by Summerville, Sirius Software.
19 Pinball Construction Set by Budge, BudgeCo. "Design and play your own
computer games on-screen, with zero programming. A miracle of rare
device. Superior." The first program I ever saw that used the
concepts we all take for granted now: A pointer on the screen for
picking up and dropping objects, and moving lines. This was all done
on an Apple II with a joystick, BEFORE the Macintosh was off the
drawing board.
20 Beer Run by Turmell, Sirius Software.
21 Super Taxman 2 by Fitzgerald, H.A.L. Labs; "Pac up your troubles!
Bigger, more complex version of the most perfect extant legal rendition
of a certain arcade game. You can look at the cartoons whenever you
want." It used the same general graphics as Taxman, but used different
mazes, to avoid the wrath of Atari.
22 Thief by Flanagan, DataMost; "Beserk" clone.
23 Seafox by Hobbs, Broderbund.
24 Crisis Mountain by Schroeder, Synergistic Software.
25 Marauder by Weigandt & Hammond, Sierra On-Line.
26 Jawbreaker by Lubeck, Sierra On-Line; "Candy store-oriented
eat-the-dots game with automatically escalated skill levels. A
courtroom favorite." That final comment refers to the legal action
taken regarding this game. Although it used different graphics, it was
clearly a "Pac-Man" clone, and so Sierra On-Line was sued over it.
When the judge was shown the two programs to make a ruling on it, he
determined that they didn't "look" anything alike, much to Atari's
chagrin, and Sierra was allowed to continue selling their game.
27 Ceiling Zero by Warady, Turnkey Software.
28 Star Maze by Eastman, Sir-Tech.
Home Education 10:
1 Apple Logo by Papert, Logo Computers Systems/Apple Computer.
2 Terrapin Logo by Terrapin.
3 Snooper Troops I by Snyder, Spinnaker Software.
4 Facemaker by DesignWare, Spinnaker Software.
5 Early Games For Young Children by Paulson, Learning Tools. "Basic
training in numbers, letters, Apple keyboard for children ages two to
seven; no adult supervision needed. Has a neat little drawing
program."
6 Elementary My Dear Apple by Apple Computer.
7 Snooper Troops II by Snyder, Spinnaker Software.
8 New Step By Step by Victor, Program Design Inc.
9 Rocky's Boots by Robinett & Grimm, Learning Company.
10 Type Attack by Hauser & Brock, Sirius Software.
Strategy 10:
1 Hi-Res Computer Golf by Aronoff, Avant-Garde.
2 Rendezvous by Huntress, Edu-Ware Services. Space shuttle simulation.
3 Guadalcanal Campaign by Grigsby, Strategic Simulations.
4 Spitfire Simulator by Kurtz, Mind Systems.
5 Galactic Gladiators by Reamy, Strategic Simulations.
6 Air-Sim 1 by Kurtz, Mind Systems.
7 Cosmic Balance by Murray, Strategic Simulations. Space fleet battle
simulation.
8 Cytron Masters by Robbins, SubLogic.
9 Space Vikings by Robbins, SubLogic.
10 Southern Command by Keating, Strategic Simulations.
Word Processors 10:
1 Sensible Speller by Hartley, Sensible Software.
2 Word Handler by Elekman, Silicon Valley Systems. Used 70 column hi-res
text for upper/lowercase display on ANY Apple II.
3 PIE Writer by Softwest, Hayden.
4 Magic Window II by Depew, Artsci.
5 Executive Secretary by Risken, Sof/Sys.
6 The Dictionary by Cain, Sierra On-Line.
7 Easy Writer Professional by Draper, Information Unlimited Software.
8 Zardax by Phillips, Action-Research Northwest.
9 Gutenburg by Micromation. "User-definable character set, split-screen
hi-res and lo-res editing for text, program files. Performs text block
moves and deletes; paint program produces large illustrations
integrated with text.
10 Bank Street Writer by Kusmiak & the Bank Street College of Education,
Broderbund.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
APPENDIX A -- APPLE II SOFTWARE HITS, PART 3
MOST POPULAR SOFTWARE OF 1983 (SOFTALK READER'S POLL) The Top Thirty:
1 Lode Runner by Smith, Broderbund; arcade. "Ascend 150 unique levels in
super run-climb-dig-jump game--or design your own puzzles, scenes, and
setups--in quest to retrieve stolen gold from the Bungeling Empire.
Voted Most Popular Program of 1983." Another one that I once saw on an
arcade game, though executed there more poorly than on the Apple
version.
2 Pinball Construction Set by Budge, Electronics Arts; arcade.
3 Exodus: Ultima III by British, Origin Systems; fantasy.
4 Zaxxon by Garcia, Datamost; arcade.
5 Legacy Of Llylgamyn by Woodhead & Greenberg, Sir-Tech; fantasy. Third
Wizardry scenario.
6 Miner 2049er by Livesay & Hogue, Micro Lab; arcade. "Run jump, climb,
and slide through the mines, reinforcing the groundwork along the way.
elevators, cannons, chutes, and ladders help as you avoid or stomp
mutants on the way. Hot stuff, best of the genre."
7 Apple Writer IIe by Lutus, Apple Computer; word processor. "Includes
WPL (word processing language). Additional functions menu; continuing
features and functions menu; continuous readout of characters and
length. IIe has shift, shift-lock, and tab, four-arrow cursor control,
and delete key; data files compatible with II."
8 Hard Hat Mack by Abbot & Alexander, Electronic Arts; arcade. "Poor
Mack. He must avoid vandals, inspectors, falling rivets, and hungry
cement mixers to complete his building."
9 Bank Street Writer by Kuzmiak & The Bank Street College Of Education,
Broderbund; word processor.
10 Ultima II by British, Sierra On-Line; fantasy.
11 Music Construction Set by Harvey, Electronic Arts; music utility.
"Interactive music composition and learning tool allows user to create
music or experiment with included music library."
12 Multiplan by Microsoft; spreadsheet.
13 Stellar 7 by Slye, Software Entertainment; arcade.
14 Double-Take by Simonsen, Beagle Bros; utility.
15 Quick File IIe by Lissner, Apple Computer; database.
16 Zork III by Blank & Liebling, Infocom; adventure.
17 Drol by Ngo, Broderbund; arcade.
18 Beagle Basic by Simonsen, Beagle Bros; language.
19 Mask Of The Sun by Anson, Clark, Franks, & Anson, Ultrasoft; adventure.
20 A.E. by Wada, Broderbund; arcade.
21 ProntoDOS by Weishaar, Beagle Bros; operating system.
22 Julius Erving and Larry Bird Go One-on-One by Hammond, Bird, Erving,
Electronic Arts; arcade. "Graphically and intrinsically captures the
moves, grace, and bearing of basketball forwards Dr. J and Larry Bird
as they play one on one. The best video basketball imaginable, for one
or two players."
23 Sargon III by Spracklin, Hayden; strategy. "Plays good chess fast.
Much improved from Sargon II, contains 107 classic games from the past
for instruction or entertainment."
24 Beagle Bag by Kersey, Beagle Bros; utility.
25 Rocky's Boots by Robinett & Grimm, The Learning Company; education.
26 The Quest by Snell, Toler, & Rea, Penguin Software; adventure.
27 Sammy Lightfoot by Schwader, Sierra On-Line; arcade.
28 Planetfall by Meretzky, Infocom; adventure.
29 Fontrix by Boker & Houston, Data Transforms; graphics. "Character
generator creates unlimited number of typefaces, uses them to write on
a screen extended 16 times. Extremely significant development in
graphics."
30 Enchanter by Blank & Liebling, Infocom; adventure. "First of trilogy
sequel to Zorks expands interaction with other characters, goes above
ground, increases use of logical magic. No big breakthroughs, but
simply delightful."
Adventure 10:
1 Zork III by Blank & Liebling, Infocom.
2 Mask Of The Sun by Anson, Clark, Franks, & Anson, Ultrasoft.
3 The Quest by Snell, Toler, & Rea, Penguin Software.
4 Planetfall by Meretzky, Infocom.
5 Enchanter by Blank & Liebling, Infocom.
6 Suspended by Berlyn, Infocom. "Well-plotted adventure demands control
of six independent robots who can act simultaneously. Intelligent,
challenging exercise in logic. A milestone."
7 Sherwood Forest by Johson & Holle, Phoenix.
8 Starcross by Liebling & Blank, Infocom.
9 Witness by Galley, Infocom. "Interactive mystery adventure set in 1938
reflects the style of pulp detective fiction popular then. Fun
packaging and fun to play, although less complex than Deadline. A good
step forward for an infant genre."
10 The Coveted Mirror by Berns & Thomason, Penguin Software.
Business 10:
1 Multiplan by Microsoft; spreadsheet.
2 Quick File IIe by Lissner, Apple Computer; database.
3 The Incredible Jack by Business Solutions. "Word processor, database,
and spreadsheet, plus mailing label print and sort. Gives 80-column
u/lc display automatically on the IIe, with 64K, 80-column card on the
II Plus." This was the FIRST integrated software package for an
Apple II computer, pre-dating AppleWorks by 18 months. An updated
version, called Jack2, was released in 1984, adding the capability of
doing charts and graphs. Unfortunately, the juggernaut of AppleWorks
made it difficult for this program to succeed in the integrated
software market.
4 T.H.E. Spreadsheet by Wigginton, Banks, & Wozniak, A.P.P.L.E.
Short-lived spreadsheet program that was originally to have been sold
by Apple Computer.
5 Magicalc by Graves, Artsci; spreadsheet.
6 Cdex VisiCalc by Cdex.
7 Bookends by Ashwell, Sensible Software.
8 Agri-Ledger by McFarling, SBCS.
9 Supercalc by Sorcim; spreadsheet.
10 SoftGraph by Durkee, Softalk Publishing.
Fantasy 5:
1 Exodus: Ultima III by British, Origin Systems.
2 Legacy Of Llylgamyn by Woodhead & Greenberg, Sir-Tech.
3 Ultima II by British, Sierra On-Line.
4 Chivalry by Hefter, Weekly Reader Family Software.
5 Standing Stones by Schmuckal & Sommers, Electronics Arts.
Hobby 10:
1 Double-Take by Simonsen, Beagle Bros.
2 Beagle Basic by Simonsen, Beagle Bros.
3 ProntoDOS by Weishaar, Beagle Bros.
4 Fontrix by Boker & Houston, Data Transforms.
5 KoalaPad Micro Illustrator by Dompier, Koala.
6 Tip Disk #1 by Kersey, Beagle Bros.
7 Diversi-DOS by Basham, Diversified Software Research.
8 Einstein Compiler by Goodrow & Einstein, Einstein Corporation.
9 Flex Text by Simonsen, Beagle Bros.
10 Typefaces by Kersey, Beagle Bros.
Home 10:
1 Music Construction Set by Harvey, Electronic Arts; music utility.
2 Dollars & Sense by Mullin, Monogram; home finance.
3 Money Street by Hill & Payne, Computer Tax Service.
4 Micro Cookbook by Virtual Combinatics.
5 Smartcom I by Hayes Microcomputer Products; terminal program.
6 Softerm by Stricklan, Softronics. "Emulation program makes the
Apple II Plus into a look-alike for many other popular CRT terminals,
allowing use of programs written for other terminals without
programming changes. Also enables access to mainframes, timesharing
services, and other Apple computers. Keyboard macros and automatic
answerback capabilities."
7 Think Tank by Winer & Llewellyn, Living Videotext; outline processor.
8 Know Your Apple IIe by Muse. "Visually oriented computer tutorials
with manuals cover disks, drives, and peripherals. Models of clarity."
9 Family Roots by Vorenberg, Quinsept. "Professional genealogy
database.with unlimited-records capability. Unprotected; works with
80-column and u/lc. Extensive documentation."
10 Time Is Money by Tepper, Turning Point Software; home finance.
Home-Arcade 20:
1 Lode Runner by Smith, Broderbund.
2 Pinball Construction Set by Budge, Electronics Arts.
3 Zaxxon by Garcia, Datamost.
4 Miner 2049er by Livesay & Hogue, Micro Lab.
5 Hard Hat Mack by Abbot & Alexander, Electronic Arts.
6 Stellar 7 by Slye, Software Entertainment.
7 Drol by Ngo, Broderbund.
8 A.E. by Wada, Broderbund.
9 One-on-One by Hammond, Electronic Arts.
10 Sammy Lightfoot by Schwader, Sierra On-Line.
11 Minit Man by Malone, Penguin Software.
12 Spare Change by Zeller & Zeller, Broderbund.
13 Bolo by Elvyn Software, Synergistic Software.
14 Repton by Thompson, Sirius Software.
15 Cubit by Oswal, Micromax.
16 Super Taxman II by Fitzgerald, H.A.L. Labs.
17 Wavy Navy by McAuley, Sirius Software.
18 Microbe by Clardy & Zalta, Synergistic Software.
19 Bilestoad by Earthshoe, DataMost.
20 Evolution by Mattick & Sember, Sydney Development.
Home Education 10:
1 Rocky's Boots by Robinett & Grimm, The Learning Company.
2 Computer SAT by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
3 Stickybear ABC by Hefter & Rice, Weekly Reader Family Software.
4 Type Attack by Hauser & Brock, Sirius Software.
5 In Search Of The Most Amazing Thing by Snyder, Spinnaker.
6 Early Games For Young Children by Paulson, Counterpoint.
7 Stickybear Numbers by Hefter & Worthington, Weekly Reader Family
Software.
8 Delta Drawing by Computer Access Corporation, Spinnaker. "Kids can
make colorful drawings by using single-key commands. No special talent
needed; this one develops programs that create complex graphics."
9 Fat City by Hefter & Worthington, Weekly Reader Family Software.
10 Microzine by Information Technology Design Associates, Scholastic.
Strategy 10:
1 Sargon III by Spracklin, Hayden.
2 Germany 1985 by Keating, Strategic Simulations.
3 Chess 7.0 by Atkin, Odesta.
4 Broadsides by Garris, Strategic Simulations.
5 Geopolitique 1990 by Ketchledge & Billings, Strategic Simulations.
6 Space Vikings by Robbins, SubLogic.
7 Spitfire Simulator by Kurtz, Mind Systems.
8 North Atlantic '86 by Grigsby, Strategic Simulations.
9 Pensate by Besnard, Penguin Software. "Chess-type thinking game with
new tactics. Computer's many pieces move in relation to player's
piece; each of 10 types of computer pieces has unique rules. Makes
full use of computer capabilities. Intriguing, progressive, and
addicting."
10 Galactic Adventures by Reamy, Strategic Simulations.
Word Processors 10:
1 Apple Writer IIe by Lutus, Apple Computer.
2 Bank Street Writer by Kusmiak & the Bank Street College of
Education,Broderbund.
3 PFS:Write by Edwards, Crain, & Mitchell, Software Publishing
Corporation.
4 HomeWord by Williams & Stephenson, Sierra On-Line.
5 Word Juggler IIe by Gill, Quark.
6 Apple Writer II Preboot Disk by Armstrong & Borgerson, Videx.
7 Megawriter by Megahaus.
8 Lexicheck IIe by Gill, Quark.
9 Write Away by Stinson, Midwest Software Associates.
10 Cut & Paste by Mott, Lane, Shaw, Maynard, Silva, Hayes, & Morrison,
Electronic Arts.
-----------------------
SOFTWARE RELEASED IN 1984
Adventure:
Crypt Of Medea by Sir-Tech.
Sourceror by Infocom; adventure. "Sequel to Enchanter. Navigate a 3-D maze, part the Red Sea, wax floors, avoid traps, and cast spells to rescue the guild master from a demon. Delightful."
Business/Productivity:
Bank Street Speller by Broderbund.
IACcalc by International Apple Core; spreadsheet.
Sideways by Funk Software; prints spreadsheets sideways.
Communications:
Data Capture //e by Southeastern Software.
Education/Hypermedia:
Wiztype by Sierra OnLine; educational, typing tutor. Features the Wizard Of Id.
Graphics:
Beagle Graphics by Simonsen, Beagle Bros.
Pixit by Baudville; graphics utility.
Print Shop by Broderbund; graphics printing utility. This was a significant program, making it possible for the first time for a novice user to easily create greeting cards, signs, and banners using graphics pictures and different fonts. It not only spawned many imitators, but a third-party industry that specializes in supplying graphics, borders, and more fonts.
Home:
A+ Disk Magazine (disk magazine)
Softyme (disk magazine)
UpTime (disk magazine)
Home-Arcade:
Arcade Boot Camp by Besnard, Penguin Software. Fat City by Weekly Reader Family Software.
(The following were released by Atarisoft as "official" conversions of popular coin-operated games).
Battlezone
Defender
Dig Dug
Donkey Kong
Galaxian
Joust
Ms. Pac-Man
Robitron 2084
Programming/Utilities:
Apple Mechanic by Beagle Bros; graphics.
Aztec C by Manx; language.
Catalyst IIe by Quark; program selector.
David-DOS II by David Data; operating system.
DiskQuik by Beagle Bros; DOS 3.3 utility.
DOS Boss by Beagle Bros; DOS 3.3 utility.
DoubleTake by Simonsen, Beagle Bros; DOS 3.3 utility.
Essential Data Duplicator III by Utilities Microware; utility.
Fat Cat by Bird, Beagle Bros; DOS 3.3 catalog utility.
Frame-Up by Weishaar, Beagle Bros; early hypermedia presenter.
Master Diagnostic + by Romano, Nikrom; hard disk diagnostics.
ProDOS User's Kit by Apple Computer.
Silicon Salad by Kersey & Simonsen, Beagle Bros; DOS 3.3 utilities.
Strategy:
Baltic 1985: Corridor To Berlin by Strategic Simulations.
Beyond Castle Wolfenstein by Warner, Muse.
RDF 1985 by Strategic Simulations.
Word Processing/Desktop Publishing:
AppleWorks by Lissner, Apple Computer. "Word processor, database, and spreadsheet--each full-size, full-featured. Holds several files on 'desktop'. Proportionally spaced type. A winner, for IIe, IIc.
Cut & Paste by Electronic Arts.
Jack2 by Business Solutions, Inc.; integrated software.
Practicalc II by Practicorp; integrated software.
Simply Perfect by LJK; integrated software.
-----------------------
SOFTWARE RELEASED IN 1985
Adventure:
A Mind Forever Voyaging by Infocom.
Business/Productivity:
ProFiler 2.1 by Pinpoint; database program.
SuperCalc 3A by Sorcim/IUS Micro Software; spreadsheet.
Education/Hypermedia:
Stickybear Math by Weekly Reader Family Software.
Stickybear Typing by Weekly Reader Family Software; typing tutor.
Graphics:
Dazzle Draw by Broderbund; double hi-res graphics paint program.
Take 1 by Baudville; animation, graphics.
Home:
Managing Your Money by MECA; home finance.
Home-Arcade:
Gato by Spectrum Holobyte. I.O. Silver by Brandt, Beagle Bros.
Programming/Utilities:
Blankenship BASIC by Blankenship & Assoc.; Applesoft pre-processor.
D-Code by Beagle Bros; Applesoft debugging utility.
Diversi-Copy by Diversified Software Research; fast disk copy program.
Extra K by Beagle Bros; Applesoft utility to use 128K RAM.
ProByter by Beagle Bros; ProDOS utilities.
ProSel by Bredon; ProDOS program selector, later renamed "ProSel 8" after a sixteen bit version was released in 1989.
Word Processing/Desktop Publishing:
Magic Office System by Artsci; Integrated software, with word processor, spreadsheet, graphics, and spell checker.
Newsroom by Springboard; First WYSIWYG desktop publishing program for Apple II, including clip art graphics, limited page layout, several font sizes, and capability of sending files by modem to other computers running the Newsroom program, even if they weren't Apple II's.
Pinpoint Desk Accessories by Pinpoint; AWks utility.
Sensible Grammar by Sensible Software; grammar checker.
MouseWrite by Roger Wagner Publishing; Word processor with a Mac-like desktop using MouseText characters.
-----------------------
SOFTWARE RELEASED IN 1986
Adventure:
Bard's Tale by Electronics Arts.
Hacker by Activision; Unique in that there were virtually NO rules; you had to figure them out as you went, trying to "hack" into a fictional mainframe computer.
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Infocom; Adventure based on the book of the same name.
Ultima IV by Origin Systems.
Business/Productivity:
Bank Street Filer by Sunburst Communications; database.
VIP Professional by VIP Technologies; spreadsheet.
Communications:
Point-To-Point by Little, npoint Publishing; terminal program.
Education/Hypermedia:
Stickybear Printer by Optimum Resources; graphics printing program with some features similar to Print Shop.
Reader Rabbit by The Learning Company.
Writer Rabbit by The Learning Company.
Graphics:
Fantavision by Broderbund; animation program.
Home:
Clan Perfect Accountant by Sir-Tech; finance.
On Balance by Broderbund; finance.
Smart Money by Sierra OnLine; finance.
Home-Arcade:
Autoduel by Origin Systems.
F-15 Strike Eagle by MicroProse.
Programming/Utilities:
Beagle Compiler by Beagle Bros; Applesoft compiler.
Font Mechanic by Beagle Bros; font editor for graphics.
Shape Mechanic by Beagle Bros; graphics shape editor.
Micol BASIC by Micol Systems; alternative to Applesoft.
MouseDesk by International Solutions; double hi-res graphics program launcher, modeled after the Macintosh Finder. Eventually purchased by Apple and modified for their first version of the IIGS Finder.
Program Writer by Beagle Bros; Applesoft program editor with an AWks-like interface.
Triple Dump by Beagle Bros; graphics printing utility, supporting every printer in the known universe.
Word Processing/Desktop Publishing:
AutoWorks by Bird, Software Touch; Awks macro program.
Fontworks by Software Touch; AWks WP utility.
KeyPlayer by Pinpoint Publishing; AWks macro program.
MacroWorks by Brandt, Beagle Bros; AWks utility, FIRST macro program for AWks.
MouseWord by International Solutions; graphics-based word processor.
Multiscribe by Styleware; graphics-based word processor, with multiple fonts and graphics capability.
Word Perfect by Satellite Software; word processing.
Super MacroWorks by Brandt, Beagle Bros; AWks utility, upgrade to MacroWorks, worked only with AWks v2.0 or v2.1.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
APPENDIX A -- APPLE II SOFTWARE HITS, PART 4
SOFTWARE RELEASED IN 1987
Adventure:
Maniac Mansion by Lucasfilm; Unique game allowing control of three characters at a time (out of six possible choices), each with varying abilities, which allowed slightly different outcomes.
Tass Times In Tone Town by Electronic Arts; GS.
Tower Of Myraglen by PBI Software; GS.
Business/Productivity:
Back To Basics Accounting by Peachtree Software; GS.
BusinessWorks by Manzanita Software Systems.
Communications:
AE MouseTalk by United Software Industries; telecommunications program.
ProTerm by Checkmate; telecommunications program.
Education/Hypermedia:
Where In The USA Is Carmen Sandiego? by Broderbund; educational.
Graphics:
Certificate Maker by Springboard; graphics printing utility.
Clipcapture by Clipcapture; graphics conversion utility.
Deluxe Paint II by Electronic Arts; GS; paint program.
Design Your Own Home by Abracadata; graphics & design.
Design Your Own Train by Abracadata; model train layout design.
Graphic Edge by Pinpoint; graphics & design.
Paintworks Plus by Activision; GS; paint program.
Walt Disney Comic Strip Maker (unknown author and publisher); graphics utility.
Home:
The Music Studio by Activision; GS; music utility.
Home-Arcade:
Marble Madness by Electronic Arts.
Mean 18 by Accolade; GS.
Strategy:
Balance Of Power by Mindscape.
Strategic Conquest II by PBI Software; GS.
Word Processing/Desktop Publishing:
GraphWriter by DataPak Software; GS; desktop publishing.
Multiscribe GS by Styleware; GS; desktop publishing.
Printrix by Data Transforms; typesetting program.
Springboard Publisher by Springboard Software; desktop publishing.
TimeOut DeskTools by Beagle Bros; AWks utilities.
TimeOut FileMaster by Beagle Bros; AWks file management utilities.
TimeOut Graph by Beagle Bros; AWks SS utility.
TimeOut QuickSpell by Beagle Bros; AWks WP spelling checker.
TimeOut SideSpread by Beagle Bros; AWks SS utility.
TimeOut SuperFonts by Beagle Bros; AWks WP utility.
TimeOut UltraMacros by Brandt, Beagle Bros; AWks utility, successor to SuperMacroWorks.
-----------------------
SOFTWARE RELEASED IN 1988
Adventure:
Beyond Zork by Infocom.
DreamZone by Electronic Arts.
Nord And Bert Couldn't Make Heads Or Tails Of It by Infocom.
Questron II by Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Ultima V by Origin Systems.
Wizardry IV -- The Return Of Werdna by Sir-Tech.
Education/Hypermedia:
Designasaurus For The IIGS by Britannica Software; GS.
HyperStudio by Roger Wagner Publishing; GS; hypermedia.
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing by Software Toolworks.
Talking Stickybear Alphabet by Weekly Reader Software; GS.
Where In Europe Is Carmen Sandiego? by Broderbund.
Graphics:
Labels, Labels, Labels by Big Red Computer Club; graphics printing utility.
PaintWorks Gold by Activision; GS; paint program.
Print Magic by Epyx; graphics printing utility.
Print Master Plus by Unison World; graphics printing utility.
Print Shop GS by Broderbund; GS.
Super Print by Scholastic Software; graphics printing utility.
VCR Companion by Broderbund; graphics utility, processor for VCR taping.
Home:
Diversi-Tune by Diversified Software Research; GS; music program.
Home-Arcade:
Alien Mind by PBI Software; GS.
Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer by Electronic Arts.
Test Drive by Accolade; GS.
Tetris by Spectrum Holobyte.
Wings Of Fury by Broderbund.
Zany Golf by Harvey, Electronic Arts; GS.
Programming/Utilities:
AC/BASIC by Absoft; GS; BASIC language.
GEOS by Berkeley Softworks; 8-bit graphic user interface.
Softswitch by Roger Wagner Publishing; GS; Program switcher for 8-bit software.
Word Processing/Desktop Publishing:
AppleWorks GS by Claris; GS; Integrated software, modification of GS Works.
GS Works by Styleware; GS; Integrated software.
Medley by Milliken; GS; Integrated software.
Publish-It! by TimeWorks; desktop publishing.
TimeOut DeskTools II by Beagle Bros; AWks utility.
TimeOut MacroTools by Beagle Bros; AWks macros.
TimeOut Paint by Beagle Bros; AWks graphics utility.
TimeOut PowerPack by Beagle Bros; AWks utility.
TimeOut Thesaurus by Beagle Bros; AWks WP utility.
WordBench by Addison-Wesley; GS; word processing.
-----------------------
SOFTWARE RELEASED IN 1989
Adventure:
2088: The Cryllan Mission by Victory Software; GS.
Neuromancer by Interplay; GS.
Times Of Lore by Origin.
Warlock by Three Sixty Pacific; GS.
Wizardry V: The Heart Of The Maelstrom by Sir-Tech.
Graphics:
Graph-It! by TimeWorks.
Home:
Smart Money GS by Broderbund; GS; home finance.
Home-Arcade:
Arkanoid II: Revenge Of Doh by Taito; GS.
Bad Dudes by DataEast; GS.
Crystal Quest by Casady & Greene; GS.
Gnarly Golf by Britannica Software; GS.
John Madden Football by Antonick, Electronic Arts.
Qix by Taito.
The Hunt For Red October by Software Toolworks; GS.
The Last Ninja by Activision.
Programming/Utilities:
GS Font Editor by Beagle; GS.
ProSel 16 by Bredon; GS; Program selector and utilities package, updated for the GS/OS.
Strategy:
Battlechess by Camasta, Interplay; GS.
Dive Bomber by Epyx.
War In Middle Earth by Melbourne House; GS.
The King Of Chicago by Cinemaware Corp.; GS.
Word Processing/Desktop Publishing:
II Write by Random House Media.
TimeOut Report Writer by Verkade, Beagle Bros; AWks DB utility.
TimeOut Telecomm by de Jong & Munz, Beagle Bros; AWks telecomm program.
WordPerfect IIGS by Word Perfect Corp.; GS.
-----------------------
SOFTWARE RELEASED IN 1990
Adventure:
Dragon Wars GS by Heineman, Interplay; GS.
Keef The Thief by Electronic Arts; GS.
Knights Of Legend by Origin.
Mines Of Titan by Infocom.
Prince Of Persia by Broderbund.
Shogun by Infocom/Mediagenic.
The Third Courier by Accolade; GS.
Windwalker by Origin.
Wraith: Devil's Demise by Nite Owl Productions.
Business/Productivity:
DoubleData by Brandt, JEM Software; Awks DB enhancement.
GeoCalc by Berkeley Softworks; spreadsheet.
GeoFile by Berkeley Softworks; database.
Communications:
GS-ShrinkIt by Nicholas; GS; file archive utility.
Education/Hypermedia:
Katie's Farm by Lawrence Productions; GS.
GS Numerics by Spring Branch Software; GS.
McGee by Lawrence Productions.
New Talking Stickybear Opposites by Weekly Reader Software; GS.
New Talking Stickybear Shapes by Weekly Reader Software; GS.
Nexus by Golem Computers; hypermedia.
Playroom by Broderbund; educational.
StoryWorks by Teacher's Idea & Information Exchange.
Talking Dinosaurs by Orange Cherry Software; GS.
Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? by Broderbund.
Graphics:
Bannermania by Broderbund; graphics printing utility.
Delta Drawing Today by Power Industries; graphics utility.
Platinum Paint by Beagle Bros; GS; graphics drawing utility.
Super Print II: The Next Generation by Scholastic; graphics utility.
The New Print Shop by Broderbund; update to graphics printing utility.
Home:
Jam Session by Broderbund; GS; music program.
Softdisk GS by Softdisk Publishing; GS; disk magazine.
Home-Arcade:
Airball by Micro Deal; GS.
Bouncing Bluster by Vallat & Dove; GS.
Dark Castle by Three Sixty Pacific; GS.
Orbizone by Pangea Software; GS.
Qix GS by Taito.
Senseless Violence II by Pangea Software; GS.
Slipheed by Sierra On-Line; GS.
Task Force by Brittanica; GS.
Tunnels Of Armageddon by California Dreams; GS.
Programming/Utilities:
Font Factory GS by Seven Hills Software; GS; font editor.
Genesys 1.2 by Doty, SSSi, Inc.; GS; resource editor and developer utility.
GSBug 1.5 by Apple Computer; GS; debugger.
Logowriter GS by Logo Computer Systems; GS.
MD-Basic by Morgan Davis Group; GS; allows writing of structured source code, which is translated into tightly organized Applesoft code executable on any Apple II.
Orca/C by ByteWorks; GS; C language.
Salvation - Deliverance by Vitesse; GS; disk recovery.
Salvation - Exorciser by Vitesse; GS; virus detector/eliminator.
Salvation - Guardian by Vitesse; GS; disk backup utility, later renamed Salvation - Bakkup.
Salvation - Renaissance by Vitesse; GS; disk optimizer.
Salvation - Wings by Vitesse; GS; program launcher.
Strategy:
Chessmaster 2100 by Software Toolworks.
Halls Of Montezuma by Strategic Simulations; GS.
Omega by Origin.
Revolution '76 by Britannia Software; GS.
Solitaire Royale by Spectrum Holobyte; GS.
Word Processing/Desktop Publishing:
AW 3.0 Companion by Beagle Bros; AWks patching utility.
Outliner by Brandt, Beagle Bros; AWks WP utility.
TimeOut MacroEase by Brandt & Munz, Beagle Bros; AWks macro collection.
TimeOut SuperForms by Verkade, Beagle Bros; AWks WP utility.
TimeOut TextTools by Munz, Brandt, & Bangerter, Beagle Bros; AWks WP utilities.
Ultimate Fonts by Cadieux, Kingwood Micro Software; AWks macros that modify WP text to add the codes allowing inclusion of appropriate characters from other languages for printing with TimeOut SuperFonts.
-----------------------
SOFTWARE RELEASED IN 1991
Adventure:
2088: The Cryllan Mission, The Second Scenerio by Victory Software; GS.
Gate by Bright Software; GS; Escape from a castle, battling monsters and solving puzzles. Includes animation, stereo music, and many sound effects. $30.
The Immortal by Electronics Arts; GS.
Education/Hypermedia:
GeoQuiz by PC Globe.
HyperBole by Resource Central; GS.
HyperCard IIGS by Apple Computer; GS.
McGee At The Fun Fair by Lawrence Productions; GS.
Graphics:
Mickey's Crossword Puzzle Maker by Walt Disney Computer Software.
SuperConvert by Harper, Seven Hills Software; GS; graphics utility.
Home:
ShoeBox by Seven Hills Software; GS; HyperCard IIGS application for keeping track of household information that is usually hard to find when you want it. Includes HyperCard IIGS (minus the manuals). $59.95.
Home-Arcade:
Pipe Dreams by Lucasfilm.
Word Processing/Desktop Publishing:
Children's Newspaper Maker by Orange Cherry Software; GS; desktop publishing.
Companion Plus by Munz & Brandt, Beagle Bros; AWks patch utility, major upgrade from AW 3.0 Companion.
EdIt-16 by Doty, SSSi, Inc.; GS; text editor.
InWords by Westcode; translates scanned text into a file that can be used with any word processor.
Mercury by MECC; GS; desktop publishing.
TimeOut Superforms by Beagle Bros; AWks WP utility.
TotalControl by Brandt & Verkade, JEM Software; AWks DB utility.
Ultimate Words by Cadieux, Kingwood Micro Software; AWks macros that check text for capitalization, punctuation, and grammar errors.
-----------------------
SOFTWARE RELEASED IN 1992
Adventure
TimeLords by McKinsey, DreamWorld; GS; Adventure involving travel between various places in time, as well as solving puzzles.
Business/Productivity
Formulate by Seven Hills Software; GS; A "word processor for math"; helps in creation of math related documents that involve specialized formulas and symbols. $49.95.
Communications
Education/Hypermedia
First Aid With Reddy by Quality Computers; Medical emergency education program for children ages 6 and older. $29.95.
Storybook Weaver GS by MECC; GS; $49.95.
The Treehouse by Broderbund; Seven educational games for ages five and above in the environment of a treehouse. Click on various objects with the mouse and learn in areas including music, animals, math, money, and more. $29.95.
Graphics
DreamGrafix by DreamWorld Software; GS; Edit and display GS graphics in super hi-res 320 and 640 modes, as well as 3200 mode. $99.95.
Imagemaster: Basic Paint by Jada Graphics; GS; Paint program for 320 mode super hi-res GS graphics, utilizing up to 136 colors simultaneously. Has 64 built-in palettes and an unlimited number of custom palettes. $44.95.
Home
Your Money Matters by Peterson, Software Solutions; GS; Full-featured financial program that runs specifically under the GS/OS desktop environment. Manage, budget, and reconcile any account, print checks, more. $79.00.
Home-Arcade
Bouncin' Ferno by FTA; GS; Game with some similarities to "Marble Madness" but completely different play, in which a ball moved on a surface with the mouse must be bounced up to get power pellets that lengthen its life. Freeware.
Out Of This World by Heineman, Interplay; GS; Travel through a science-fiction world where hostile creatures lurk at every turn. Excellent graphics, and capability of modifying the video display to allow the game to run well on a non-accelerated GS. $39.95.
Pick'n'Pile by Procyon; GS; Game with some elements similar to "Tetris".
Space Fox by Bright Software; GS; Guide spaceship through nine levels of hostile aliens. Over 1 meg of sound files enhance this game. $30.00.
Programming/Utilities
Desktop Manager by TMS Peripherals; GS; Add-on utilities (CDAs?) that work with both ProDOS 8 and GS/OS applications. Includes mini-word-processor, appointment calendar, calculator, print manager, disk manager, screen saver, more. $39.95.
Disk Tools by Gum, Office Productivity Software; AWks TimeOut application that provides volume and file backup capabilities, with compression if desired).
Express by Seven Hills Software; GS; Print spooler for GS/OS software, using available memory as a buffer. Requires hard drive. $27.95.
FlashBoot by Quality Computers; GS; Loads RAM disk on bootup with any software program wanted, then can boot from that RAM disk for speed. Most useful for those with slow hard drives or NO hard drives. $29.95.
GNO/ME by Procyon, Inc; GS; Multi-tasking environment for GS/OS programs. $80.00.
ORCA/Debugger by Byte Works; GS; source-level debugger for C and Pascal programmers. Especially helpful in identifying and fixing problems with CDevs, XCmds, and Finder Extensions. Compatible with Apple's GS-Bug. $50.00.
Pointless by Westcode; GS; GS/OS Init that makes possible the use of TrueType scalable fonts on the IIGS, allowing display and printout of characters in many point sizes without jagged edges on the characters. $69.95.
Signature GS by Proni, Quality Computers; GS; Collection of CDevs to enhance the GS/OS environment, including Phantasm [screen saver], Graffiti [ desktop pattern editor], Sonics [customize sounds for system events], and BootMaster [modifies active/inactive status of GS/OS drivers, CDAs, and NDAs. $29.95.
Switch It by Econ Technologies; GS; GS/OS program switcher that can suspend one program and jump to another, leaving the first program in memory. $??
System Software 6.0 by Apple Computer; GS; New version of GS/OS system software with many enhancements over the previous version 5.0.4. Available free from dealers, online services, and user groups as a copy, but the disks and manual together for a reasonable cost. A winner! $39.
Universe Master by Proni, Econ Technologies; GS; Disk management program, including volume repair and file recovery utilities, multi-level catalog listings, block editing, and more, in a smoothly integrated desktop environment. $99.95.
Word Processing/Desktop Publishing
DB Pix by Brandt, JEM Software; Awks DB utility that allows your to display graphics pictures while in the database. Supports single and double hi-res, as well as Print Shop graphics, and displays the picture on the screen next to the database record. $25.00.
TimeOut Grammar by Beagle Bros/Quality Computers; AWks grammar checker for the WP. Re-write of the older Sensible Grammar, improved by making it available from within AWks. $79.95.
Ultra 4.0 by Brandt, JEM Software; AWks utility that enhances UltraMacros 3.x to give more macro commands and easier-to-read macro programs. $40.00.
Ultra Extras by Brandt, JEM Software; Add-on commands for Ultra 4.0. $20.00.
-----------------------
APPLE II ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
1990 AWARDS
At the December 1990 AppleFest, the First Apple II Achievement Awards were
given. The winners were:
Software:
ShrinkIt GS (Andy Nicholas)
Katie's Farm (Broderbund)
Proterm 2.2 (InSync)
Hyperstudio 2.1 (Roger Wagner Publishing)
Genesys 1.2 (SSSi)
GSBug 1.5 (Apple Computer)
AppleWorks 3.0 (Claris, special mention)
Hardware:
RamFAST SCSI card (C.V. Technologies)
Apple High Speed DMA SCSI card (Apple Computer)
Best Magazine: A2-Central
Best Online Service: America Online
1991 AWARDS
The 1991 Apple II Achievement Awards, sponsored by Resource Central and A+/inCider Magazine with cooperation from Apple Computer, Inc., were presented Friday, April 3rd, 1991, in a national online conference on America Online, winner of the 1990 Achievement Award for Best Online Service.
A prestigious panel of Apple II industry watchers, including representatives from A+/inCider, A2-Central, Apple Computer, America Online, CompuServe, GEnie, GS Plus Magazine and Nibble, recently nominated awards in a number of categories designed to recognize excellence in products for the Apple II family of computers during the period from November 1, 1990 through the present. Those products recognized as the best by the panel were nominated for Awards. A panel of over 100 Apple II community members was entrusted with selecting the best of the best during balloting between March 3rd and March 27th, 1992. Those selected receive the 1991 Apple II Achievement Award, a lead crystal disk engraved with "1991 Apple II Excellence" and an Apple logo on a crystal base.
The complete list of Apple II Achievement Award categories and recipients is as follows (Note: some of these were not quite available until early 1992, and therefore did not make the above list as being released in 1991):
Best Freeware or Shareware: GS-ShrinkIt (Andy Nicholas).
Best Educational Software: HyperStudio 3.1 (Roger Wagner Publishing).
Best 8-bit Application: ProTERM 3.0 (InSync Software).
Best 16-bit Application: HyperCard IIgs (Apple Computer, Inc.)
Best Innovation: Pointless (Westcode Software).
Best Multimedia Achievement: HyperStudio 3.1 (Roger Wagner Publishing).
Best Utility: Prosel 16 (Glen Bredon)
Outstanding Developer Aid: GSBug v1.6 (Apple Computer, Inc.).
Best Apple II Periodical: A2-Central (Resource Central, Inc.).
Best Online Service: TIE: America Online (America Online, Inc.)
GEnie (General Electric/Resource Central,
Inc.)
Software of the Year: Apple IIGS System Software 6.0 (Apple
Computer)
Apple II Individual Recognition (for service of distinction to the Apple II community): Alan Bird and Tom Weishaar.
Apple II Individual Achievement (for making the most positive impact for Apple II computer owners during the awards period): Andy Nicholas.
Apple II Group Achievement (for making the most positive impact for Apple II computer owners during the awards period): Apple II System Software team.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
APPENDIX B: APPLE II TIMELINE
The Apple II Timeline gives an overview of many of the events mentioned in the Apple II History, as well as some others that are not discussed. The dates given for the various entries found here are as accurate as I can make them, based on the sources cited in the bibliography that follows. In some cases I could come no closer to the correct date than the year in which it happened.
In the case of the various versions of Apple II disk operating systems: For DOS I chose to use the date found on the HELLO program on System Masters; for ProDOS 8 I chose to use the date displayed when it starts up; and for GS/OS I chose the dates it was first announced in Open-Apple or A2-Central. The dates they were completed and the dates they were available are sometimes several months apart.
One other thing that may make some of these dates slightly inaccurate is the difference between a product "announcement", "introduction", and "release". Something may be "introduced" on one date, but not available or "released" until a later date (the IBM PCjr comes to mind). If anyone cares to correct me on any of these points, please feel free to contact me with your information source, and I will be glad to make the change.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the History of the Apple II Time-Sweep. Every number one event, in order, beginning in January, 1971. Sit back, for the Greatest (Computer) Hits of All Time!"
====
1971
====
Intel introduces the 4004 microprocessor.
Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs start their first joint business venture, selling "blue boxes" (capable of making "free" long distance phone calls) at the Berkeley dorms.
====
1972
====
Intel introduces the 8008 microprocessor.
====
1973
====
Intel introduces the 8080 microprocessor.
====
1974
====
Motorola introduces the 6800 microprocessor.
1974 March
Scelbi-8H microcomputer introduced.
1974 April
Steve Jobs begins work at Atari.
1974 May
Mark 8 introduced, the first home-built computer kit.
1974 October
"Creative Computing" starts publication.
====
1975
====
1975 January
Altair 8800 introduced.
1975 February
Zilog announces the Z-80 microprocessor.
1975 March
First meeting of Homebrew Computer Club.
1975 April
Scelbi-8B (business) computer introduced.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen write the first BASIC interpreter for a microcomputer (the Altair 8800). It is shipped on paper tape.
1975 September
"Byte" begins publication.
====
1976
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1976:
--MOS Technology introduces the 6502 microprocessor.
--Processor Technology introduces the Sol ($995 in kit form).
--Cromenco sells the TV Dazzler ($215), a color graphics card for the
Altair.
--Shugart introduces its 5.25 inch floppy disk drive for $390.
--"Dr. Dobb's Journal Of Computer Calisthenics And Orthodontia" begins
publication.
--Electric Pencil by Michael Shrayer, the first word processor for
microcomputers, is released.
--The first version of Adventure for microcomputers is translated by
Crowther and Wood from mainframe versions.
1976 April
Wozniak and Jobs form the Apple Computer Company on April Fool's Day.
Wozniak's 6502 computer, later known as the Apple Computer or the Apple I, is introduced to the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, California.
1976 July
The Apple I is delivered for sale at the Byte Shops ($666.66). It required the addition of a power supply and keyboard.
1976 August
Wozniak completes prototype of the Apple II. Chris Espinosa begins working on games and demonstration software for it.
1976 October
Wozniak is persuaded to leave Hewlett-Packard and work at Apple full-time.
====
1977
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1977:
--The Horizon introduced by North Star Computers, with a Z-80, 16K RAM,
one 5.25 drive, 12 S-100 slots, and built-in serial I/O ($1999)
--H-8 Computer introduced by Heathkit as a kit, with an 8080 processor.
--MITS, the company that started it all with the Altair 8800 in 1975, is
sold to Pertec Computer Corp.
--CP/M, written by Gary Kildall, first released by Digital Research.
Eventually becomes the standard operating system for the first
generation 8080 and 8088 microcomputers. The name stands for "Control
Program for Microcomputers".
1977 January
Apple incorporates, with Intel veteran Mike Markkula as its first chairman. He helps them obtain venture capital to get the business going.
Apple moves from the garage owned by Steve Jobs' parents to a building on Stevens Creek Boulevard in Cupertino, California.
1977 April
Apple II introduced at the First West Coast Computer Faire, with BASIC in ROM, color video, low and high resolution graphics, built-in speaker, game paddle inputs, and seven slots for peripherals. It is expandable to 48K RAM.
Commodore PET introduced, with a 6502 processor, 4K RAM, 14K ROM, and 8K Microsoft BASIC.
1977 May
First Apple II boards ship.
Byte Magazine publishes an article by Steve Wozniak called "The Apple II". It gives a hardware and firmware description of the computer.
1977 June
First Apple II systems ship. Standard configuration included 4K of memory, two game paddles, and a demo cassette with programs, costing $1,298. Home televisions are usually used for monitors.
1977 August
TRS-80 introduced by Radio Shack, with a Z-80 processor, 4K RAM, and 4K ROM.
1977 September
Wozniak, Espinosa, and Wigginton have to discontinue their attendance at the Homebrew Computer Club; work at Apple is now taking up all of their time.
1977 October
Applesoft I, a 6502 version of BASIC purchased from Microsoft, is released on cassette.
"SWEET 16: The 6502 Dream Machine", by Steve Wozniak, is published in Byte magazine. It describes the 16-bit computer emulator he included in the Apple II Integer BASIC ROM.
"Micro" begins publication.
1977 November
Apple Parallel Printer Interface Card released.
1977 December
Wozniak begins work on a floppy disk drive and controller.
====
1978
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1978:
--Exidy sells the Sorcerer ($895), with a Z-80, 8K RAM, 12K ROM, and
serial, parallel, and cassette interfaces. It could use plug-in ROM
cartridges and had user-definable characters.
--Epson releases the MX-80, one of the first low-cost dot-matrix printers.
1978 February
"Apple II Reference Manual" (also known as the "Red Book") released.
"Call-A.P.P.L.E." begins publication.
1978 April
Apple II Communications Card released.
1978 May
Applesoft II released on cassette, adding hi-res graphics commands.
1978 June
Disk II floppy disk drive introduced (DOS 3, still buggy, not released).
1978 July
Apple DOS 3.1 released.
1978 August
Apple II Serial Interface Card released.
1978 September
Apple sells 7600 computers in fiscal 1978.
====
1979
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1979:
--Intel introduces the 8088 processor.
--Orange Computer, one of the first Apple II clones, appears at the Third
West Coast Computer Faire.
--Atari 400 and 800, with a 6502 processor, finally ship late this year
(they were announced in 1978). The Atari 400 had a membrane keyboard,
and the 800 came with 8K expandable to 48K, and both could take ROM
cartridges.
--TI-99/4 computer by Texas Instruments is introduced ($1150), including a
16-bit TMS9900 processor, a color monitor, and a poorly designed
keyboard. It was slow, and the company kept a tight reign on peripheral
and software cartridge support, which made it difficult for third
parties to support it.
--Hayes Microcomputer Products begins selling the Micromodem 100 for S-100
bus computers, one of the first modems that had a direct connect line
for the phone rather than sending and receiving the tones through the
handset.
--Compuserve and The Source begin service to general computer users.
--A database program called Vulcan by Wayne Ratliff appears; it later is
known by the name dBase II.
1979 February
Apple President Mike Scott tells Apple employees not to use typewriters any longer; only computers are to be used for all office functions.
DOS 3.2 released.
1979 June
Apple II Plus introduced.
Applesoft Firmware Card released for Apple II, making it possible for these older computers to use Applesoft.
Apple Silentype printer (which used thermal paper) introduced.
1979 July
DOS 3.2.1 released.
1979 August
Apple Pascal and the Language System released.
1979 September
Apple sells 35,100 computers in fiscal 1979.
1979 October
VisiCalc released by Personal Software, Inc.
====
1980
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1980:
--Sinclair Research introduces the ZX80 (sold in Great Britain), with Z-80
processor, with 1K RAM, 4K ROM (integer BASIC), and a membrane keyboard.
It is the first microcomputer to cost less than $200. Its successor,
the ZX81, is later sold as the Timex-Sinclair in the U.S.
--Commodore introduces the VIC-20, with a 6502A processor, 5K RAM, BASIC
in ROM, serial, cassette, and modem interfaces, and color. It could
take program cartridges, and sold for $299.
--Radio Shack introduces the TRS-80 Color Computer, with a 6809 processor,
and capability of taking ROM program cartridges.
--Digital Research announces CP/M-86.
--WordPerfect announced for Data General computers.
--Personal Software introduces Zork for the Apple II, an advanced version
of the old game Adventure.
1980 January
"Nibble" begins publication.
1980 May
Online Systems begins business with the game Mystery House, the first hi-res graphics adventure for the Apple II.
1980 June
Sirius Software begins business.
1980 July
Broderbund Software begins business.
1980 August
Apple DOS 3.3 released.
1980 September
Apple III introduced. It had the 6502B processor, came with a built-in disk drive and four peripheral slots, and sold for $3495.
1980 September
Apple sells 78,100 computers in fiscal 1980.
1980 September
"Softalk" begins publication.
1980 October
"Apple Assembly Line" begins publication.
1980 November
Apple reorganizes. Mike Markkula becomes President and CEO, and Mike Scott becomes Vice-Chairman.
1980 December
Apple's initial public stock offering; 4.6 million shares were purchased.
====
1971
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1981:
--Osborne 1 Portable computer introduced, with Z-80 processor, 64K RAM,
two serial interfaces, two 5.25 disk drives, 5-inch monitor built-in,
and a large selection of software sold with it ($1795).
--The Alto is developed by researchers at Xerox PARC, and was the
inspiration for Steve Jobs in his design for the Macintosh
--Timex-Sinclair 1000 sold for under $100 in the U.S.
--Atari VCS and Mattel Intellivision home video games introduced.
1981 January
Apple Super Serial Card released.
Steve Jobs, blocked from working on the Lisa computer project, discovers the Macintosh project that Jef Raskin has been developing, and begins to assemble a team to advance work on it.
The problems causing Apple III's to mysteriously fail are identified, and steps are taken to correct them.
1981 February
Wozniak is injured in plane crash, begins leave of absence.
"Black Wednesday" at Apple. Forty employees are fired in the wake of problems with the Apple III and other projects.
1981 March
Apple's first million dollar shipping day.
1981 April
Steve Jobs becomes chairman of Apple Computers, Inc.
1981 May
Work begins on custom Apple II chips, and the Apple IIe project begins.
1981 June
Central Point Software releases Copy II Plus v1.0.
1981 July
Mike Scott leaves Apple.
1981 August
IBM PC introduced.
1981 September
Apple sells nearly 180,000 computers in fiscal 1981.
1981 September
Apple introduces the Profile 5 MB hard disk for the Apple III, for $3499.
1981 December
Apple III re-introduced after solution of technical problems.
====
1982
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1982:
--Intel announces the 80286 processor.
--Franklin Ace 100, an Apple II clone, introduced.
--Compaq Portable introduced, one of the first IBM PC compatible computers
sold.
--Commodore 64 introduced, with a 6510 processor, 64K RAM, 20K ROM with
Microsoft BASIC, color and custom sound chips, and serial interface
($595).
--Kaypro introduces the Kaycomp II portable, with 9-inch screen and
software included, to compete with the Osborne.
--Radio Shack introduces the TRS-80 Model 16, with both 68000 and Z-80
processors, 128K RAM, and 8-inch disk drive ($4999).
--Lotus 1-2-3 introduced.
--"Time" magazine names the computer as its "Man Of The Year" for 1981.
1982 February
Steve Jobs appears on cover of Time.
1982 March
Apple announces it will take legal action against Asian makers of Apple II clones.
Epson's MX-80 and MX-100 printers are becoming popular as inexpensive dot-matrix printers.
1982 May
Apple sues Franklin Computer Corporation for patent and copyright infringement.
1982 June
Business Solutions introduces The Incredible Jack, the first integrated software program for the Apple II. It did word processing, personal filing, mailing labels, and had spreadsheet ("Calc") functions. It ran under DOS 3.3 and worked on the II Plus.
1982 September
Apple stops announcing publicly how many systems it sells per year.
Steve Wozniak holds the first "US Festival".
1982 October
Apple Dot Matrix Printer ($699), and Apple Letter Quality Printer ($2195) released.
1982 November
First AppleFest opens in San Francisco.
Bank Street Writer released by Broderbund Software.
1982 December
Apple IIc project begins.
Apple throws a "Billion Dollar Party" for its employees to celebrate the milestone of being the first personal computer company to reach a $1 billion annual sales rate.
====
1983
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1983:
--Radio Shack introduces the portable TRS-80 Model 100 ($800) and the
Tandy 2000, which has a 80186 processor.
--Coleco introduces the Adam computer, a game machine with detached
keyboard, cassette interface, and printer, which fails to gain any
impact on the home computer market as they had hoped it would.
--Hewlett-Packard HP150 introduced, with 8088 processor and a touchscreen
feature
--Microsoft Word introduced.
1983 January
Apple IIe ($1395) and Lisa ($9995) announced.
QuickFile IIe and Apple Writer IIe released with the Apple IIe.
"inCider" begins publication.
"A+" begins publication.
ORCA/M DOS 3.3 assembler, written by Mike Westerfield, released by Hayden Software.
1983 February
Apple UniFile and DuoFile disk drives for the Apple III announced. Also called the Apple 871 drive, it used disks with a capacity of 1702 SOS blocks (which were the same size as ProDOS blocks). They were to sell at $1000 for the UniFile, and $1700 for the DuoFile. The drives were advertised as being ideal for backing up the ProFile 5 MB hard drive for the Apple III. Undoubtedly they didn't move to the Apple II during the post-Apple III era because the smaller 3.5 inch drives were coming for the Mac, and had the potential of holding 800K of data (almost as much as these) and would cost less.
1983 March
IBM PC-XT introduced.
Lotus 1-2-3 replaces VisiCalc as the best-selling computer program in America.
1983 April
John Sculley joins Apple as President and CEO; Mike Markkula becomes Vice-Chairman.
1983 May
Apple makes the Fortune 500 list.
"Kids Can't Wait" program begins, in which Apple donates 9000 computers to California public schools.
Steve Wozniak holds second (and final) US Festival.
1983 June
Millionth Apple II produced.
Wozniak returns to Apple.
First 16-bit Apple II project ("IIx") begins.
1983 September
Osborne Computer Corporation files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
1983 October
ProDOS v1.0
IBM PCjr introduced, but is not available until early 1984.
1983 November
AppleWorks introduced.
BASIC.SYSTEM v1.0
1983 December
Apple III Plus introduced.
Apple ImageWriter printer introduced ($675), replacing the Apple Dot Matrix Printer.
Apple IIe sales for the holiday season are very brisk.
====
1984
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1984:
--IBM PC-AT introduced, with 80286 processor, 256K RAM, and a high density
disk drive ($5469).
--Hewlett-Packard introduces the LaserJet laser printer.
--Lotus introduces Symphony, an integrated package for MS-DOS.
--Commodore buys Amiga Corp.
1984 January
ProDOS v1.0.1
Macintosh introduced ($2495).
The infamous "1984" commercial that introduces the Macintosh is run during the 1984 Super Bowl.
Lisa becomes Lisa 2.
Apple and Franklin settle out of court.
1984 February
ProDOS v1.0.2
1984 March
Apple IIx project cancelled.
1984 April
Apple IIc introduced ($1295) at "Apple II Forever" event, along with the Apple Scribe color printer ($299).
Apple III and III Plus discontinued.
1984 May
Broderbund Software announces The Print Shop.
Apple Duodisk floppy disk drive unit introduced for the Apple II ($795); older Disk II drive discontinued.
AppleMouse II released.
1984 June
BASIC.SYSTEM v1.1
Apple Color Plotter released ($779).
Apple ImageWriter Wide Carriage version introduced ($749).
1984 August
ProDOS v1.1
Basic design work on Mega II chip completed.
"Softalk" ceases publication, succumbing to bankruptcy.
IBM PC AT introduced.
1984 September
ProDOS v1.1.1
Apple passes the $1 billion mark for its fiscal year.
Macintosh 512K ("Fat Mac") introduced.
1984 October
Discussions about 16 bit Apple II are revived.
1984 November
Two millionth Apple II sold.
Apple buys every page of advertising in the election year issue of "Newsweek" magazine.
Apple's "Test Drive A Mac" campaign begins.
First Class Peripherals introduces the Sider, the first low-cost hard drive for the Apple II, offering 10 MB for $695.
1984 December
AppleColor 100 Monitor introduced. It is Apple's first RGB monitor, with a switch that changes to a monochrome display mode, and a motorized screen tilt feature.
====
1985
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1985:
--Intel introduces the 80386 microprocessor.
--Commodore introduces the Amiga 1000, with the ability to do multitasking
($1295).
--Atari 520ST introduced.
--Toshiba introduces the T1100 laptop.
--Tandy Model 200 laptop introduced.
--Lotus buys Software Arts, and stops sales of VisiCalc.
--Aldus PageMaker introduced for Macintosh.
1985 January
Apple's annual stockholder meeting almost totally ignores the Apple II, despite having its best sales quarter ever, while concentrating on the Macintosh. Leaves the Apple II division demoralized.
Apple LaserWriter laser printer and AppleTalk introduced as part of the Macintosh Office System.
Macintosh XL announced. (It is a refitted Lisa with an internal hard drive).
"Open-Apple" begins publication.
1985 February
Wozniak leaves Apple to start a new company, CL9.
Wozniak and Jobs receive National Technology Medal from President Reagan.
1985 March
Enhanced Apple IIe introduced.
Sculley asks employees to take a week of vacation and announces that Apple's manufacturing plants will close for one week, to work off excess inventory.
1985 April
Addison-Wesley Publishing takes over printing of Apple manuals.
Macintosh XL discontinued.
IBM PCjr discontinued.
1985 May
Apple reorganizes again, bringing the Apple II and Macintosh product groups together. Steve Jobs is ousted from day-to-day management, and made a chairman with no responsibilities.
1985 June
Apple lays off 1200 employees and records a loss of $40 million, its first and only quarterly loss as a public company.
1985 June
Apple UniDisk 5.25 introduced.
1985 July
AppleLink network goes into service (for use by Apple Computer and registered developers only).
1985 August
"Creative Computing" ceases publication (approximate date).
1985 September
Apple UniDisk 3.5, Memory Expansion Card, Catalyst introduced.
Apple ImageWriter II introduced ($595). It can print MouseText, and in color.
Apple ColorMonitor IIe and IIc introduced ($399). It displays composite color (not RGB) but can still produce readable 80-column text.
Jobs resigns as chairman of Apple to start a new company, NExt, Inc. Several Apple employees resign from Apple to join him.
Apple sues Jobs, alleging that he breached his duties as chairman and misappropriated proprietary information.
1985 October
"Micro" ceases publication.
General Electric starts GEnie online service. The American Apple Roundtable (AART) for the Apple II begins at the same time.
Franklin Computer returns with the ACE 2000, a new IIc/IIc compatible ($699), with a detachable keyboard, numeric keypad, and graphics characters similar to MouseText.
1985 November
Apple IIc UniDisk 3.5 upgrade announced.
Microsoft Windows 1.0 announced.
====
1986
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1986:
--Microsoft Works introduced for Macintosh.
1986 January
Macintosh Plus and LaserWriter Plus introduced.
John Sculley leaves PepsiCo and becomes Chairman of Apple.
Apple and Jobs reach out-of-court settlement.
Applied Engineering introduces the Transwarp accelerator for the Apple II.
1986 February
Jobs sells all but one share of his Apple stock, leaving Mike Markkula as the largest shareholder.
1986 March
Central Point Software introduces the Laser 128 computer ($395). It is similar to the Apple IIc, but includes a single expansion slot and a numeric keypad.
1986 September
Apple IIGS and Apple 3.5 Drive introduced ($999).
Apple IIc Memory Expansion version introduced, with IIc Memory Expansion card. Apple IIe 128K price reduced.
Apple II SCSI controller card and Apple Hard Disk 20SC introduced.
Apple RGB Monitor ($499), Apple Monochrome Monitor ($129), and AppleColor Composite Monitor ($379) introduced.
ProDOS 16 v1.0 introduced; original ProDOS becomes ProDOS 8 v1.2.
Apple Programmer's and Developer's Association (APDA) created.
1986 November
Penguin Software, a pioneer in removal of copy protection, changes its name to Polarware (Penguin Books objected to the use of the name).
1986 December
ProDOS 16 v1.1
====
1987
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1987:
--Commodore introduces Amiga 2000 and 500 models.
1987 January
ProDOS 8 v1.3
Platinum Apple IIe with built-in keypad introduced ($829).
1987 February
Apple II SCSI Card revision B released (fixes problems when trying to use the card on the IIGS).
1987 March
Macintosh SE and Macintosh II introduced.
1987 April
ProDOS 8 v1.4
IBM PS/2 line introduced, with the first version of their OS/2 operating system.
1987 May
Apple IIGS System Software v2.0
1987 June
Pecan Software releases FORTRAN for the Apple IIGS.
1987 July
Claris, a software company spun-off from Apple, is announced. It will handle AppleWorks and Macintosh software previously sold by Apple.
1987 September
Apple IIGS ROM 01 upgrade.
1987 October
Beagle Bros introduces the TimeOut series of enhancements for AppleWorks.
1987 November
Applied Engineering introduces the PC Transporter.
1987 December
Apple IIGS System Software v3.1 released. It is the first version with the Finder.
BASIC.SYSTEM v1.2
====
1988
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1988:
--Intel introduces the 386SX processor.
--Memory chips are in short supply, and therefore quite expensive.
--dBASE IV introduced.
--A "worm" is accidentally released into the ARPANet computer network, and
causes significant problems at 6000 sites across the country;
1988 January
Apple IIc Revised Memory Expansion version released.
Apple's LaserWriter II family introduced.
Timeworks introduces Publish-It!, the first serious desktop publishing program for the Apple II.
1988 March
AppleCD SC (CD-ROM drive, $1199) introduced for both the Macintosh and Apple II. Also introduced were the Apple II SCSI Card Rev C (supporting partitioning on large capacity disk drives), and the Apple II Workstation Card ($249) to allow the Apple IIe to connect to AppleTalk.
Tom Weishaar (Open-Apple) begins as manager of the Apple II Roundtables on the GEnie online service.
1988 April
ProDOS 8 v1.5
1988 May
AppleLink-Personal Edition introduced (later to become America Online).
"Apple Assembly Lines" ceases publication.
Zip Technologies introduces the Zip Chip at AppleFest. It is a 4 MHz accelerator on a single chip.
1988 June
ProDOS 8 v1.6
1988 July
Apple IIGS System Software v3.2; it is the first version that can boot over an AppleTalk network.
1988 August
ProDOS 8 v1.7
1988 September
Apple IIGS System Software v4.0 introduced. It is the first version to be called GS/OS, and is written entirely in 16-bit code.
Apple IIc Plus introduced ($675, or $1099 with color monitor).
Macintosh IIx and FDHD (SuperDrive) introduced.
Zip Chip finally available for shipment.
1988 October
Claris, having bought the rights to StyleWare's program GS-Works, modifies and releases it as AppleWorks GS.
1988 November
Applied Engineering introduces the Transwarp GS accelerator.
1988 December
A.P.P.L.E. (Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange) changes it official name to TechAlliance; among other reasons is Apple Computer's dislike of other companies using "their" name.
"Open-Apple" changes its name to "A2-Central" for similar reasons.
Apple Computer purchases the Apple Programmers and Developers Association (APDA) from A.P.P.L.E. Co-op.
Steve Jobs announces the NeXT computer.
====
1989
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1989:
--GRiD Systems announces the GRiDPad, a handwriting-recognizing pad.
1989 April
Apple II Video Overlay Card introduced.
1989 May
Roger Wagner Publishing releases HyperStudio, the first Apple IIGS
hypermedia product.
"A+" ceases publication, merges with "inCider" to become "inCider/A+".
1989 June
ProDOS 8 v1.8
BASIC.SYSTEM v1.3 (It was a buggy version, however, that had to be later replaced).
Claris announces AppleWorks 3.0.
1989 July
First A2-Central Developer's Conference.
Apple IIGS System Software v5.0 released.
1989 August
Apple IIGS ROM 03 introduced.
BASIC.SYSTEM v1.4
1989 September
"Call-A.P.P.L.E." ceases publication.
Macintosh Portable and Macintosh IIci introduced.
1989 December
Apple IIGS System Software v5.0.2 released.
====
1990
====
Miscellaneous Events of 1990:
--Motorola introduces 68040 processor.
--IBM introduces the PS/1.
--Commodore introduces the Amiga 3000 ($3300).
--Microsoft introduces Windows 3.0.
1990 March
Apple II High Speed SCSI card introduced.
Macintosh IIfx introduced.
1990 May
Vitesse releases the Quickie hand scanner for the Apple IIe and IIGS.
1990 June
BASIC.SYSTEM v1.4.1
1990 July
Second A2-Central Developer's Conference (KansasFest).
1990 August
ProDOS 8 v1.9
Apple buys back Claris Corporation as a wholly-owned subsidiary.
1990 October
Macintosh Classic, Macintosh LC, and Macintosh IIsi introduced. The Mac Classic replaces the Mac Plus and Mac SE.
1990 November
"The IIGS Buyer's Guide" ceases publication.
1990 December
Apple IIGS System Software v5.0.3. It fixes some bugs and speeds up the ImageWriter driver. However, there were problems with this driver under low memory situations, so it was not widely distributed.
Apple IIc Plus and ImageWriter LQ discontinued.
Zip Technologies releases the Zip GS cards to accelerate the Apple IIGS.
1990 Apple II Achievement Awards held at AppleFest.
====
1991
====
1991 January
Apple introduces HyperCard IIGS.
1991 February
Apple IIGS System Software v5.0.4 released.
1991 March
Apple IIe card (for Macintosh LC) released ($199).
Westcode introduces InWords, which allows text digitized with the Quickie hand-scanner to be turned into ProDOS text files.
May 1991
Apple StyleWriter ($599) and Apple Personal LaserWriter LS ($1299) released. Neither works on the Apple II or IIGS at the time of this release.
June 1991
AppleCD SC Plus, faster than the original CD-ROM drive, released ($799).
July 1991
Third A2-Central Developer's Conference (KansasFest).
Apple IIGS System Software v6.0 announced.
September 1991
Apple's first User Group Television live satellite broadcast. A new Apple IIGS is almost announced, but the project is killed by Apple management at the last minute.
November 1991
SuperDrive interface card for Apple II released. It can use 1.4 MB capacity 3.5 disks on an Apple IIe or IIGS, making it possible (when translation software is made available) to read and write even MS-DOS disks.
====
1992
====
March 1992
Apple IIGS System Software v6.0 released. It includes a driver to allow the Apple StyleWriter printer to be used on the IIGS.
April 1992
1991 Apple II Achievement Awards presented (a little late).
July 1992
Fourth A2-Central Developer's Conference (KansasFest).
Apple IIGS System Software v6.0.1 announced.
=====================================================
***********************
* TIMELINE REFERENCES *
***********************
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Feb 1988, pp. 12-27.
-----. "Apple and Apple II History", THE APPLE II GUIDE, Fall 1990.
-----. "Back In Time", A+ MAGAZINE, Feb 1987, pp. 48-49.
-----. "The Marketplace", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Jun 1984, pp. 74-75.
-----. "The Marketplace", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Sep 1984, p. 58.
-----. "The Marketplace", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Jul 1985, p. 49.
-----. "The Marketplace", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Nov 1985, p. 50.
-----. "The Marketplace", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Jun 1988, p. 23, 26.
-----. "Tomorrow's Apples Today", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., May 1984, p. 78.
Ahl, David H. "Dave Tells Ahl", CREATIVE COMPUTING, Nov 1984, pp. 67-74.
Ahl, David H. "The First Decade Of Personal Computing", CREATIVE
COMPUTING, Nov 1984, pp. 30-45.
Bernsten, Jeff. GEnie, A2 ROUNDTABLE, Apr 1991, Category 2, Topic 16.
Chien, Philip. "The First Ten Years: A Look Back", THE APPLE II REVIEW,
Fall/Winter 1986, p. 12.
Cochran, Dan. "Introducing APDA", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Sep 1986, pp. 9-10.
Connick, Jack. "...And Then There Was Apple", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Oct 1986,
p. 26.
Cox, John. "The Apple Mouse //", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., May 1984, pp. 34-38.
Deatherage, Matt. "The Operating System", THE APPLEII Guide, Fall 1990.
Doms, Dennis. "Apple acquires Claris", OPEN-APPLE, Aug 1990, p. 6.50.
Doms, Dennis. "AppleFest Long Beach", A2-CENTRAL, Jan 1991, pp. 6.89-6.90.
Doms, Dennis. "Farewell, Old Friend", OPEN-APPLE, Jan 1990, p. 5.89.
Doms, Dennis. "Miscellanea", OPEN-APPLE, Dec 1990, p. 6.84.
Doms, Dennis. "The Apple II as Mac peripheral", OPEN-APPLE, Jul 1991, pp.
7.43-7.44.
Doms, Dennis. "The Ides Of October", A2-CENTRAL, Dec 1990, pp. 6.81-6.82.
Donohoe, Kevin. "Tomorrow's Apples Today", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Feb 1983, pp.
71-72.
Duprau, Jeanne, and Tyson, Molly. "The Making Of The Apple IIGS", A+
MAGAZINE, Nov 1986, pp. 59-60.
Durkee, David. "Marketalk Reviews", SOFTALK, Jun 1984, p. 120.
E'Sex, Lunatic. GEnie, A2 ROUNDTABLE, Apr 1991, Category 2, Topic 16.
Fillmore, Kent. GEnie, A2 ROUNDTABLE, Sep 1991, Category 2, Topic 16.
Freiberger, Paul, and Swaine, Michael. "Fire In The Valley, Part I (Book
Excerpt)", A+ MAGAZINE, Dec 1984, p. 61-62.
Freiberger, Paul, and Swaine, Michael. "Fire In The Valley, Part II (Book
Excerpt)", A+ MAGAZINE, Jan 1985, p. 45-51.
Geenen, Donald. "FORTRAN-77 Forever!, CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Mar 1989, pp.
20-26.
Gray, Stephen B. "The Early Days", CREATIVE COMPUTING, Nov 1984, pp. 6-14.
Hoover, Tom. GEnie, A2 ROUNDTABLE, Apr 1991, Category 2, Topic 16.
inCider Staff. "100 Issues Of inCider", INCIDER/A+, Apr 1991, pp. 36-39.
Levy, Steven. HACKERS: HEROES OF THE COMPUTER REVOLUTION, Dell Publishing
Co., Inc, New York, 1984.
Little, Gary. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc, EXPLORING APPLE
GS/OS AND PRODOS 8, Reading, MA, 1988.
Marsh, Robert. "1975: Ancient History", CREATIVE COMPUTING, Nov 1984, pp.
108-110.
Pinella, Paul. "In The Beginning: An Interview With Harvey Lehtman",
APPLEIIGS: Graphics And Sound, Fall/Winter 1986, p. 38.
Platt, Robert, and Field, Bruce. "A.P.P.L.E. Doctor", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Nov
1987, p. 58.
Prosise, Jeff. "A Decade Of MS-DOS", PC MAGAZINE, Sep 24, 1991, pp.
232-233.
Rose, Frank. WEST OF EDEN: THE END OF INNOCENCE AT APPLE COMPUTER, Penguin
Books, New York, 1989.
Rubin, Charles. "The Life & Death & Life Of The Apple II", PERSONAL
COMPUTING, Feb 1985, p. 73.
Schwarz, Emile. "The Apple IIGS System Software Version 5.0", THE APPLEII
Guide, Fall 1990.
Smarte, Gene, and Reinhardt, Andrew. "15 Years Of Bits, Bytes, And Other
Great Moments", BYTE, Sep 1990, pp. 369-400.
Stechow, Tom. GEnie, A2 ROUNDTABLE, Aug 1991, Category 2, Topic 16.
Suther, Kathryn. "The Inside Track", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Dec 1988, p. 9.
Tommervik, Al. "Apple IIe: The Difference", SOFTALK, Feb 1983, pp.
118-127, 142.
Weishaar, Tom. "Apple announces file sharing, CD-ROM", OPEN-APPLE, Apr
1988, pp. 4.17-4.18.
Weishaar, Tom. "Apple Manuals Liberated", OPEN-APPLE, Apr 1985, p. 1.26.
Weishaar, Tom. "Control-I(nterface) S(tandards)", OPEN-APPLE, Oct 1987,
pp. 3.65.
Weishaar, Tom. "Demoralized Apple II Division Announces Enhanced IIe...",
OPEN-APPLE, Apr 1985, pp. 1.25-1.27.
Weishaar, Tom. ": FLASH :", OPEN-APPLE, Dec 1985, pp. 1.89.
Weishaar, Tom. "Mainframe genie at your service", OPEN-APPLE, Feb 1988,
pp. 4.1-4.2.
Weishaar, Tom. "Miscellanea", OPEN-APPLE, Oct 1985, pp. 1.76.
Weishaar, Tom. "Miscellanea", OPEN-APPLE, Mar 1986, p. 2.10.
Weishaar, Tom. "Miscellanea", OPEN-APPLE, Oct 1986, p. 2.67.
Weishaar, Tom. "Miscellanea", OPEN-APPLE, Nov 1986, p. 2.74.
Weishaar, Tom. "Miscellanea", OPEN-APPLE, Mar 1987, p. 3.12.
Weishaar, Tom. "Miscellanea", OPEN-APPLE, Aug 1988, p. 4.50.
Weishaar, Tom. "New $999 Apple IIGS Arrives", OPEN-APPLE, Oct 1986, pp.
2.65-2.67.
Weishaar, Tom. "Open-Apple becomes A2-Central", OPEN-APPLE, Dec 1988, p.
4.84.
Westerfield, Mike. GEnie, (Personal E-mail), Sep 1991.
Weyhrich, Steven. M.A.C.H. NEWS, Dec 1990, "What's New From Apple", p. 1.
Williams, Gregg. "'C' Is For Crunch", BYTE, Dec 1984, pp. A75-A78, A121.
Williams, Gregg. "The Lisa Computer System", BYTE, Feb 1983, p. 43.
Worth, Don, and Lechner, Pieter. BENEATH APPLE DOS, Reseda, CA, 1981.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
APPENDIX C: GENEALOGY
This table shows in an abbreviated format the approximate dates of product release and product discontinuation during the Apple II era. Generally, the left half of the table deals with the 6502/65816 Apple II series of computers (and the closely related Apple III), and the right half deals with the 680x0 Lisa and Macintosh series. The Mac data is more sketchy than I would like, but there have been so many new types of Macs released in the past few years that it is hard to keep track of when the new ones came out, and even more difficult to find when the old ones were discontinued.
Each year is divided up into six parts; so each horizontal tick refers to two months (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, etc). For a product introduction, the line where the first part of the name appears (if it takes up more than one line) represents the date it was released. If the discontinuation date is known, the "===" mark represents that date; if it is not known, the vertical line will terminate in a "???".
In the case of several product lines, their revisions are designated in the same vertical line since they were modifications of the existing machines, but not entirely new products.
There is no implied significance in the vertical positioning of products. Ideally, I would have liked to display each different product on a separate vertical line, but did not have enough space to fit all of that information horizontally in this format.
____________________________________________________________________
1976 -| |-
-| Apple I |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
1977 -| | |-
-| | |-
-| === Apple ][ |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
1978 -| | |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
1979 -| | |-
-| | |-
-| Apple ][+ |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
1980 -| | |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
-| | |-
-| Apple /// | |-
-| | | |-
1981 -| | | |-
-| | | |-
-| | | |-
-| | | |-
-| | | |-
-| | | |-
1982 -| | | |-
-| | | |-
-| | | |-
-| | | |-
-| | | |-
-| | | |-
1983 -| | === Apple //e Lisa |-
-| | | | |-
-| | | | |-
-| | | | |-
-| | | | |-
-| Apple | | |-
1984 -| /// Plus | Lisa 2 Mac |-
-| === Apple //c | | | |-
-| | | | | |-
-| | | | | |-
-| | | | Mac 512K |-
-| | | | | |-
1985 -| | | Mac XL | |-
-| | Enhanced === | |-
-| | //e | |-
-| | | | |-
-| | | | |-
-| 3.5 ROM | | |-
1986 -| | | Mac Plus |-
-| | | | |-
-| | | | |-
-| | | | |-
-| Apple Mem Exp | | |-
-| IIGS ROM | | |-
1987 -| | | Platinum | |-
-| | | //e | Mac SE Mac II |-
-| | | | | | | |-
-| | | | | | | |-
-| ROM 01 | | ??? | | |-
-| | | | | | |-
1988 -| | Rev Mem | | | |-
-| | Exp ROM | | | |-
-| | | | | | |-
-| | | | | | |-
-| | === | Apple Mac IIx | | |-
-| | | //c Plus | | | |-
1989 -| | | | | | | |-
-| | | | | | | |-
-| | | | | | ??? |-
-| ROM 03 | | | | |-
-| | | | | | Mac IIci |-
-| | | | | ??? | |-
1990 -| | | | | | |-
-| | | | | | Mac IIfx |-
-| | | | ??? ??? | |-
-| | | | | |-
-| | | | Mac LC Mac Mac IIsi | |-
-| | | === | Classic | | |-
1991 -| | | | | | | |-
-| | Apple //e | | | | ??? |-
-| | Card for | | | | |-
-| | Mac LC | | | | |-
-| | | | | | | Mac Quadra |-
-| | | | | | | & |-
1992 -| | | | | | | Powerbook |-
-| | | | | | ??? | |-
-| | | | Mac LC II | | |-
-| | | | | Classic II | |-
-| | | | | | Mac | |-
-| | | | | | Performa | |-
1993 -|______|_______|_______|_______________|_______|_______|_______|_____|-
| | | | | | |
Apple Apple Apple Mac LC Mac | Mac Quadra
IIGS //e Card //e II Classic II | &
Mac Powerbook
Performa