Open Apple #41 (November 2014) : Randy Brandt, Neuromancer, Bob Bishop

This month on Open Apple we present an early holiday gift, in the form of an epic three hour episode. We sit down for a great conversation with Apple II legend Randy Brandt, perhaps best known for his work at Beagle Bros. We go deep on Beagle Bros, exploring the making of their quirky, innovative software and the wacky characters that produced it. Never one to rest on his laurels, Randy is now helping to produce a modern reboot of Beagle Bros’ only major game release, I/O Silver. The game will be released very soon as of when you’re reading this, and it runs on all major mobile platforms. Look for it in an Apple App Store or Google Play Store near you.

If that’s not enough, we have a huge pile of news to talk about this month, joined together by the most epic series of segues ever to grace the history of podcasting. We talk Transwarps, we talk Woz, we talk Neuromancer, we talk Wizardry, we talk to our listeners, and we talk smack. That’s just how we roll here on Open Apple. We also spend a lot of time pretending to know anything about Apple II mice.

In addition, we have the unfortunate duty to recognize the passing of some Apple II luminaries- Bob Bishop and Mike Pfaiffer. The Apple II community is great because of a lifetime of hard work by many talented people. Join us as we remember the contributions of two of those people.

Don’t worry, there’s much Apple II stuff to be thankful for in this month of American Thanksgiving. So put down the turkey leg and get caught up on ye olde stripey Apple. The biggest episode of Open Apple ever!

More information on everything mentioned in the show can be found after the jump.

Links for Episode 41

* Randy Brandt – An Apple ][ figure who needs no introduction. But just in case, here’s an introduction.* Randy on A2H – An overview of Randy’s career on Apple II History.* Beagle Bros – Everyone’s favorite software company.* Beagle Bros Archive – A repository of Beagle Bros software, created by A.P.P.L.E.* GPLE – The Global Program Line Editor, by Beagle Bros.* D Code – The AppleSoft compactor and debugger, by Beagle Bros.* Timeout – The series of AppleWorks add-ons from Beagle Bros.* AppleWorks – An excellent rundown on the history of this product by Dr. Weyrich.* Bubble Sort – The first sort you learn in Computer Science, and then never use again.* Quicksort – A much more sophisticated sort, in common use today.* <a href="http://en.wikipedia.