A BASIC program that produces a Matrix-like display on Apple II computers.

Photo: Scott Beale / Laughing Squid on Flickr

If you don't have an old Apple machine or emulator handy, try pasting the source in Joshua Bell's Applesoft BASIC in Javascript.

If you do have an Apple or emulator, you need to get to the Apple's BASIC prompt, and then type in the lines as shown. There is no text editor; simply typing in a line preceded by a number adds it to the program buffer. Then type RUN.

I first wrote this at Vancouver Mini Maker Faire, in June 2012. I saw an old Apple II running a lacklustre demo and I decided to bust out some quarter-century old skills. The owner of the machine graciously let me use it for a half hour or so, and with the help of some other bystanders we got this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brevity/7429579820/

Next, I saw an Apple II at Panic Software in Portland, during the XOXO Festival in September 2012, and decided to type it in. That's where the picture above was taken.