There is a new Apple II conference in town — figuratively and, for me, literally. It’s called INIT HELLO and it came together rather unexpectedly. From the INIT HELLO about page,
INIT HELLO is “an accidental conference.” In 2025, community member Kate “Cat” Szkotnicki had the idea to “get some people together for a small weekend gathering in a hotel ballroom or party suite.” Well, scope creep happened, and INIT HELLO was born! INIT HELLO is another opportunity for members of the Apple II community to get together and celebrate our favorite retro computer!
As for the name of the conference, “INIT HELLO” is the Apple DOS 3.3 command for formatting a floppy disk and the concept gelled with what the organizers had in mind with this new event.
You have a diskette, and you want to start fresh. So you run “INIT HELLO” on your Apple II and you get a clean slate.
As I write this (quite a bit later than I had intended…), we approach the event’s second year. Like last year, it will be held at the Computer Museum at System Source just outside of Baltimore, Maryland. This location is very convenient for me, being about an hour and a half drive from my home, but much better than its proximity is the greatness of the venue.
Somehow, before INIT HELLO, I had never heard of System Source or the hundreds of systems and artifacts on display, chronicling much of the history of computing within its walls. And that’s a real shame because it is by far the most impressive computer museum I have had the pleasure to visit. The System Source facility is a very large space containing myriad hardware, software, and otherware hosted by a variety of individuals — kind of a cluster of vintage computing exhibits all in one location with different eras and focuses to each. It’s an incredible assemblage and I strongly urge anyone able to pay a visit, to do so.
Upon hearing of this new conference last year, I was excited to attend and finally meet in person so many with whom I have enjoyed our shared Apple II vintage computing hobby online over the years. And, I believe I can reliably report that it a wonderful time was had by all in attendance.
Just beyond the CRAY room (there’s a CRAY room), I acquired various original works of Apple II-themed art as well as an amber Magnavox CRT at the vendor faire. I carved out a spot amidst the generous project space where many were working on hardware hacks and repairs and had great conversations about the systems on the slab. This was taken further with various workshops held for those wanting to level up their skills while getting their hands dirty.
I attended various exhibit tours, walking through the museum space, led by those who had assembled them, while learning quite a bit about areas outside of my core vintage computing wheelhouse. I enjoyed the mix of speakers and their sessions focusing on various aspects of our shared hobby, where I saw some amazing efforts and results demonstrated. Laine Nooney gave the keynote, “The Apple II Age: How The Computer Became Personal,” with Jason Scott rounding us out on the final day with his presentation about preservation, exploration, and development surrounding the Apple II, entitled “WHAT IS LEFT.” I will point those interested in seeing these presentations for themselves, and the great presentations that lie in between, to the 2025 event page archive page, and to the YouTube playlist that has them queued up and waiting to be watched.
The head-to-head (Apple //c to Apple //c) Shufflepuck Cafe tournament was a lot of fun, though I can’t quite remember who emerged as the dominant puckmaster, in the end. And, punctuating all of these activities were frequent excursions I took, wandering off into far corners of the sprawling facility, peeking into nooks and crannies that held all manner of technological history. The venue was amazing, but the people were at the heart of it. It was a truly lovely experience.
Last year’s initial outing was a two-day event, with 55 in attendance. This year, a day has been added to the event; INIT HELLO 2026 runs from Friday, June 19 to Sunday, June 21 at the System Source Computer Museum in Hunt Valley, Maryland, with registration open until May 24th. A discount room block has been reserved at a hotel nearby, as well. I am very much looking forward to attending this year’s event and hope to see even more fellow Apple II enthusiasts live and in person.
Group photo courtesy of Sam Knutson and Paul Hagstrom.