Watch me participate in a panel discussion at KansasFest 2010, with Martin Haye and Mike Maginnis, moderated by Ken Gagne. The topic is “Apple’s Growing Divide Between Users and Programmers,” and we discuss whether Apple has strayed from its roots of making computers that encourage and empower users to make them do new and exciting things. Unfortunately the audio is pretty bad, so you’ll likely need headphones or speakers. But we say some pretty smart stuff.

If you’re wondering what I was doing at an Apple II convention, well, I love the Apple II, and so do some other people. It’s a beautiful computer.

I also presented a couple of sessions in which I introduce new software I developed for that computer, but unless you use(d) one, they might not make much sense.

Here’s the full blurb of the panel discussion: The incredibly open nature of the Apple II for development, down to the inclusion of schematics in every box, encouraged a generation of users who were also programmers. By contrast, today we have the walled garden of iPhone OS, where Apple judges all. Between these polar positions is the Macintosh. How have Apple — and Apple users — evolved over the years? Has using computers become more or less creative? What tradeoffs have we made between accessibility and empowerment? How do the Apple II and its users measure up in modern times? Panelists: Ivan Drucker (IvanExpert), Martin Haye (California Digital Library), Mike Maginnis (The Computist Project). Moderator: Ken Gagne (Juiced.GS).