There seems to be a lingering confusion in the international Apple ][ community about what WOzFest is, and what it isn’t.
If you had told me a year ago that I would ever write that sentence, I’d have had you committed – there was no way I expected the international Apple ][ community to care one iota enough about WOzFest to get confused by it.
The most common misunderstanding is that WOzFest is Australia’s version of KansasFest and is an annual Apple ][-related gathering, when, in fact, Australia’s version of KansasFest is Oz KFest.
I know I’ve brought about this confusion to some degree myself with the choice of name – keeping the “Oz” and “Fest” in the name does make it look similar to Oz KFest, but with the fact I live in Wollstonecraft giving me the opportunity to make the ultimate Apple ][-related name pun possible when abbreviated and paired with “Oz”, it was too tempting not to.
The events are also viscerally different in other ways – WOzFest’s informal nature vs Oz KFest’s set session schedule; WOzFest is a frequently-held one day gathering vs Oz KFest being less frequent and held over several days; WOzFest is always held at my home while Oz KFest is held in different locations around Australia.
So, when your international Apple ][ buddies mix up WOzFest and Oz KFest, point them to this handy comparison chart:
Attribute | WOzFest | Oz KFest |
---|---|---|
Frequency | Several a year | Every 1-3 years |
Static addressing | Yes¹ | No² |
Formal program of events | No | Yes |
Length | One day | Several days |
Pizza | Yes | Yes |
Chaotic nature | Yes | Variable |
Comparison Chart Notes:
1. WOzFest is always held at my home in Wollstonecraft, NSW, Australia.
2. Each Oz KFest is held in a different location throughout Australia.
Hello,
If you’d really want to talk about Apple II events in the world, you should not forget the “Apple II Festival France” that takes place in south France in August for two years !
http://www.apple2festivalfrance.fr
Thanks
Didier
Hi Didier,
Thanks for the Comment! I may do a post on the non-US and non-Australian Apple II gatherings in the future – this post was primarily to clear up confusion about the two currently active Australian gatherings 🙂
Apple ][ Forever!
europlus