It is now March 21st, 2025. Today I will show you how to get Apple IIe emulation up and running on Fedora Linux 41. Like with Amstrad CPC emulation, we will use MAME as our emulator.
This is a step-by-step tutorial on how you can run Apple IIe emulation to play retrogames on Fedora Linux 41. With little creativity, the advice here is applicable on any Linux such as Ubuntu or Debian GNU/Linux.
Let's start by installing MAME emulator first. Open a terminal window and type:
Fedora Linux 41 has autosave enabled by default in the global configuration file /etc/mame/mame.ini. I do not like that default, so I remove it with:
Almost everybody who works with computers knows that Steve "Woz" Wozniak was an important pioneer in the home computer industry. With business-oriented Steve Jobs, he founded Apple company and the rest is history. Many early, big and influential computer companies such as Atari and Commodore are gone now, but Apple still persists.
I am a little bit afraid of being persecuted by Apple, but thinking realistically, the Apple IIe ROM files, even though copyrighted, have ceased to create profits for Apple. The first Apple II computer was released way back in 1977 and the last came out in 1993. So we are talking about obsolete software that really, in my opinion, should have its copyright expired.
To make life easier for Apple II and retrocomputing fans out there, you can download:
Without the files in those ZIP archives, MAME cannot run Apple IIe emulation, so it is necessary to install them.
Now install the ROM files for MAME:
After that you can ask MAME to verify that the ROMs are okay:
I am a legal owner of four Apple II games, meaning that I have bought authentic, physical copies from eBay. The games are available for download here:
Before starting MAME, I have my Logitech Rumblepad 2 USB controller plugged in.
To run Pitfall II you do:
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you play Boulder Dash with Apple IIe emulation, make sure you have CAPS LOCK pressed down! Otherwise you cannot choose A for joystick or start the game!
You now know how to install MAME and Apple IIe related ROM files. You also know how to start four classic retrogames on Apple IIe emulation using MAME.
I find it pretty sad that Steve Jobs never really gave credit to the hackers who created Apple II. It was a good 8-bit machine, and it made lots of money for Apple. I am sure many Apple II owners remember it with great joy, and possibly want to relive their old memories using emulation. This tutorial is meant as help to those people, and also to those who are just getting to know Apple II.
I certainly hope that Apple will not persecute me for making the Apple II system ROMs available. The site kolttonen.fi is a strictly non-profit site with no ads or commercial interests.
Have fun!
Kalevi Kolttonen <kalevi@kolttonen.fi>