Atari 600XL

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Atari 600XL
Atari, Inc. logo

Atari 600XL
Manufacturer
Atari, Inc.
Main developer
Mark Lutvak (lead), Joe Decuir ( ANTIC ), George McLeod ( GTIA ), Doug Neubauer ( POKEY ), Steve Mayer Research Lab (hardware, operating system), Regan Cheng (housing)
Sales start and new price
United StatesUnited StatesOctober 1983 for US $ 199 November 1983 for £ 159 November 1983 for DM 549 November 1983 for F 2500
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
GermanyGermany
FranceFrance
Cessation of production
Mid-1984
Main processor
6502 "Sally" @ 1.79 MHz (NTSC)
6502 "Sally" @ 1.77 MHz (PAL)
RAM ex works
16 KB DRAM
Graphics output
Various text and graphic modes
8 monochrome sprites ("Player" and "Missiles")
Color selection from a palette of 256 colors
Sound output
4 tone generators (output via TV)
Scope of delivery (USA)
Computer, power supply unit, instructions, two styrofoam shells, packaging

The Atari 600XL is a home computer based on a variant of the 6502 microprocessor by the US manufacturer Atari, Inc.

The Atari 600XL is a further development of the Atari 1200XL released in the USA in March 1983 . The main electronic components were largely retained, only the visual appearance and technical details for expandability and simplification of production were revised. As an entry-level device and direct competitor to the Texas Instruments TI-99 / 4A and Commodore VC 20 , the computer was equipped with only 16 kilobytes (KB) of RAM . As with the later premium model Atari 800XL , equipped with 64 KB RAM, the Atari BASIC programming language is included in the computer and is available after it is switched on.

The device - accompanied by extensive advertising campaigns - went on sale worldwide in late autumn 1983. Due to a previously delayed start of production, the computer was not available in the requested quantities until the end of 1983. At the same time as the delivery problems were resolved, the general component costs in the home computer industry also fell, so that 64 KB of RAM established itself as the new standard in early 1984. This and the introduction of the Atari 7800 game console, which is in the same price segment as the Atari 600XL, led to continuously falling sales figures. Shortly after the surprising takeover of Atari by Jack Tramiel in July 1984, production was finally discontinued in favor of the more profitable Atari 800XL. Remaining stocks in the six-digit range were probably sold until mid-1985, mainly in Europe.

The trade press praised the appealing exterior, the good workmanship, the built-in Atari BASIC and the wide range of peripheral devices and programs.

history

After the home computers Atari 400 and Atari 800, which had been produced since 1979, were getting on in years and the Atari 1200XL had proven to be a flop, contemporary devices should lead Atari out of the crisis. In the low-price segment in particular, it was hoped to gain market share from Commodore International and Texas Instruments .

Development and prototypes

Those responsible provided for an inexpensive computer with expansion options that was compatible with its predecessor models and whose housing was to be based on the design of the Atari 1200XL. In view of the competitive situation at the time, Atari planned with two different configurations: a model with 64 KB RAM intended for high demands - the later Atari 800XL - and a downgraded version mainly for entertainment purposes. The development work for the second variant with only 16 KB RAM was outsourced shortly afterwards into a separate project, which was carried out in-house under the names "Crazy-8", "S-8" and "Surely". During the implementation, the remaining development capacities and personnel from the "Liz" project, from which the Atari 1200XL had already emerged, were used.

Project Crazy-8, S-8 and Surely

  • Atari 1200XL

Work on the entry-level version of the new XL computer began in March 1983. The system architecture of the predecessor models with the special components ANTIC , GTIA and POKEY as well as a special variant of the 6502 microprocessor, which was already available in the Atari 1200XL under the name "SALLY", served as the basis. was used. In addition, a new type of memory management module ("FREDDIE") was designed, but it did not find its way into the final product specifications of May 20th - due to a lack of development and production capacities, timely production in sufficient numbers did not seem possible. In contrast to the Atari 1200XL, the Atari BASIC programming language (corrected "Revision B") and a connection for expansions ( system bus ) were integrated into the new device. As with the Atari 400 and 800 models, the slot for plug-in modules was relocated to the top of the housing after the side slot of the Atari 1200XL had not proven to be optimal. The first prototypes ready for demonstration were completed at the beginning of June.

Renamed to Atari 600XL

Atari presented the computer, henceforth Atari 600XL , together with new peripherals for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which took place in Chicago in early June 1983 . In addition to the individual sale of the computer, Atari also announced bundled offers - at the same price as the Adam home computer system presented by Coleco , the buyer would have the significantly faster printer with the Atari 1027 included in Atari's Writing System . In addition, the programming system intended for software development and the entertainment system tailored to players were presented. Atari specially invited officials from the largest national user groups (English User Groups ) were given the opportunity to assess the new equipment at the launch at CES. By including future users, Atari hoped to be able to uncover any weaknesses before production began. This should avoid a failure like the previous Atari 1200XL.

  • The Federal Communications Com- mission (FCC) logo

In July, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the electromagnetic compatibility - a key requirement for the device to be sold in the USA. By the end of August, the development work to adapt the computer to the various television standards had also been completed. Appropriate devices for connection to PAL televisions were then presented to the trade press in London in September , and they were accessible to the general public at the international radio exhibition in Berlin. The SECAM version was first seen at a trade fair in Cannes, France, in early October .

The transfer to production in Hong Kong took place after a change in Atari's top management with a one-month delay, as was the manufacture of the devices intended for the European market in Ireland.

marketing

The manufacturer touted its Atari 600XL as an expandable entry-level device ("As your experience grows so can your Atari 600XL", "As your children get bigger so can your Atari 600XL") mainly for entertainment and educational purposes. Large-format newspaper advertisements and advertising films for television were used. The American actor Alan Alda, who was presented as the official advertising medium at the CES in June 1983, played a key role in this . Its five-year engagement, which cost around five million US dollars, was preceded by extensive market research measures on the part of Atari.

Market launch and delivery difficulties

The Atari 600XL was launched in North America in October - mainly at large retail chains such as Sears , JC Penney and Kmart - and shortly afterwards in Europe. The recommended retail price in the USA was 199 US dollars, in Great Britain £ 159, in France 2990 F and in West Germany 549 DM. Due to the initial production delays, even with expensive air freight imports, only 60 percent of the pre-ordered devices could be delivered by Christmas . By the end of 1983, the entire annual production of the Atari 600XL had been sold out.

Price increase, bundle offers, Olympics and use in arcade machines

  • The logo of the 1984 Summer Olympics

Beginning in 1984, Atari increased the prices of its new XL computers in North America by $ 40. This was done on the grounds that from now on only selling at a cost-covering level and wanting to end the ruinous price war in the home computer industry. Only a little later, Atari launched the bundle offers that had been announced for a long time. The writing system , intended for home use, cost US $ 599.95 and included an Atari 600XL, an Atari 1027 printer, and the Atari Writer word processing program . Anyone looking for an entry-level package to learn the BASIC programming language could fall back on the programming system equipped with Atari 600XL, Atari 1010 program recorder, software and instructions for US $ 379.95. The entertainment system tailored to the needs of the player, with a computer and two plug-in module games and accessories, cost US $ 299.95. For schools, Atari released the Logo Package with Atari 600XL and the Atari Logo programming language suitable for children at a price of around £ 200.

As part of the large-scale marketing effort, Atari participated as the sole sponsor for home computers and video games in the Olympic Games , which took place in Los Angeles in the summer of 1984. Atari was thus also given the right to use all Olympic logos and names for its product advertising. For example, the Atari 600XL became the "Official Home Computer of the 1984 Olympics". In addition, Atari concluded contracts for extensive television advertising in order to be able to reach as many potential interested parties as possible.

In addition to the classic areas of application such as private households and schools, the Atari 600XL was also used as a central control unit for video game machines from the US company Exidy . The economically troubled company was able to save development costs with its Max-A-Flex system by purchasing prefabricated components and the machine operator was now able to convert the device within a very short time, depending on the target group and demand. The four games supplied by Exidy on plug-in modules exclusively included titles from the game developer First Star Software, including the very popular Boulder Dash at the time . Due to a lack of demand - probably due to the video game crash - the project started in April was discontinued in October 1984.

Declining sales, presentation of the XE successor models and sale

Despite continuously intensified advertising measures, the sales figures for the Atari 600XL began to decline continuously during the first half of 1984. Rumors of the imminent retirement of the Atari 600XL in favor of the more profitable Atari 800XL arose and soon received further fuel with the release of the new Atari 7800 game console in June. Shortly afterwards - after the takeover of Atari by Jack Tramiel in July 1984, which was completely unexpected for the entire computer industry - the discontinuation of the Atari 600XL was finally officially announced.

A little later, Tramiel himself gave an indication of the remaining stocks in the six-digit number range when he was asked about Atari's answer to the upcoming competition from MSX computers. The price reductions expected for the Atari 600XL followed promptly, but were limited to the European area. In the UK, for example, the suggested retail price fell from £ 159 to £ 99 in a short period of time. In the USA, on the other hand, the sales price, which had already fallen to US $ 149 before Tramiel's takeover, remained unchanged from now on. This meant that the Atari 600XL was significantly more expensive in the 1984 Christmas season than the 800XL, which had been reduced in price to 120 US dollars and was equipped with more RAM.

At the beginning of 1985 Atari introduced its latest generation of home computers in the form of the Atari ST series. Atari had also given its 8-bit home computers a makeover and equipped them with a new housing and improved technology. With the presentation of this new Atari XE series, the sale of the XL models was heralded at the same time. The price of the Atari 600XL then fell to just under 100 US dollars, in West Germany the price had meanwhile fallen to 345 DM. In West Germany alone, at least 100,000 units of the two Atari 600XL and 800XL models were sold together by mid-1985.

Modern replicas

The manageable architecture of the system and extensive documentation from the manufacturer enable the miniaturized replica of the electronics of the Atari 600XL and compatible models with today's technical means with at the same time manageable effort. Such a modern realization took place for the first time in 2014 - as with other home computer systems - as an implementation on a programmable logic circuit ( FPGA ) together with an embedding system . The replication using FPGA technology was initially only intended as a technical feasibility study, but later also demonstrated its practical benefit: Due to the miniaturization and the possibility of battery operation, it is an easily stowable, reliable and transportable alternative to the original, gentle technology.

Technical specifications

In the case of the Atari 600XL there is a single circuit board that contains all electronic and many mechanical components such as sockets and plugs of the computer.

Main processor

In contrast to the previous Atari 400 and 800 models, the Atari 600XL uses a special version of the MOS 6502 microprocessor called Sally , which helped to significantly reduce the number of electronic components in the computer. The CPU can access an address space of 65536 bytes , which also defines the theoretically possible upper limit of the main memory of 64 kilobytes (KB). The system clock for PAL devices is 1.77  MHz , for those with NTSC output it is 1.79 MHz.

Special modules for generating graphics and sound

The three special components developed by Atari, Alphanumeric Television Interface Controller ( ANTIC ), Graphic Television Interface Adapter ( GTIA ) and Potentiometer And Keyboard Integrated Circuit ( POKEY ) are an essential part of the computer architecture . They are functionally designed in such a way that they can be used flexibly within their area of ​​responsibility and at the same time relieve the CPU.

The two graphic modules ANTIC and GTIA generate the image displayed on the television or monitor. For this purpose, the operating system or the user must first store appropriate data in the main memory. The capabilities of these two special modules combined give the display options of the Atari computers a flexibility unmatched by other home computers at the time. Further electronic components are combined in the third special module POKEY. These essentially concern the sound generation for each of the four sound channels, the keyboard query and the operation of the serial interface Serial Input Output ( SIO ) for the communication of the computer with the corresponding peripheral devices.

Thanks to the highly integrated design ( LSI ), the special modules combine many electronic components and thereby reduce the number of components required in the computer, which in turn results in significant cost and space savings. Not least because their construction plans were never published, they could not be copied economically with the technology at the time, which meant that the illegal reproduction of computers for the Atari 600XL, which was quite common in the home computer industry, could be excluded.

Overview of the graphics levels provided by the operating system of the Atari 600XL

Graphics level Display type Resolution (pixels) Colours Memory requirement (bytes)
0 normal text 40 × 24 2 992
1 Large text 20 × 24 5 672
2 20 × 12 5 420
3 Dot graphics 40 × 24 4th 432
4th 80 × 48 2 696
5 4th 1176
6th 160 × 96 2 2184
7th 4th 8138
8th 320 × 192 2
9 GTIA modes 80 × 192 16
10 9
11 16
12 Text (character set) 40 × 24 5 1152
13 40 × 12 5 660
14th Dot graphics 160 × 192 2 4296
15th 4th 8138

Storage and storage allocation

The address space that can be addressed by the CPU and ANTIC is segmented in the Atari 600XL into different sections of different sizes. For practical reasons, it is common for their addresses instead of decimal notation , the hexadecimal to use. It is usually preceded by a $ symbol to make it easier to distinguish. The addresses from 0 to 65535 in decimal notation correspond to addresses $ 0000 to $ FFFF in the hexadecimal system.

The range from $ 0000 to $ BFFF is mainly intended for RAM, whereby only the range from $ 0000 to $ 3FFF (16 KB) is available ex works. This is also not completely usable by the user, because the OS holds the variables required for ongoing operation in almost the entire range from $ 0000 to $ 06FF. If the self-test is activated, the associated program routines are copied from the read-only memory into the address block from $ 5000 to $ 57FF. When the module with 8 KB read-only memory is inserted, its content is displayed in the area from $ A000 to $ BFFF instead of the BASIC otherwise located there. If the plug-in module has 16 KB of read-only memory, the content ranges from $ 8000 to $ BFFF. The operating system joins at $ C000. The addresses of the special modules ANTIC, GTIA, POKEY and other hardware components are located within a segment called input / output block ranging from $ D000 to $ D7FF . From $ D800 to the upper memory limit $ FFFF, the remaining components of the operating system and drivers of the devices connected via the parallel interface are accommodated. For example, if the Atari 600XL is upgraded with the Atari 1064 memory expansion, a maximum of 62 KB of RAM can be used by switching off the OS and BASIC.

After switching on the computer, the CPU reads the contents of the ROM blocks with the operating system and first checks the module slot and starts the program on it if necessary. If there is no module, the status of the function keys Option and Start is queried in the next step . The pressed Option key causes the operating system to deactivate the built-in BASIC of the computer and instead load an executable program from a connected floppy disk drive. If the start button is pressed at the same time while switching on, an executable program is loaded from the connected data recorder. If neither of the two function keys mentioned is active, the computer starts the built-in BASIC and reports with the prompt “READY” and the cursor below.

Interfaces for input and output

Two controller sockets on the right side of the housing serve as connections to the outside world, a slot for the exclusive use of ROM plug-in modules on the top, a coaxial RF antenna connection for the television and a socket for the proprietary serial interface ( Serial Input Output , SIO for short ) on the back side. The latter is used to operate appropriately equipped “intelligent” peripheral devices, using a transmission protocol and connector system specially developed by Atari for this purpose . Printers, floppy drives and other devices with looped-through SIO sockets can be connected in a " chain " manner with just one type of cable . In addition, in contrast to the Atari 1200XL, the Atari 600XL has a parallel expansion interface, the connection of which is built into the rear of the housing. The system bus brought out in it allows, for example, the operation of the Atari 1064 memory expansion or an external component carrier such as the Atari 1090 expansion box , which, however, was never marketed.

Peripherals

In principle, the Atari 600XL can be operated with all peripherals published by Atari earlier and later for the 400, 800, XL and XE series. In the following, only and only briefly the ones available in the XL design are discussed.

Mass storage

  • Compact cassette

  • 5¼ ″ floppy disk

In connection with mainly western home computers from the 1980s, cassette recorders and floppy disk drives were mainly used for data backup , while hard and removable disk drives were increasingly used in the professional environment for personal computers . The cheapest variant of data recording using compact cassettes generally has the disadvantage of lower data transfer rates and thus long loading times, whereas the much faster and more reliable floppy and disk drives were much more expensive to purchase. When the Atari 600XL was released, program recorders as well as diskette systems such as the Atari 1050 floppy were available for mass storage. The hard drive systems from Corvus that are still suitable for operation with the Atari 800 can no longer be used due to some of the connections that are no longer available on the 600XL.

Cassette systems

In contrast to other contemporary home computers such as the Tandy TRS-80 or the Sinclair ZX81 , the Atari 600XL cannot be operated with conventional cassette recorders to store data . Rather, it needs a device that is matched to its serial interface - the Atari 1010 program recorder. The average data transfer rate is 600  bit / s; 50 KB of data can be stored on a 30-minute cassette . In addition, the Atari 1010 still has the specificity of a stereo - the magnetic head , thus parallel to the read operation, the playing music or spoken instructions for use is also possible. In order to save costs and space, the device has no built-in loudspeaker, rather the audio signals are output via the SIO cable via POKEY on the television.

Floppy disk systems

With the introduction of the Atari 600XL, a specially designed floppy disk drive was also available, the Atari 1050 floppy station . - with the Atari 1050 disk drive 5¼ "can diskettes are described on one side, let bringing store up to 127 KB of data. The DOS 2.0s floppy operating system originally supplied with the drive only supports single density . This means that 88 KB of data can be stored on one side of the disk, with a sector containing 128 bytes. In mid-1984 it was replaced by DOS 3.0, which supports the Atari-specific Enhanced Density operating mode . Unlike double-density (Engl. Double Density ) is increased per track not the number of bytes per sector, but the number of sectors, resulting in the then unusual storage capacity of 127 KB. Mainly the incompatibility of DOS 3.0 to its predecessor version DOS 2.0s finally led to the publication of the in many ways improved DOS 2.5 in 1985. The Atari 1050 floppy disk drive cost about $ 450 in mid-1984.

Along with the appearance of the 600XL, a large number of Atari-compatible floppy disk drives from various third-party manufacturers were available, almost all of which worked with double density. These included Percom devices, the Rana 1000 for $ 400 and the Astra 1620 dual drive for $ 600. In the course of 1984, further high-performance floppy drives were added: the Percom AT-88 for 420 US dollars, the Trak AT-D2 for 500 US dollars, the Trak AT-D4 , which is suitable for double-sided writing from floppy disks, and the Indus GT for 500 Dollar. The Amek AMDC I for US $ 550 and the Amek AMDC II dual drive for US $ 760, both based on 3 ″ floppy disks that were rarely used at the time, were special . In addition to connection and documentation material, many of the third-party drives also contained a floppy operating system such as Smart DOS and DOS XL

  • Atari 1050 disk drive A.jpg
  • White box 12x120 cm.gif
  • Atari 1010 tape drive A.jpg

Output devices

The image output of the Atari 600XL can take place via a built-in HF modulator on a standard color or black and white television set. In the absence of a monitor socket, it was not possible to operate the US version with monitors that are much more eye-friendly.

The four-color plotter Atari 1020 for 299 US dollars, the needle-based printer Atari 1025 and the ballpoint pen model Atari 1027 are used to fix text and graphics in writing . Most third-party printers are operated with the aid of additional devices, the printer interfaces . Connected to Atari's SIO socket, they provide standard interfaces such as RS-232 or Centronics. This means that print wheel printers such as the Transstar 120 , inkjet printers such as the Hewlett-Packard Thinkjet and dot matrix printers such as the Gemini 10X can be connected. In addition to the monochrome printers, it is also possible to use color thermal printers that were more expensive at the time, such as the Okimate 10 or the needle-based color model Seikosha GP-700A . In addition to the printer interface, the printers also require special programs, the printer driver, for correct output .

In addition, there are plenty of output add-ons from third-party manufacturers: starting with The Voicebox and The Voicebox II by The Alien Group, which are intended for voice output, to self-made 3-D glasses for viewing stereographic content on the television, to the programmable robot gripper arm, all of the sub-areas of interest at the time are covered.

  • Atari 1027 Printer A.jpg
  • White box 12x120 cm.gif
  • Atari 1020 plotter A.jpg

Input devices

The typewriter keyboard of the Atari 600XL contains a total of 56 individual keys, one space and four function keys.

Graphic tablets quickly established themselves for more convenient operation of painting programs , which use a touch-sensitive surface to determine the position of a supplied paint pen (stylus) and use the appropriate software to generate the desired actions on the screen. In contrast to drawing programs that are based on joystick inputs, graphics tablets allow faster and thus more efficient work, especially when creating images. Among those available for the Atari XL computers in late 1984 were the Atari Touch Tablet for about $ 90, Koala Technologies' Koala Touch Tablet for about $ 125, and Chalk Board's Power Pad . The use of graphics tablets requires suitable graphics programs such as Micro Illustrator .

Another alternative to entering graphic data using a joystick is the use of a light pen . This device can be used to draw directly on the screen or to operate a program. The functionality of the light pens is based on the determination of the position of the electron beam of an image output device and is therefore limited to devices based on cathode tubes . In the fall of 1984, light pens from four different manufacturers were available: the Light Pen from Atari for just under 100 US dollars, the Edumate Light Pen from Futurehouse for around 35 US dollars, the Tech Scetch Light Pen in different versions from 40 US dollars and the Mc Pen from Madison Computer for $ 49. The scope of delivery included software in each case, whereby the Atari Graphics paint program supplied by Atari on a plug-in module was rated as the most powerful.

Memory expansion

The parallel bus leading out of the device enables the connection of powerful expansions. One of the first commercially available expansions for the Atari 600XL was the Microram 64K memory board from the US company Microbits Peripheral Products. Even before Atari's official memory expansion unit, Atari 1064, was launched in June 1984 for just under US $ 150, it made it possible to expand the working memory to the maximum possible 64 KB. By the end of 1984, other differently configured upgrade modules for the main memory followed from various manufacturers.

software

As with other home computers of the 1980s, commercial software was distributed on various data carriers. The inexpensive compact cassettes, particularly popular with game manufacturers, were, however, very prone to errors due to the high mechanical stress on the magnetic tape, and their use was often associated with long loading times. In addition, certain operating modes, such as relative addressing, which is advantageous for operating databases, are not possible with datasettes . In the case of the plug-in modules, which are much more expensive to manufacture, the programs contained therein were available immediately after switching on the computer, which was a great advantage in particular for system software and frequently used applications. The floppy disks achieved the best compromise between loading time, possible operating modes, reliability and storage capacity. When the Atari 600XL was released, their use was supported by floppy disk drives from Atari and those from other manufacturers.

The range of programs for the Atari 600XL computer included the selection of commercial programs sold by Atari and Atari Program Exchange ( APX ) as well as software ( listings ) developed by third-party manufacturers and published in magazines and books for typing. The commercial programs were offered on cartridge, diskette and cassette. The floppy disk drives, which were still very expensive compared to the computers offered in 1983 and 1984, made plug-in modules and compact cassettes the most frequently used data carriers for many home computer systems.

Illegal copies ("pirated copies") always made up a large part of the software in circulation and often presented small software developers with existential economic difficulties. As a result, copy protection systems were increasingly used, especially in games, as the best-selling software.

operating system

The configuration and initialization of the Atari 600XL hardware after switching on or after a reset is the responsibility of the operating system housed in the read-only memory. The subroutines of this 16 KB operating system (OS) control various system processes that can also be initiated by the user. This includes the carrying out of input and output operations such as the keyboard and joystick query floating point calculations , the execution of system programs by interruptions ( interrupts ), and the provision of a subroutine for generating the different graphics modes. As an innovation compared to the 400/800 computers, the operating system has a diagnostic program for self-testing the computer. This can be used to test the functionality of the main memory or the sound generation, for example. Since the operating system of the Atari 600XL, which is based on the Atari 1200XL, has not been completely adapted, the keyboard diagnosis of the Atari 600XL, for example, shows keys that are only found on the Atari 1200XL.

The start addresses of the individual subroutines are summarized in a central location in the form of a jump table . This is always located in the same memory area on all Atari computers, so that compatibility with earlier and later operating system revisions is to be ensured. However, some programs do not use this table either out of ignorance of their programmers or for reasons of copy protection, but instead call the relevant subroutines of the operating system directly. Since many of these subroutines in the Atari 600XL now occupy different memory areas than in the Atari 400 and 800, calling them at the old, but invalid, memory address inevitably leads to program crashes. For this reason, some third-party programs will not run correctly on the Atari XL models. As a result, Atari released the Translator Disk, a program that fixes the incompatibility problems of the computer at least until the next warm start .

Shortly after the XL computers were released, alternative operating systems such as Omnimon XL and XL Boss began to establish themselves. In addition to the desired compatibility with older computers, these also provided the user with extended functionalities such as optimized floating point routines and powerful tools for system control and troubleshooting.

Programming languages ​​and application programs

Was the processing of a task with z. For example, programs that can be purchased are not possible for technical or economic reasons, or if, for example, new types of entertainment software are to be produced, this had to be done independently with the help of the appropriate programming languages. In the following, only those published up to the introduction of the XE series in early 1985 are presented. For example, the popular Turbo-BASIC XL, which was only introduced at the end of 1985, is not discussed.

Assembly language

In the early 1980s, the creation of fast action games with lots of moving objects on the screen required optimal use of the hardware, especially the main memory. In the home computer sector, this was only possible through the use of assembly language with appropriate translation programs, the assemblers . In many cases assemblers were delivered with an associated editor for entering the program instructions (“source code”), often also as a program package with debugger and disassembler for error analysis.

With the introduction of the Atari 600XL, mature and powerful assemblers that had previously been published for the Atari 400 and 800 were available. However, some of these assemblers, such as the Synassembler from Synapse Software , can only run with the old operating system or corresponding adaptations. Among the multitude of assemblers offered, the MAC / 65 from Optimized Systems Software (OSS) was by far the best and most user-friendly. Supplemented by the Ultra Disassembler from Adventure International for program analysis, the ambitious program developer left nothing to be desired. With the exception of the assembler / editor published by Atari and the most widespread , all other assemblers require an upgrade of the working memory - ideally to 64 KB.

In many cases, programming beginners preferred the clear and easy-to-use, but less powerful, high-level programming languages.

Interpreter languages

Atari BASIC input screen

The BASIC published by Atari was supported by a few more when the Atari 600XL appeared: Microsoft BASIC, which was the quasi-standard at the time, and a product called BASIC XL from OSS that was downwardly compatible with the Atari BASIC . BASIC XL in particular contains extended editing options, simplifications in the command structure and it supplements many performance features not implemented in Atari and Microsoft BASIC. This includes, for example, convenient use of the sprites ("player missiles graphics") through specially provided command words.

In addition to the BASIC programming language in its various dialects, languages ​​suitable for training purposes such as Atari Logo and Atari PILOT , which were often used in educational institutions, were also available when the Atari 600XL went on sale . Supported by elements such as turtle graphics ( turtle graphics ), a child-friendly and interactive introduction to the basics of programming is possible with a logo. With QS-Forth (Quality Software), Extended fig-Forth (APX) and Inter-LISP / 65 from Datasoft, additional interpreter languages ​​join the program range for the Atari 600XL. Many of these programming languages ​​require a memory upgrade.

Compilers and compiler languages

The fundamental limitations inherent in the nature of the interpreter, such as the low execution speed and the large amount of memory required, had a disadvantageous effect on the usability of interpreter programs. These disadvantages can be mitigated by special programs, the compilers . Executable machine programs are generated that can run without an interpreter and thus often allow faster execution. Various compilers are available for the Atari BASIC: ABC BASIC Compiler (Monarch Systems), Datasoft BASIC Compiler ( Datasoft ) and BASM (Computer Alliance). At the end of 1984, the BASIC compiler from MMG, the most powerful at the time for the XL computers, appeared.

Corresponding versions of the compiler languages C and Pascal , which were widespread at the time, also exist for the XL computers: These include Deep Blue C from Antic and C / 65 from OSS, as well as Atari Pascal from APX, Draper Pascal from Norman Draper and Kyan Pascal from Kyan Software. The programming language Action! Which is only available for Atari computers was considered the most powerful of all programming languages . from OSS, which combines elements of C and Pascal as well as commands specially tailored to Atari's hardware.

Application software

Until 1985, the range of programs for the Atari 8-bit computers included programming languages ​​for creating your own applications, as well as a small selection of ready-made commercial application software compared to its contemporary competitor Apple II.

Some of the most powerful word processors include Atari Writer from Atari, Bank Street Writer from Brøderbund , Letter Perfect from LJK Enterprises and The Writer's Tool from OSS. At the end of 1984, VisiCalc from Visicorp, The Home Accountant from Continental Software, Data Perfect from LJK Enterprise, Synapses programs Synfile + , Syncalc , Synstock and Syntrend as well as Complete Personal Accountant from Futurehouse were available for account assignment and other business management tasks in the domestic sector . There are also numerous joystick-based painting programs such as Paint from Atari, Graphic Master and Micropainter from Datasoft, Moviemaker from Reston Software and Fun with Art from Epyx. With the speech synthesis program SAM - Software Automated Speech from Tronix and the Advanced Musicsystem from APX, programs for controlling the sound output were also available as very well-rated programs.

Tutorials

Corresponding to the orientation of the predecessor models Atari 400 and 800 also as learning computers, there is a large number of programs that are used for the computer-aided transfer of teaching content and its subsequent interactive query. The knowledge to be conveyed is presented in a playful form with a constantly increasing level of difficulty in order to motivate the learner on a permanent basis. Great importance is attached to an age-appropriate presentation, which ranges from small children to students. For the youngest, animated stories with comic-like characters are often used as accompanying tutors, for young people the teaching content to be queried is dressed up in adventure games or action-packed space adventures, whereas in the higher-level teaching content for students and adults, lexically presented knowledge with subsequent query and success balance predominate. The learning areas covered by more than 100 titles at the end of 1984 extend to reading and writing, foreign languages, mathematics, technology, music, geography, demography, typing schools and computer science.

Well-known manufacturers include American Educational Computers, Atari, APX, Carousel Software, CBS Software, Walt Disney Productions, Dorsett Educational Systems, Edupro, Electronic Arts , The Learning Company, Maximus, Mindscape , PDI, Prentice Hall, Scholastic, Screenplay Computer Software , Sierra On-Line , Spinnaker Software, Sunburst Communications, Unicorn Software and Xerox-Weekly Reader.

Games

By far the largest part of both commercial and free available Atari software are the games. At the early shoot-'em-up -Play such as the 1980 out brought Star Raiders or board games implement 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe joined A year later, more action games, adventure games and arcade implementations were launched. Among the published titles, however, there were also many bad ports of, for example, Apple II games without the unmistakable "Atari look", namely a mixture of various colorful and smoothly scrolling graphics, supplemented by typical POKEY music and sound effects.

The games released for Atari computers include many that were considered video game classics in their day: Star Raiders (1980), Asteroids (1981), and Pac-Man (1982). In particular, the 3D game Star Raiders was seen by many game designers at the time as a defining experience and a reason to opt for an Atari computer and not an Apple II or Commodore PET. Subsequent works such as Miner 2049er (Bill Hogue, Big Five Software, 1982), Eastern Front (1941) ( Chris Crawford , APX, 1982), Capture the Flag (Paul Edelstein, Sirius Software, 1983), Archon (John Freemann , Electronic Arts, 1983) and MULE ( Daniel Bunten , Electronic Arts, 1983) are among the outstanding titles of their time and enabled software companies such as Microprose and Electronic Arts to quickly rise to become industry giants.

In the course of 1984 a whole new quality began to emerge in computer games in general. Atari himself pushed these developments, for example, through the collaboration with Lucasfilm , a company that gained worldwide fame through the Star Wars films, which were very popular at the time, with their many animation sequences. As part of this collaboration, the first demonstrations for titles such as Ballblazer and Rescue on Fractalus appeared in 1984 , which set completely new standards in terms of graphics and density of the game atmosphere. In the area of ​​adventure and role-playing games, an ever-increasing amalgamation of previously stand-alone game types and technical improvements to significantly more complex and seemingly realistic games was emerging. In particular, the role-playing game Alternate Reality - The City, announced at the end of 1984 with its three-dimensional and partially animated visualization of the game environment, promised to take the entire genre to the next level, as did Synapses graphic novels ( Mindwheel , Brimstone , Essex ) with their superior interactive input system ( Parser ) and a content that is comparatively demanding in literary terms for a text adventure.

The most recommended games of 1984 include The Mask of the Sun ( Brøderbund ), The Seven Cities of Gold (Electronic Arts), Boulder Dash (First Star Software), Archon II: Adept (Electronic Arts), Bruce Lee ( Datasoft ), Montezuma's Revenge ( Parker Brothers ), Flight Simulator II (Sublogic).

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  • Electronic Arts historical logo 80s.svg
  • Synapse Software Corporation logo.png
  • MicroProse.svg
  • Sierra (On-Line Systems) logo.png
  • Broderbund logo.svg
  • Parker Brothers Logo.svg
  • Datasoft Logo.svg
  • Activision.svg
  • Epyx Logo.svg

Magazines and books

In the 1980s, along with specialist books, computer magazines played a major role for many home computer owners. The editions, which were often published monthly, contained test reports on innovations, programming instructions and software for typing. They also served as an advertising and information platform as well as for establishing contact with like-minded people.

The English-language magazines Antic , Analog Computing , Atari Connection and Atari Age dealt specifically with Atari home computers ; occasional reports and programs for the Atari computers also published the high-circulation bytes , Compute! and creative computing .

emulation

After the end of the home computer era in the early 1990s and with the advent of powerful and affordable computing technology in the late 1990s, dedicated enthusiasts increasingly developed programs for emulating home computers and their peripheral devices. To play old classics of various home computer systems, a single modern system with data images of the corresponding home computer programs was sufficient with the help of the emulators. The emergence of the emulators continued, among other things. a. an increased transfer of otherwise possibly lost software to modern storage media, which makes an important contribution to the preservation of digital culture.

The most powerful emulators for Windows and Linux systems are Atari ++ , Atari800Win Plus , Mess32 and Altirra .

reception

Shortly after the appearance of the Atari 600XL, the high-circulation Atari-oriented Analog Computing Magazine described the computer as Atari's last chance ("Atari's do-or-die entry in the Santa Claus sweepstakes"), after the Atari 1200XL debacle, a foot in the home computer sector again and regain lost market share. In line with reviews of other well-known magazines, the successful external appearance (“Cosmetics are superb […] The Commodore 64 and TRS-CoCo look like toys in comparism”), the robust construction of the hardware and the built-in BASIC were helpful in this endeavor and called the parallel expansion interface. On the other hand, the operating system with its weaknesses, which was taken over from the 1200XL with only minor corrections, met with little approval. Due to its limited usability and the inadequate adaptation to the Atari 600XL, the self-test was only seen as a marketing trick. The biggest point of criticism, however, for almost all reviewers was the inadequate instructions without explanations and examples for the BASIC integrated in the computer. Especially in Great Britain, the price for additional devices and programs, which was perceived as too high compared to the direct competitor ZX Spectrum, was rejected. Due to its limited amount of RAM, however, the Atari 600XL cannot be used for many areas of application and diskette-based programs (“From the business point of view the 600XL does not have enough RAM for serious work.”, “With DOS loaded, the 600XL leaves only 7.5 K of program space, which is not enough for such applications. "). For gamers and programming beginners, however, the inexpensive device is a good choice. In summary, Analog Computing Magazine says:

“The 600XL isn't as exciting or advanced as the 400/800 series was when it first appeared in 1979. Let's face it, these new XL machines are nothing more than repackaged 800s. That does not change the fact that Atari home computers are still the most versatile graphics machines you can buy for less than five thousand dollars. "

“The 600XL isn't as exciting and advanced as the 400/800 range was when it first appeared in 1979. Let's be honest, the new XL computers are nothing more than the old 800s in a new look. However, that does not change the fact that Atari computers still offer the most versatile graphics options for computers under five thousand US dollars. "

- Brian Moriarty et al., Analog Computing Magazine, January 1984

literature

  • Jeffrey Stanton, Robert P. Wells, Sandra Rochowansky, and Michael Mellin: Atari Software 1984. The Book Company, 1984, ISBN 0-201-16454-X
  • Julian Reschke and Andreas Wiethoff: The Atari professional book. Sybex-Verlag GmbH, Düsseldorf, 1986, ISBN 3-88745-605-X
  • Eichler and Grohmann: Atari 600XL / 800XL Intern. Data Becker GmbH, 1984, ISBN 3-89011-053-3
  • Marty Goldberg and Curt Vendel: Atari Inc. - Business is Fun. Syzygy Company Press, 2012, ISBN 978-0-9855974-0-5

Web links

Commons : Atari 8-bit computers  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Notes and individual references

  1. ^ Marty Goldberg, Curt Vendel: Atari Inc. Business is Fun. Syzygy Company Press, 2012, p. 454.
  2. ^ Marty Goldberg, Curt Vendel: Atari Inc. Business is Fun. Syzygy Company Press, 2012, p. 695.
  3. ^ A b Tim Hartnell: Tim Hartnell reports from the CES Consumer Electronics Show. Popular Computing Weekly, 16. – 22. June 1983, p. 4.
  4. ^ A b Marty Goldberg, Curt Vendel: Atari Inc. Business is Fun. Syzygy Company Press, 2012, p. 699.
  5. ^ Brian Moriarty, Robin E. Novell and Austin Franklin: Inside the Atari 600XL. Analog Computing Magazine, January 1984, p. 37.
  6. ^ Marty Goldberg, Curt Vendel: Atari Inc. Business is Fun. Syzygy Company Press, 2012, p. 698.
  7. ↑ Tom Shea: Bundling - Atari and Commodore. InfoWorld, September 5, 1983, p. 6.
  8. ↑ Tom R. Halfhill: The Fall Collection computers at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show. Compute !, August 1983, p. 28.
  9. ^ A b Marty Goldberg, Curt Vendel: Atari Inc. Business is Fun. Syzygy Company Press, 2012, p. 700.
  10. ^ Atari Unveils The Future. Atari Input / Output, Fall / Winter 1983, p. 5.
  11. ↑ Evolution wins: Atari 600XL. Computer Personal, Issue 18, 1983.
  12. ^ Ordinateur Atari 600XL: L'Art et la Manière. L'Atarien, December 1983, p. 21.
  13. ^ Jon A. Bell: Atari 1985. Analog Computing Magazine, Jan 1985, p. 13.
  14. ↑ Atari, Inc .: As your experience grows so can your Atari 600XL. Your Computer, January 1984, pp. 16f.
  15. ↑ Atari, Inc .: As your children get bigger so can your Atari 600XL. Computer & Videogames, January 1984, pp. 10f.
  16. ↑ Jim Bartimo: Radio Shack plans house calls. InfoWorld, July 9, 1984, p. 11.
  17. ↑ Kathy Chin: Computer companies hitch stars to high-tech wagon. InfoWorld, July 4, 1983, p. 14.
  18. ↑ Tom Shea: Madison Avenue turns to high-tech. InfoWorld, March 5, 1984, p. 69.
  19. ↑ Jonathan Chevreau: Adam, Commodore season's hot sellers. The Globe and Mail, December 23, 1983.
  20. ↑ a b Price was cools down. Popular Computing Weekly, 17. – 23. November 1983, p. 5.
  21. ↑ 600XL goes on sale this week. Popular Computing Weekly, 3. – 9. November 1983, p. 7.
  22. ↑ 600 XL Atari Tilt, Number 8, November / December 1984, p. 165.
  23. ↑ Atari advertisement. Chip, Nov 1983, p. 99.
  24. ^ A b Scott Mace: Atari, Coleco announce price hikes. InfoWorld, November 28, 1983, p. 25.
  25. ^ Warner's earnings up. InfoWorld, March 12, 1984, p. 19.
  26. ^ Lee Pappas: New programs to give you the smarts. Analog Computing Magazine, February 1984, p. 15.
  27. ↑ Atari offers Logo package. Popular Computing Weekly, 23.-29. February 1984, p. 5.
  28. ↑ David F. Barry: It's official: Atari joins the US Olympic Team. Antic Magazine, February 1984, p. 13.
  29. ↑ David Barry: Women's Olympic Volleyball Team: Atari sponsors a gold medal effort. Antic Magazine, August 1984, pp. 10 f.
  30. ^ Robert DeWitt: Atari International. Antic Magazine, March 1984, p. 14.
  31. ^ Exidy licenses First Star games. Electronic Games, September 1984, p. 8.
  32. ↑ Mike Stulier: Exidy Max-A-Flex System. ( Memento of the original from June 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. American Classic Arcade Museum, accessed May 31, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.classicarcademuseum.org
  33. ↑ Keith Smith: The Ultimate (So Far) History of Exidy - Part 8: Max-A-Flex. The Golden Age Arcade Historian, accessed May 31, 2016.
  34. ^ Arthur Leyenberger: Necessity's child. Analog Computing Magazine, Aug 1984, p. 10.
  35. ↑ Scott Mace: Jack Tramiel buys Atari. InfoWorld, July 30, 1984, p. 11.
  36. ^ Atari delays plans. Popular Computing Weekly, 6-12. September 1984, p. 1.
  37. ^ Denise Caruso: News Briefs. InfoWorld, October 15, 1984, p. 24.
  38. ^ Atari prices slashed. Popular Computing Weekly, 16. – 22. August, p. 1.
  39. ↑ Kathy Chin: Big price drop for atari 800XL. InfoWorld, December 3, 1984, p. 19 f.
  40. ↑ Werner Breuer: USA: Atari even cheaper. Happy Computer, Jan 1985, p. 13.
  41. ↑ Chip, July 1985, p. 150.
  42. ↑ FPGA Atari 800XL. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 24, 2014 ; accessed on April 9, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / ssh.scrameta.net
  43. ↑ Eichler, Grohmann: Atari Intern. Data Becker, 1st edition 1984, p. 74.
  44. ↑ Eichler, Grohmann: Atari Intern. Data Becker, 1st edition 1984, p. 41.
  45. ↑ David Small, Sandy Small, George Bank (Eds.): The Creative Atari. Creative Computing Press, 1983, ISBN 0-916688-34-8 , p. 10.
  46. ↑ Julian Reschke, Andreas Wiethoff: The Atari professional book. Sybex Verlag, 2nd edition 1986, p. 130.
  47. ↑ Eichler, Grohmann: Atari 600XL / 800XL Intern. Data Becker GmbH, 1984, p. 63.
  48. ↑ Julian Reschke and Andreas Wiethoff: The Atari professional book. Sybex Verlag, 2nd edition 1986, pp. 138-142.
  49. ↑ Atari is upgrading. Happy Computer, August 1984, p. 152 f.
  50. ↑ Dietmar Eirich: Computer Periphery. Heyne, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-453-47058-3 , pp. 51-53.
  51. ↑ User's Handbook to the Atari Computer, p. 14.
  52. ^ Carl M. Evans: Tale of Two Circuits. Antic, December 1982 / January 1983, p. 63.
  53. ^ Matthew Ratcliff: Exploring the XL. Antic Magazine, June 1984, p. 40.
  54. ↑ DOS 2.5 upgrade and it's free! Atai User, August 1985, p. 9.
  55. ↑ Lawrence Dziegielewski: Disk drive survey - Atari 1050. Antic Magazine, August 1984, p. 81.
  56. ↑ Winston Lawrence: Hardware Review: Percom Double Density Disk Drive. Analog Magazine, No. 7, p. 57.
  57. ^ Rana Systems: Introducing the RANA 1000 disk drive Byte Magazine, March 1983, p. 48.
  58. ^ Astra Systems: Look what we have for your Atari computer. Antic, July 1983, p. 39.
  59. ^ Carol Ranalli: New products. InfoWorld, September 3, 1984, p. 48.
  60. ↑ Lawrence Dziegielewski: Disk drive survey - Trak AT-D2. Antic Magazine, August 1984, p. 38 f.
  61. ↑ Lawrence Dziegielewski: Disk drive survey - Indus GT. Antic Magazine, August 1984, pp. 80 f.
  62. ↑ Lawrence Dziegielewski: Escape from fragile floppies. Antic Magazine, August 1984, pp. 83 f.
  63. ↑ Julian Reschke: DOS-XL in the test. Happy Computer, October 1984, p. 136 f.
  64. ↑ Wolfgang Taschner: The Challenge. HC - My home computer, November 1983, p. 22.
  65. ↑ Atari 1020 Color Printer. Antic Magazine, September 1984, p. 47.
  66. ↑ Linda Tapscott: Printers. Antic Magazine, December 1984, pp. 32 and 35.
  67. ^ Charles Jackson: New color printers. Antic Magazine, March 1985, p. 30 f.
  68. ^ Brian Moriarty: Hardware Review: The Voicebox. Analog Computing, Issue 8, 1982, p. 34.
  69. ^ Annie Cates: Products Reviews - The Voicebox II. Antic Magazine, November 1984, p. 108.
  70. ^ Brian Moriarty: Stereo Graphics Tutorial. Analog Computing, Issue 7, p. 70.
  71. ^ Myotis Systems: The Apprentice. Antic, February / March 1983, p. 38.
  72. ^ David Duberman: Graphic Tablets. Antic Magazine, September 1984, pp. 38-40.
  73. ↑ Raymond Berube: Microram 64K memory board. Analog Computing Magazine, June 1984, p. 28.
  74. ↑ Other News. Analog Computing Magazine, Jan 1985, p. 12.
  75. ^ Scott Mace: The last half decade. InfoWorld, February 18, 1985, p. 32.
  76. ↑ Dietmar Eirich: Computer for reference. Compact Verlag, 1989, ISBN 3-8174-3564-9 , p. 212.
  77. ↑ Julian Reschke, Andreas Wiethoff: The Atari professional book. Sybex Verlag, 2nd edition 1986, p. 125 f.
  78. ↑ Barry A. Fleig, Robert F. Cutler and Tom. C. Chekel: Introduction to the first edition. The Blue Book for Atari Computers, 1st edition, WIDL Video Publications, p. 5.
  79. ↑ Attention Atari 1200 XL Owners. Antic Magazine, January 1984, p. 118.
  80. ↑ CDY Consulting: The latest innovations from CDY. Analog Computing Magazine, May 1985, p. 22.
  81. ^ Matthew JW Ratcliff: The XL Boss. Analog Computing Magazine, December 1984, p. 21.
  82. ↑ Eckhard Schulz: Listing of the month: Turbo-BASIC. Happy Computer, Dec 1985, p. 28.
  83. ↑ a b c d Linda Tapscott: Software. Antic Magazine, December 1984, pp. 38-41.
  84. ↑ Stefan Baucke: A fast assembler. Happy Computer, Oct 1984, p. 133.
  85. ↑ Jerry White: Product Reviews: BASIC XL. Antic Magazine, March 1984, p. 96.
  86. ↑ Jeffrey Stanton, Robert P. Wells, Sandra Rochowansky, Michael Mellin: Atari Software 1984. The Book Company, 1st edition 1984, pp. 360-363.
  87. ↑ James Dearner: Product Reviews: Inter-LISP / 65. Antic Magazine, July 1984, pp. 89 f.
  88. ↑ Jeffrey Stanton, Robert P. Wells, Sandra Rochowansky, Michael Mellin: Atari Software 1984. The Book Company, 1st edition 1984, pp. 350-352.
  89. ↑ Harald E Striepe: Deep Blue C & Deep Blue Secrets. Antic Magazine, January 84, p. 109.
  90. ^ Thomas McNamee: C / 65 by OSS. Antic Magazine, July 1984, p. 15.
  91. ↑ Draper Software: Draper Pascal. Analog Computing Magazine, Feb 1984, p. 46.
  92. ↑ Other News. Analog Computing Magazine, July 1985, p. 9.
  93. ↑ Jeffrey Stanton, Robert P. Wells, Sandra Rochowansky, Michael Mellin: Atari Software 1984. The Book Company, 1st edition 1984, pp. 210-241.
  94. ↑ Jeffrey Stanton, Robert P. Wells, Sandra Rochowansky, Michael Mellin: Atari Software 1984. The Book Company, 1st edition 1984, pp. 210-241.
  95. ^ Atari Software 1984, pp. 200, 201.
  96. ↑ Anita Malnig: Educational Software. Antic Magazine, Oct 1984, p. 29.
  97. ↑ Jeffrey Stanton, Robert P. Wells, Sandra Rochowansky, Michael Mellin: Atari Software 1984. The Book Company, 1st edition 1984, pp. 263-303.
  98. ↑ Anita Malnig: Educational Software. Antic Magazine, October 1984, pp. 29-34.
  99. ↑ a b Jeffrey Stanton, Robert P. Wells, Sandra Rochowansky, Michael Mellin: Atari Software 1984. The Book Company, 1st edition 1984, p. 12.
  100. ^ Winnie Schäfer: Game consoles and home computers. Gameplan, 3rd expanded edition, 2009, p. 34.
  101. ↑ Michael Ciraolo: Lucafilm Ltd. & Atari. Antic Magazine, August 1984, pp. 40-42.
  102. ↑ Michael Ciraolo: Adventure Trends. Antic Magazine, November 1984, pp. 22-26.
  103. ↑ Michael Ciraolo: Coming Adventures. Antic Magazine, November 1984, pp. 29 f.
  104. ↑ Lenhardts Games 1984
  105. ↑ Linda Tapscott: Games. Antic Magazine, December 1984, pp. 42-45.
  106. ↑ James Delson: Games - 84s finest. Family Computing, January 1985, pp. 26-28.
  107. ↑ Andreas Lange: What archives, museums and libraries can learn from gamers - and vice versa. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  108. ↑ Chris Kohler: Retro Gaming Hacks. O'Reilly, 2005, Hack # 59.
  109. ↑ Gunnar Kanold: Basic Tenliners 2014. 2014, Preface.
  110. ^ Brian Moriarty: Editorial. Analog Computing Magazine, January 1984, p. 15.
  111. ^ Brian Moriarty, Robin E. Novell and Austin Franklin: Inside the Atari 600XL. Analog Computing Magazine, January 1984, pp. 32-37.
  112. ^ Matthew Ratcliff: Exploring the XL. Antic Magazine, June 1984, pp. 38-40.
  113. ↑ a b Jack Schofield: Jack Schofield puts the Atari 600Xl through its paces. Your Computer, Nov 1983, p. 72.
  114. ↑ Triple Test: Atari, VIC-20, TI-99/4. Computer Choice, February 1984, p. 26.
  115. ^ Brian Moriarty, Robin E. Novell and Austin Franklin: Inside the Atari 600XL. Analog Computing Magazine, January 1984, p. 37.
The Atari 8-bit home computer line


computer

Atari 400 · Atari 800 · Atari 1200XL · 1400XL ∗ · Atari 1450XLD ∗ · Atari 600XL · Atari 800XL · Atari 130XE · Atari 65 XE · Atari 800XE · Atari XEGS

Floppy disk drives

Atari 810 · Atari 815 ∗ · Atari 1050 · Atari XF551 · Atari XF351 ∗

Cassette drives

Atari 410 · Atari 1010 · Atari XC11 · Atari XC12

Printer and plotter

Atari 820 · Atari 822 · Atari 825 · Atari 1020 · Atari 1025 · Atari 1027 · Atari 1029 · Atari XMM801 · Atari XDM121

Modems

Atari 830 · Atari 835 · Atari 1030 · Atari XM301

Others

Atari 850 (interface unit) Atari 1064 (memory expansion for Atari 600XL) Atari 1090 ∗ (expansion unit for Atari 600XL and 800XL) Atari XEP80 (80-character unit)

Special building blocks

ANTIC · CTIA · GTIA · FREDDIE · POKEY · SALLY

∗ Prototype or pre-series sample
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on June 20, 2016 .