ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Podcast

Randy Kindig, Kay Savetz, Brad Arnold
ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Podcast

We cover Atari news, reviews, and a special feature each show for the Atari 8-bit line of computers (400/800/XL/XE/XEGS)

  1. 30 DE NOV.

    ANTIC Interview 446 - Mary Eisenhart, MicroTimes magazine

    Mary Eisenhart, MicroTimes magazine   Mary Eisenhart was editor of MicroTimes magazine, a free, advertising-supported magazine that was distributed in California. The first issue was May 1984, and Mary remained at the magazine until 1998, producing more than 180 issues. MicroTimes provided interviews, computer industry news, rumors, and columns, and - of course - advertising. For most of its run, there were two editions of each issue: Northern California and Southern California.    When she left MicroTimes, Mary took with her a copy or two of every issue, which years later were scanned by Internet Archive. The almost-complete collection is now online, full-text searchable, where they can be read online or downloaded.   As a young teenager growing up in Southern California, I read MicroTimes whenever I could find it, usually in record stores. It was a great computer magazine, with the huge bonus that it was free. When I graduated college in Northern California, I wrote for MicroTimes as often as possible (Mary was my editor.) The $200 per article paychecks were the start of my freelance writing career.    Mary and I didn't talk too much about Atari in this interview, but rest assured there was plenty of material of interest to Atari lovers in MicroTimes. For instance, issue 1 has Mary's interview with Jon Freeman and Anne Westfall, creators of Archon. A 1985 cover article features "The People Behind 'The Print Shop'" — and there was a long-running Atari ST column written by Helmi Kobler.   This interview took place on November 25, 2024.   Video version of this interview at YouTube   MicroTimes at Internet Archive [NEEDED for scanning: Volume 2 Number 12, most of Volume 3]   Mary's web site   BAM Magazine in Wikipedia   Hedy Lamarr issue   Kay's first published article   Support Kay's interviews on Patreon

    1h20min
  2. 26 DE NOV.

    ANTIC Episode 112 - Keeping Warm with Sweaters and Hot Sauce

    ANTIC Episode 112 In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we have several Christmas ideas for you, we tell you about projects that would allow creating a new reproduction Atari 800XL, and we wet our appetites for the current Atari’s hot sauce while wearing their ugly Christmas sweater … READY! Recurring Links  Floppy Days Podcast  AtariArchives.org  AtariMagazines.com  Kay’s Book “Terrible Nerd”  New Atari books scans at archive.org  ANTIC feedback at AtariAge  Atari interview discussion thread on AtariAge  Interview index: here  ANTIC Facebook Page  AHCS  Eaten By a Grue  Next Without For  Links for Items Mentioned in Show: What we’ve been up to Vox ex Machina: A Cultural History of Talking Machines by Sarah A. Bell - https://archive.org/details/mit_press_book_9780262375870/page/169/mode/2up?q=savetz  Intellivision: How a Videogame System Battled Atari and Almost Bankrupted Barbie by Tom Boellstorff and Braxton Soderman - https://archive.org/details/mit_press_book_9780262380553/  MIT Press: Open Access Materials - https://archive.org/details/mit_press_open_access  A Treasure Chest of Ampex Tapes Saves Early Computer History - https://www.ampex.com/a-treasure-chest-of-ampex-tapes-saves-early-computer-history/  Atari 400/800 Reference Card (Atari BASIC and Microsoft BASIC) by Nanos Systems Corp. - https://archive.org/details/1984-03-anticmagazine/page/102/mode/2up  Best of Creative Computing (Volumes I & III): https://archive.org/details/Best_of_Creative_Computing_Vol_1_1978_Creative_Computing_Press  https://archive.org/details/bestofcreativeco0003unse  Cassette repair - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCGJ7GQF  Stray Pointers podcast with the ANTIC crew - Jim Lawless - https://straypointers.com/e/s2e19.htm  Recent Interview Shows ANTIC Interview 442 - Bob Stein, Atari Research ANTIC Interview 443 - Rick Reaser, Current Notes Magazine ANTIC Interview 444 - Nick Kennedy, SIO2PC and ATR ANTIC Interview 445 - Vince Cate, The Critical Connection News Ugly Christmas sweaters - https://atari.com/collections/holiday-collection?filter.p.product_type=Sweatshirts&sort_by=manual  Atari Hot Sauce - https://atarisauce.com/  Christmas Critters: https://www.atariteca.net.pe/2024/11/anuncian-demo-de-christmas-critters.html  And at AtariAge - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/375904-christmas-critters-wip-game-demo/  he just released an “engine prototype demo” - https://tigerskunk.itch.io/atari-xmasdemo  And Saberman has already done a quick video on it - https://youtu.be/efP2WOLnxvY  Revive Machines is working on the injection molds of RM 800XL, the modern FPGA recreation of the Atari 800XL - Philsan69: https://x.com/philsan69/status/1856461217792999494?s=58  https://revive-machines.com/index-en.html  Clear Case Kickstarter for 800XL has begun (Nov. 1) - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/seethruit/injection-molded-clear-case-for-atari-800xl-computer/  Brian Reifsnyder Designs an "Advanced Remake" of Atari's 800XL Mainboard - https://www.hackster.io/news/brian-reifsnyder-designs-an-advanced-remake-of-atari-s-800xl-mainboard-95cbc0823bb3.amp  AtariBASICs November newsletter - John Zielke - https://ataribasics.com/  Atari Addict Collector’s Magazine - https://www.pixel.addict.media/shop/atari-addict-magazine  Atari Programmers Society Newsletter: https://archive.org/details/wire-taps-atari-programmers-society-newsletter-april-1986-vol-4-num-4  v1n6 1983 - https://archive.org/details/wiretaps-v1n6  Cartridge extender card for the Atari 1200XL - ReifsnyderB - https://www.tindie.com/products/5cfab/cartridge-extender-card-for-the-atari-1200xl/  Improved Keyboard on an XE - https://amzn.to/4i10QZz  Vintage Computer Center starting back up (Gavin Haubelt) - http://www.vintagecomputercenter.com  FastBASIC install/debugger - Eric Carr https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=EricCarr.fastbasic-debugger  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fOm8Mq4qFA  400 mini it is available from Amazon Germany for $54 plus shipping. - https://www.amazon.de/-/en/RETROGAMES-THE400MINI/dp/B0CRYXTL82  Upcoming Shows REMAINING IN 2024 Silly Venture WE (Winter Edition) - Dec. 5-8 - Gdansk, Poland - https://www.demoparty.net/silly-venture/silly-venture-2024-we  Atari Party 2024 - Dec. 7 (noon - 4p.m.) - Quakertown Train Station, Quakertown, PA - http://atariparty.org/  2025 Vintage Computer Festival SoCal - February 15-17, 2025 - Hotel Fera Events Center, Orange, CA - vcfsocal.com  Midwest Gaming Classic - April 4-6 - Baird Center, Milwaukee, WI - https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/  VCF East - April 4-6, 2024 - Wall, NJ - http://www.vcfed.org  Indy Classic Computer and Video Game Expo - April 12-13 - Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Indianapolis, IN - https://indyclassic.org/  Fujiama - August 11-17 - Lengenfeld, Germany - http://atarixle.ddns.net/fuji/2025/  YouTube Videos The Atari 1200xl - Atari's 8-bit red-headed stepchild - Power of Vintage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTLTJzZ7-I8  Atari XE memory extension (512 KB) in 2 easy ways - RetroKernal - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvBkMEnONgs  Atari 65 XE vs Commodore 64 | 70s 80s Computer System Competition TV Commercial - VideoGames Replay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMNGMHKZ0w  Atari Computers Sales, Marketing Strategy 80's TV Commercial - VideoGames Replay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA7kY9pkFxM  Atari 800 Game: Scram (1980 Atari) - Old Classic Retro Gaming - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8XRtICfBuQ  CHM: Oral History of Nolan Bushnell - https://youtu.be/izYWqhUGBGA?si=M4T43I-tJ2mp2EhA  New at Archive.org  https://archive.org/details/computer-shopper-jan-1989-vol-9-num-1-atari-articles  https://archive.org/details/atari-price-list-june-1982-and-letters  https://archive.org/details/europa-america-aventuras-com-o-atari  https://archive.org/details/computer-83-special-section-the-oregonian-june-16-1983  “The Dirty Book”: https://archive.org/details/the-dirty-book-v-2-n-2  https://archive.org/details/TheDirtyBookV2N1  Referenced by - https://bsky.app/profile/lainenooney.bsky.social/post/3lbldh3w2hk2m  A Word From Our Sponsor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMNGMHKZ0w  New at GitHub https://github.com/pvbestinfoo/Atari_8-Bit_Rom_Image_File_Explorer  https://github.com/sidneycadot/sam  https://github.com/dpicken/atari-hw  https://github.com/JSJvR/atari-8-bit-utils  https://github.com/GRHOnline/Mono8bitmap  https://github.com/fredlcore/1K-RainBox

    1h15min
  3. 22 DE NOV.

    ANTIC Interview 445 - Vince Cate, The Critical Connection

    Vince Cate, The Critical Connection   In my last interview, I talked with the creator of SIO2PC, which let Atari users use a DOS computer as its disk drive and printer. This interview is with the creator a product which - six years earlier - let Atari users use a CP/M computer as its disk drive and printer (and keyboard.)   Vince Cate owned a company called USS Enterprises, with just one product: The Critical Connection. Critical Connection was a combination of a specialized cable and software for connecting an Atari 8-bit to a computer running CP/M. The long cable had an SIO plug on one end and a 25-pin serial plug on the other, and some chips in the middle, allowing the Atari and CP/M box to communicate at 19,200 bps.   The Critical Connection was released in 1983, six years before SIO2PC. They shared many similar features: with it you could: use an entire CP/M floppy disk as an emulated 600K Atari disk drive, create 92KB CP/M disk files which emulated Atari 90KB disks, and print from the Atari to the CP/M computer's printer. The CP/M machine even acted as a print spooler. You could also use the CP/M machine's keyboard to type on the Atari.   Vince needed to create a file format to store virtual floppy disks on the CP/M machine: the filename extension was .ATR. I don't know positively, but I'm pretty sure it's a different file format from the well-known .ATR format that Nick Kennedy created for SIO2PC six years later... just similar functionality given similar names. Nick Kennedy told me that he had never heard of The Critical Connection.   Here's what Jerry Pournelle wrote about Critical Connection in the September 1983 issue of Byte magazine:   "Vincent Cate continues to improve his Critical Connection. This gadget makes an Atari think a CP/M computer system is a set of disks. The only requirement is that your CP/M system have an RS-232C serial port operating at 19,200 bps. Given that, you needn't buy disks for an Atari; by using The Critical Connection, you can make the Atari believe you have four disks. The really nice part is that you can use 8-inch as well as 5 1/4 -inch disks.   Cate's new software package has automatic installation for a number of CP/M systems, including Kaypro, North Star, Sanyo, CCS, Heath/Zenith, and Morrow. ... Cate's documentation is improved, but it's not what I'd call good. Still, you can puzzle it out, and if you don't want to invest a lot in an Atari system but still want to use disks with it, Cate's Critical Connection is the way to go."   This interview took place on November 20, 2024.   Video version of this interview on YouTube       Vince's web site   Vince in Wikipedia   Critical Connection review in ANALOG magazine 1986-02   CC version 1 in Antic   XL version in Antic   In Byte 1983-09   In Dr. Dobbs Journal 1983-09   Critical Connection at AtariMania   ANTIC Interview 444 - Nick Kennedy, SIO2PC and ATR   Support Kay's interviews on Patreon

    31min
  4. 15 DE NOV.

    ANTIC Interview 444 - Nick Kennedy, SIO2PC and ATR

    Nick Kennedy, SIO2PC and the ATR File Format   Nick Kennedy is the creator of SIO2PC, the hardware and software combination that allowed Atari 8-bit computer users to use a PC as a peripheral. In 1989, this was unprecedented, a new way to connect the little Atari to the bigger world, to the (relatively) massive storage and speed of a computer running PC-DOS. For the first time, Ataris could use a PC as storage, RAM disk, and printer. Nick also created the .ATR file format, which quickly became the standard for using virtual floppy disks on Atari emulators.   Nick also created 10502PC, a cable that let you connect an Atari floppy drive directly to a PC; and AtariCOM, a less well-known utility that allowed two Atari 8-Bit computers to communicate using the SIO and joystick ports. And, he created Atari-based amateur radio tools: a terminal program for packet radio, and Morse code keyer software, which he and I talked about in detail in our previous interview.   This interview took place on November 1, 2024.   Video version of this interview on YouTube   Nick's web site   Nick's SIO2PC page   Previous interview with Nick about ham radio: ANTIC Interview 441 - Nick Kennedy, Atari Morse Code Keyer   ANTIC Interview 144 - Stephen Lawrow, Mac/65 assembler   Bob Woolley's Review of SIO2PC in Atari Interface Magazine 1991-01   1993 Atari Classics article: SIO2PC: Slave An IBM To Your 8-Bit   The .ATR File Format   ANTIC Interview 441 - Nick Kennedy, Atari Morse Code Keyer   AtariCom software   DAK catalogs   Best Electronics   Mapping the Atari by Ian Chadwick   AtariMax APE and ProSystem   Old Hackers Atari User Group newsletter disks   Nick Kennedy on AtariAge   Support Kay's interviews on Patreon

    54min
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We cover Atari news, reviews, and a special feature each show for the Atari 8-bit line of computers (400/800/XL/XE/XEGS)

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