Tim McGuinness, Atari Senior Research Engineer and Founder of ROMOX

Tim McGuinness was a Hardware Design Engineer in Atari’s Personal Computer Division in 1980 and 1981, then moved to become Senior Research Engineer/Assistant Director of Corporate Research Engineering through 1982. Tim was co-developer of 400, 800, and 1200XL computers and peripherals. He was also the initial architect and designer of the first version of the Amiga computer. He left Atari in 1982 to co-found Romox, a software publisher that had a unique software distribution system where you could load new software onto cartridges using an in-store kiosk.

This interview took place on May 23, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

“Personal computer division was a toxic environment ... I had a taken a prototype that we had been working on over to the research division, because I was going to show Alan Kay. And I come back with the unit and I’m being threatened with arrest.”

“Michael Jackson spent a couple of days at our facility in Campbell to help us with the digitization of things like Beat It.”

“Talking to the Tramiels. Sam was pretty rational, his brother was insane, and the old man was just an asshole.”