ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Podcast

Tom Eckmann, President of Kyan Software Tom Eckmann was president and co-founder of Kyan Software. Kyan's flagship product was Kyan Pascal, an implementation of the Pascal programming language which was available for the Apple II, Atari 8-bits, and Commodore 64/128 computers. This interview took place on May 19, 2017. Teaser quote: "We sneered at Turbo Pascal because it was non-compliant, there were all of these un-pure features. ... He [Philippe Kahn] just looks looks at me and goes, 'Nobody gives a damn.'" Kyan Software at AtariMania Antic magazine review of Kyan Pascal Kyan Pascal at Internet Archive

Bill Bowman, CEO of Spinnaker Software Bill Bowman was co-founder and CEO of Spinnaker Software, one of the first software companies that focused exclusively on educational software. He was at the company from its founding in 1982 through 1987. Spinnaker's software line-up included Snooper Troops, Delta Drawing, FaceMaker, Adventure Creator, In Search of the Most Amazing Thing, KinderComp, and many other titles. In early 1984 InfoWorld called Spinnaker the 16th largest software company in the world, with $10 million in 1983 sales. This interview took place on May 16, 2017. "All of a sudden, one Friday at 6:30, she came through the door with beer and soda pop and lots of snacks, and six children ... Of course it shut down the office completely." Spinnaker at Atarimania Wikipedia on Spinnaker Inside Spinnaker Software (InfoWorld magazine)

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast, Kevin wows us with his winners in the NOMAM BASIC 10-liners contest, we discuss the preparations for VCFSE, Nir Dary tells us all about disk drives, and we discuss all the Atari news that's fit to print.

READY!

Recurring Links

Floppy Days Podcast

AtariArchives.org

AtariMagazines.com

Kevin's Book "Terrible Nerd"

New Atari books scans at archive.org

ANTIC feedback at AtariAge

Atari interview discussion thread on AtariAge

ANTIC Facebook Page

AHCS

Eaten By a Grue

What we've been up to

• Indy vintage computer club - http://www.indyclassic.org/ , https://www.facebook.com/groups/1082702455167563/
• Atari 800XE - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-800xe-/162383912577 , http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=982&st=1
• Atari XEP80 Interface Module - http://www.atarimania.com/faq-atari-400-800-xl-xe-what-is-the-atari-xep80-interface-module_39.html
• Multi-Link - http://atariage.com/forums/gallery/image/17135-multilink-gamelink/
• Jumpman level source code commenting: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/259304-jumpman-levels-with-custom-code/?p=3736842
• Quote Blaster/Tribunal - Atari computer game
• Quote Blaster thread on AtariAge - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/236768-the-atari-interview-discussion-thread/?p=3731983
• APX Knightsoil Submission Materials
• Amoeba Debugger/Mini assembler. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/264052-amoeba-newly-discovered-proto-software/
• High Score Club Season 14, Round 5 - Kaverns of KFest - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/263482-hsc14-round-5-getaway-more-getaway-bonus-kaverns-of-kfest/

News

• book: Breakout: How Atari 8-Bit Computers Defined a Generation by Jamie Lendino - http://amzn.to/2pTOisT
• NOMAM 10-line BASIC contest results - http://gkanold.wixsite.com/homeputerium/results-2017
• NOMAM 10-line BASIC contest Discussion - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/261637-basic-10liners-2017/page-3
• YouTube videos this month (not Nir Dary):
• • ATARI 800 PSP - emulator ATARI by Marcin Czekała - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNLVHkGWeo0
  • author JAMIE LENDINO on the impact Atari computers had on the world - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzatiqdRTY8
  • Software Development on the Atari 8-bit with a Corvus Hard Disk by Thomas Cherryhomes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCOsrefp4rA
  • Tom Cherryhomes - Amoeba - a Debugging and Patching tool for Atari 8-bit Computers - https://youtu.be/ZZ1fQC4V8uE
• electrotrains - Uno Cart DIY in Excel Magazine - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/263831-unocart-diy-article-in-excel-magazine-issue-4/
• 'I was there when Atari left Limerick with 600 jobs. It's a day I hope to never repeat', thejournal.ie, May 8, 2017 - http://www.thejournal.ie/bill-doherty-cook-medical-limerick-3-3329799-Apr2017/
• SIO2BT update - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/228860-sio2bt/page-8#entry3727273
• https://8bitgeneration.vhx.tv/packages/easy-to-learn-hard-to-master-standard-edition/videos/final-cut-def-h264-vhx
• GunFright - http://atariteca.blogspot.com/2017/04/version-final-de-gunfright-para-atari.html
• Excel issue 4 - http://atariteca.blogspot.com/2017/04/atari-la-venta-cuarto-numero-de-la.html

• The best original games of 2016 for Atari computers - http://atariteca.blogspot.com/2016/12/el-mejor-juego-original-del-2016-para.html
• The best ports, hacks and extended versions of Atari computer games for 2016 - http://atariteca.blogspot.com/2016/12/el-mejor-port-hack-y-version-extendida.html

• Update on RetroChallenge 2017/04 - http://www.retrochallenge.org/
• Tom Raidna Atari project for RetroChallenge - traidna.wordpress.com
• Bill Lange and Peter Fletcher putting together Atari party - https://www.facebook.com/bill.lange
• Bill Kendrick's Atari Party - http://www.newbreedsoftware.com/atariparty/2016/
• Nir Dary videos this month
• • How to make an SIO2PC cable for about $6 with no soldering - https://youtu.be/-xXBNQIFKLE
  • Demo of the VBXE Graphic enhancement board for the Atari 8bit computer
  • https://youtu.be/o51S_ylNP4A
  • ATARI 8bit with Rapidus & U1MB running ZX Spectrum Games (Golden Axe and more) - https://youtu.be/3HsveNrEWgk
  • Playing the Antic Podcast show Episode 1 on a real Atari 800 computer - https://youtu.be/ktUgqt_G1EU
  • Sampling Audio on ATARI 8bit computer - https://youtu.be/FUwyDJV0ytI
• Other Upcoming Shows where you might see Atari computers
• • VCF Southeast - April 29 & 30, 2017, Roswell, GA - http://vcfse.org/
  • TI Fest West - Saturday April 29th from 9 am to 5 pm, Oak Tree Restaurant in Woodland, Washington - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/260465-fest-west-2017/
  • Kansasfest July 18-23 https://www.kansasfest.org
  • VCF West - August 5-6, 2017 - Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, California - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-west-xi/
  • VCFMW - Sept. 9-10, Elk Grove Village, IL - http://vcfmw.org/
  • PRGE http://www.retrogamingexpo.com Oct 20-22
  • May 25th to May 28th - OUTLINE Demo Party in Holland - http://outlinedemoparty.nl/
  • :: FOReVER o18, FOReVER - nostalgic 8-bit multiscene party - http://forever.zeroteam.sk
  • Sommarhack 2017 - Home, SOMMARHACK 2017 JULY 7 - 9 - http://dhs.nu/sommarhack/2017/
  • Fujiama 2017 17.8.2017 - 20.8.2017 - http://www.abbuc.de/news-feeds-component/events/icalrepeat.detail/2017/08/17/215/-/fujiama-2017
  • OldComp Party #3 (Czech Republic) 8.9.2017 - 10.9.2017
  • ByteFest 2017 13.10.2017 - 15.10.2017 - http://www.bytefest.org/english-info2/
  • Ajka Hungary, Arok party Aug 11 to Aug 13, 2017 - https://www.facebook.com/ArokParty/

New at Archive.org

• Energy Czar manual
• Caverns Of Mars manual, Atari 800 Series
• Atarisoft - Now Your Computer Fits the Arcade Hits
• Parker Brothers' Gyruss manual
• Mastertronic's Ninja manual
• Raid Over Moscow manual
• I.C.D.s Technicolor Dream manual
• PS Interface manual
• Micro Painter Plus manual
• Video Title Shop
• MECC's Atari Font Editor
• The Official Scott Adams' Adventure Hint Book
• Atari Necromancer
• Atari Crossbow
• Microprose F 15 Strike Eagle manual - 15 July 86 Change 6
• MicroProse Kennedy Approach June 85
• APX Eastern Front 1941 Version 4
• Silent Service manual
• Top Gunner Collection manual
• F-15 Strike Eagle Flight Operation Manual
• Technical Reference For Hayes Modem Users (1991)
• Technical Reference Hayes Synchronous Interface For Application Software
• Hayes Stack Chronograph Owners Manual
• Technical Reference For Hayes Modem Users (1993)
• Gunfright
• The Banner Canner Instruction Manual

Nir Dary Segment - Disk Drives

• http://gury.atari8.info/categ/h_disk_drives.php
• http://www.atarimania.com/faq-atari-400-800-xl-xe-what-other-floppy-disk-drives-can-i-use-with-my-atari_23.html
• http://atariage.com/forums/topic/228792-karin-maxi-drive-atari-65800130xe-sic/

End of Show Music

• "I Love My Atari" by Zygomatik, 2006. Available in itunes.

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.

Rob Zdybel, Atari (Part 2)

Hello, Atari fans, and welcome to another interview episode of Antic, The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast. My name is Randy Kindig. This interview is a bit different in that it's the second interview with someone that we've interviewed before - Mr. Rob Zdybel. The reason for this is that Rob worked for Atari so long, and was involved in so many projects, that I felt like some information was left undiscovered in the first interview. At the request of some listeners, I decided to do a follow-up interview and Rob was kind enough to agree.

Rob Zdybel was a very long-time employee at Atari, having worked there beginning in 1979 all the way to 1996, when the Tramiels left. Rob has a long line of credits including Pigs in Space, Real Sports Football, Stellar Track and Star Trek for the Atari 400/800, SOS for the Atari 2600, Missile Command for the Atari 5200, and Bug Hunt for the Atari XE. He also designed the system BIOS for the Atari 5200.

Please note that this interview does have some profanity, although I did beep out the most obvious instances.

This interview took place on July 10, 2016.

Links:

• list of Rob's games at AtariMania
• PRGE 2013 - Bob Smith, Rob Zdybel, Joe Decuir - Portland Retro Gaming Expo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmqzybUe9m4
• "Once Upon Atari" - http://www.onceuponatari.com/
• Rob's first interview with ANTIC

Chris Byrne, Intern at Atari Ireland Chris Byrne was an intern at Atari Ireland in 1982, where he programmed a quality lot tracking system on the Atari 800, and on the IBM System/38. This interview took place on March 20, 2017.

Atawi Fowever!!!

In this episode of Antic the Atari 8-bit podcast: Nir Dary talks about the Atari Invasion Show, Tom Raida brings back the programming language segment to talk about Kyan Pascal, we tell you about all the Atari shows going on this year around the world, and in order to head off lawsuits we tell you about all the possible side effects of listening to Antic.

READY!

Recurring Links

Floppy Days Podcast

AtariArchives.org

AtariMagazines.com

Kevin's Book "Terrible Nerd"

New Atari books scans at archive.org

ANTIC feedback at AtariAge

Atari interview discussion thread on AtariAge

ANTIC Facebook Page

AHCS

Eaten By a Grue

What we've been up to

• Indy vintage computer club - http://www.indyclassic.org/ , https://www.facebook.com/groups/1082702455167563/

News

• Atari 400 USB Keyboard - http://blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2017/03/atari-400-usb-keyboards.html
• Atari 800XLP
• Atari game watch
• Atari Pong coffee table - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461917284/play-atari-pong-in-your-coffee-table
• BASIC 10liners 2017 - http://gkanold.wixsite.com/homeputerium/basic-10liners-2017 , http://atariage.com/forums/topic/261637-basic-10liners-2017/
• YouTube channel up by Lotharek - https://www.youtube.com/user/lotharek
• Atari gifts at Zazzle.com - https://www.zazzle.com/atari+gifts
• "How I Built This" Podcast (NPR) - http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this
• RetroChallenge 2017/04 - http://www.retrochallenge.org/
• "Explore/Create: My Life in Pursuit of New Frontiers, Hidden Worlds, and the Creative Spark" - http://amzn.to/2noFuwV
• High Score Club Season 14 - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/260910-hsc14-welcome-games-list/
• Other Upcoming Shows where you might see Atari computers
• • VCF East - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/, March 31-April 2, 2017, InfoAge Science Center, Wall, NJ
  • Midwest Gaming Classic - Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel - April 7-9 - https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/
  • VCF Southeast - April 29 & 30, 2017, Roswell, GA - http://vcfse.org/
  • TI Fest West - Saturday April 29th from 9 am to 5 pm, Oak Tree Restaurant in Woodland, Washington - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/260465-fest-west-2017/
  • Kansasfest July 18-23 https://www.kansasfest.org
  • VCF West - August 5-6, 2017 - Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, California - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-west-xi/
  • VCFMW - Sept. 9-10, Elk Grove Village, IL - http://vcfmw.org/
  • PRGE http://www.retrogamingexpo.com Oct 20-22
  • Going on right now is The Forever Demo Party in Slovakia, http://forever.zeroteam.sk/
  • April 7th to April 9th - Atariada in Czech Republic - http://www.atariada.cz
  • April 21th to April 23rd - NOMAM 2017 in Germany - http://skriegel.de/nomam/
  • May 25th to May 28th - OUTLINE Demo Party in Holland - http://outlinedemoparty.nl/
  • :: FOReVER o18, FOReVER - nostalgic 8-bit multiscene party - http://forever.zeroteam.sk
  • Sommarhack 2017 - Home, SOMMARHACK 2017 JULY 7 - 9 - http://dhs.nu/sommarhack/2017/
  • Fujiama 2017 17.8.2017 - 20.8.2017 - http://www.abbuc.de/news-feeds-component/events/icalrepeat.detail/2017/08/17/215/-/fujiama-2017
  • OldComp Party #3 (Czech Republic) 8.9.2017 - 10.9.2017
  • ByteFest 2017 13.10.2017 - 15.10.2017 - http://www.bytefest.org/english-info2/
  • Ajka Hungary, Arok party Aug 11 to Aug 13, 2017 - https://www.facebook.com/ArokParty/
  • another Retro computer event in 1st & 2nd of April.. this time its Retro Computer Show 2017 in Bordeaux, France - http://www.retrocomputershow.com/

New at Archive.org

• https://archive.org/details/computergamingworld
• https://archive.org/details/CarinaBBS1.1A
• https://archive.org/details/Atari1200XLHomeComputerNextLogicalStep
• https://archive.org/details/ICDProductCatalog19881989
• AMIS BBS Software And Documentation

Nir Dary Segment

• Review of Atari Invasion show - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1edcEPJu2S8

Of-The-Month

• ACE-80 Cart & ACE-80XL Cart - http://www.atariarchives.org/cfn/12/02/0100.php

Commercial

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA5Xw5uwpAc

Programming Languages Segment

• Kyan Pascal - by Tom Raidna - https://kyanpascal.wordpress.com/

Feedback

• Louisville Arcade Expo - http://www.arcaderx.com/
• Suburban Chicago Atarians (SCAT) - http://www.scatarians.org/

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.

Peter Shankman, Help A Reporter Out

Peter Shankman is a well-known American entrepreneur and author. He was creator of Help A Reporter Out, and author of several business books. He got his start in technology with an Atari 2600 and an Apple ][.

This interview took place on March 20, 2017.

Teaser quote: "What would you change, if you could go back and talk to your 10-year-old self? I wouldn't change a thing. Because the hell that I went through there has led to, pretty much, the majority of the success I've had today, and I'm very very lucky with that. I can trace that back to the Atari, to the 2600, to those games..."

Peter's web site

Peter on Twiiter

Wikipedia on Peter

Faster than Normal podcast

Video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/a2DZoTU9Cw4

Nadav Caine, Mathematic-Tac-Toe

Nadav Caine published one program for the Atari computer: Mathematic-Tac-Toe. This educational program first appeared in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog.

This interview took place on March 17, 2017.

Teaser quotes:

"Look, my game's lousy. I'm embarrassed even to have a conversation about it."

"All education is self-education. I don't think teachers put knowledge in your head."

Mathematic-Tac-Toe at AtariMania

Mathematic-Tac-Toe in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog

Quote Blaster - Nadav's unpublished educational game

Bob Woolley, Atari 1200XL hardware hacker

Bob Woolley has been upgrading and modifying Atari 8-bit computers — primarily the 1200XL — since it was released. His hardware products include video output improvements, keyboard repairs, built-in CompactFlash cards, a dual-ANTIC computer, and a parallel bus interface for the 1200XL. Bob was editor of Atari Classics magazine from approximately 1994-1997. He is still active in the San Leandro Computer Club and on the AtariAge forums.

This interview took place on March 14, 2017.

"I actually use the Atari as my computer. I couldn't write any code on one of my PCs. Whereas if I'm going to write code, I do it on the Atari."

Bob on AtariAge

San Leandro Computer Club

Atari Classics Magazine

A Parallel Bus Interface for your 1200XL

1200XL Keyboard Tune-up

Joe Grande, Monkey Up A Tree

Joe Grande published one program for the Atari computers: Monkey Up A Tree was published by Atari Program Exchange, and first appeared in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog.

This interview took place on March 14, 2017.

Monkey Up A Tree in the winter 1982 APX catalog