lykewyse

My family had an Apple II when I was growing up, which was eventually replaced with various IBM PC clones running various versions of Windows... I didn't get into 'vintage' machines until 1998 or so when I got an Atari 800 at Goodwill with various accessories.

Probably same price as the Atari 800 system the above person got. I got a 1050 cover-- may want to auction it off to recoup some money from the system I bought. Yeah, it was $20, but it also came with an actual 800. My primary interest was in the dust cover, though.

Picked up, of all things, an Atari 800 dust cover.

A quick list of dial-up BBS systems in the US and Canada can be found at the Telnet BBS Guide. This list is updated every 60-90 days, so it is as current as possible.

No, the 830 was introduced for the 400/800 series. It was the only Acoustic Coupler type modem made by Atari (meaning that you had to put your telephone handset onto the cups on the top of the modem). <snip> Well, there's Memory Lane for you. Maybe I'll write more about this later... it was a fun time. Brilliant write-up, man. I got one of these in 1999 with my first vintage machine (an Atari 800). To preface this, I was fifteen and incredibly bored. I later had the 850 interface as well and tried to call FamilyNET in Dallas from Kentucky on a calling card. It was utterly hopeless. I connected perhaps twice very late at night. Additionally, the acoustic coupler didn't quite fit my phone, which I quickly discovered was crucial for this to actually work. Eventually I got a 14.4k modem and started calling more local BBSes until I gave up on trying to create an authentic early 1980s technology exchange experience. Instead, I started using Telnet.

<snip> The feedback on that particular keyboard [Atari 800], like the feedback one might get from an IBM Model M, is just beautiful. IBM Model M-- is that the one with a trackpoint stuck in the middle of it? Currently, I use the same keyboard for Amiga, Atari 400/800/XL/XEGS, and Gateway desktop (PC compatbile). But the 400 keyboard feels a bit weird when I used it especially trying to press CTRL or SHIFT based characters. I just got through simulating the CONSOL keys in software (START/OPTION/SELECT) for software that lets me load a driver. The IBM Model M keyboard is the one that came standard with IBM PCs up through 1993 or so (the ones with the cable that looked like a phone cord with a PS/2 port at the end). It is often affectionately called the "Clicky". I like that the 800 keyboard--even if it is slightly non-standard--gives me a similar feedback experience, even if it was merely designed that way to "map" the feel of an office typewriter to a computer keyboard... you know, so that your mom doesn't feel disoriented when she's using it.

A bit of rambling: Has anyone had any luck running a newer (non-serial) SIO2PC setup through a wireless USB hub? I read about this idea at the Atarimax forums but it looks like no one has actually tried it. The only apparent concerns in my mind are: a) slower transfer time than a direct connection (though an idea for sio2ethernet has been thrown around) b) compatibility with APE (though it seems like this should be a moot point; would APE not read it like any other USB hub?) c) a low end netbook would run about the same price as a good wireless hub Another fun thought... Most new mobile phones have a micro USB port. Many savvy geeks are buying phones with Android OS to develop new software. Wouldn't it be theoretically possible to port APE to Android and run an sio2mobile through Micro USB?

Very poetic description of attempting to type on a 400 keyboard (or any chicklet keyboard... generally very popular in the 80s on children's "educational" machines because they were therefore rendered impenetrable by Ecto Cooler, Crystal Pepsi, or the drink du jour). I don't honestly see a huge difference in trying to type on the 400's chicklet board and trying to type on a cheap modern laptop keyboard (plastic-plunger type). But, I think the best idea I've seen was someone (doctorclu, I think) putting an 800 keyboard on a 400. The feedback on that particular keyboard, like the feedback one might get from an IBM Model M, is just beautiful.