jfalcon

I assume you go into something like ATARI DOS and use the menu options to try and format the floppy at Standard Density (SD) before trying at Double Density (DD) or Enhanced Density (ED)? Or at least checking the syntax in SpartaDOS when you use the FORMAT command? It could be due to the write-protect IR LED is fried. Reference this thread:

And if this works: - Either you need to start typing programs from books and magazines like we did back in "the day". - You need to get an APE device like from AtariMax or you can DIY one from this thread: and then you can import/export ATR images back and forth... Which you'll need unless you know someone with a copy of Bobterm or Amodem and you have a modem to download a copy from one of the Atari BBS's running out there with a dialup or voip adapter. Choose your pain level and cure.

Have you done the basics? At the "READY" prompt, write a 'Hello, World'-isque program in BASIC such as 5 REM A REALLY FANCY HELLO WORLD 6 REM SOURCE URL 7 REM https://www2.latech.edu/~acm/helloworld/basic.html 8 REM STOLEN WITHOUT PERMISSION FOR THIS POST 9 REM BECAUSE I COULDNT REMEMBER AN ATARI BASIC LF :) 10 REM HELLOFX.BAS 15 REM Make sure we're in text mode: 20 GRAPHICS 0 25 REM Set the left and right margins 30 POKE 82,0:POKE 83,39 35 REM Clear last-key-pressed 40 POKE 764,255 45 REM Main Loop! 50 PRINT "Hello World!"; 55 REM Change the text luminence 60 SETCOLOR 1,0,RND(0)*16 65 REM Change the background color 70 SETCOLOR 2,RND(0)*16,0 75 REM Play some whistle-like sound 80 SOUND 0,PITCH,10,10 85 REM Make it sound echoey by 86 REM adding a second, off-pitch 87 REM a little quieter... 90 SOUND 1,PITCH+3,10,5 95 REM Change the pithc: 100 PITCH=PITCH+1 110 IF PITCH=250 THEN PITCH=0 115 REM Keep going til keypress... 120 IF PEEK(764)=255 THEN 50 125 REM Eat keypress... 130 POKE 764,255 Then type "SAVE D1:hello.bas". (without quotes) Then power cycle the computer Then type "LOAD D1:hello.bas" and "RUN" the program. (without quotes) What happens? Did you hear any loading beeps on the DOS 2.5 load?

I was just discussing this in another retrocomputing forum, there was an ARS reporter that did an article back in 2005 to try and calculate how the 8-Bits fared. While it doesn't call out each specific model, if you go by when each series was on sale for purchase (not when it was announced as usually such was hyped), you should be able to work backwards and figure out sales for each series as once a model is out for a while, it will tend to settle because the hype buyers are already in and the bargain shoppers will try to pick up older models when the new model arrives. https://arstechnica.com/features/2005/12/total-share/3 Also keep in mind that the "demoscene" is in fact "growing": even here in the USA. So, while the OEM may be gone, there will likely be "compatible/clones" being made of these systems trying to use the original silicon where possible but likely FPGA to push the envelope of the platform.

So I don't see a few on here... FoReM XL/XE Addressed AMIS and the *many* variants like TODAMIS by Trent Dudley of AMODEM fame. - You should add these to your list as well as BBCS ones. Think of it this way, AMIS was originally published in ANTIC (I believe). Therefore it sold thousands of copies of the issues the source code was featured in. Some took this code and created variants which evolved it and spawned other projects like what happened with Trent Dudley. AMODEM by far he was known for. But he did write both sides of the system so that's kinda cool. OASIS 4 which there were like maybe 3 systems that actually were running as I recall. Then Oasis Jr of course was near easy to setup and get running half way decent from one download but never really got developer support. - Way addressed and bummed. What are the chances of reverse engineering the earlier code? As always I'd love to see source code for any and all programs so that they can be modded and rebuilt for future evolution. Also, has anyone ever tried to see if the message bases between various BBS's could be templated into a common format so that maybe the possibility of QWK and Fido can come to 8bit? Guess it could apply to commodore 8 and 16 bit systems as well.

If someone else has the BBS itself of TODAMIS (i haven't checked yet whether or not people are confused thinking I mean AMIS - which TODAMIS is a bit different than AMIS thanks to Trent Dudley of AMODEM fame), do you have mods? Would you happen to have a copy of The Vault's RISK BBS game?

Are there any plans on bringing the board back up? Something in me tonight wanted to see all the ATASCII screens again.

Mirrors make the most sense out of any archive anymore. The more mirrors the merrier. Seems to work for textfiles.com. Also having a group of librarians would also go a long way with curating an official archive @ Internet Archive and the mirrors.

Sadly that could be the fate of lots of software as people pass, retire or get tired of the hobby. I would love to work with anyone who has a large collection get it digitized and pushed up to Internet Archive. In my youth, I knew a BBS operator who lived in Denver (and if you're old enough, you likely do too - if he's not reading this message himself!) and he had the largest collection of Atari 8-Bit floppies which I think was topping out around 1700 last I knew in 1990-91. And Denver had a fair amount of Atari people putting out software. There were versions of AMIS called TODAMIS (for Trent Dudley of AMODEM fame) that various operators ran. One of the boards even did a "Risk/Conquest" online "door" where a group of users calling the board could take turns making moves and playing online "Risk". I remember being very, very impressed by the result being one of the first players of it on his system. Probably a thing to ensure in your estate planning is whom to contact regarding your horde... er collection so that they can remove that burden from your family as having visiting so many estate sales, you really feel for the people having to close out anyone's estate. But one cannot take it with them so best to make sure it gets passed forward and not end up in a landfill never to be seen again in this century at least.

not that i can recall. CCITT being a european standard, the software usually didn't jump the ocean gap.

Yeah, the problem with SyncTerm is that it's a standalone SDL program while HTML5 canvas is in every modern web browser. The idea here would be to use something like websocket to a server side telnet/ssh daemon if not javascript sockets/telnet.js to talk to a online Atari BBS. There are plenty of ANSI terminal emulators on the web due to linux shells, what I'm looking to do is make an ATASCII terminal emulator using your code so that it could talk to a online Atari system and conceivably be the front end to a modern day ATASCII based BBS (with or without 6502 representation).

I haven't looked at the code yet but how difficult do you feel it would be to tie the file read/write into something like say telnet.js? And in your development, how hard would it be to send bi-directional atascii back and forth into a file or telnet socket?

Did you find a home for them?

The only one I recall was MidiWars for the ST that was a true "network" multiplayer game. It was rad at the Star Trek convention I saw it at... Well, to do what you suggest, one could just "stream" your composite into a PC capture card and out to a uStream feed and your opponent do the same so you can both see each other's screen. Remote control would only matter if you were playing a game where you had to take turns. But games like Archon, you could do it chess style and call your moves. The streaming of each other's feeds would keep it honest and interesting.

My .02... Everyone is right of course - bad business model, shifting environment from 8 to 16 seemingly rapidly, C64's dominance and Apple monopoly into every school.... but I think everyone is missing the big one: Nintendo Atari's commercial video game part was far separated from the 8bit side of the house as they were usually developing specialized circuits and chips that weren't in 8-bit machines and never would be. Devices like Magneto-Optical drives, LaserDisc and other devices that could just overload the tiny bus of the average XL/XE machine and could never be marketed to a home consumer in a cost effective way. But Nintendo already had experience developing hit games and arcade consoles. They watched everyone then built a machine that entertained. They used cartridges because it would reduce piracy and provided support to 3rd party development to publish games for it.

Ultima series Omnitrend's Universe just due to the sheer detail given to the game at the time... (and since we're talking games released during the a8-bit span.. not games specific to the a8 platform) Space Quest Robotech Leisure Suit Larry (kept these to more/less cga graphics)

Delphi I believe is still running. I'll have to look at some stuff I'm putting together about X.25. But Genie is long gone according to wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEnie

Yeah, I might call over here in a few to the Australia tech support line (via VoIP) and see if it's all the same. According to the Indian tech I called stateside, it's all still pretty much there but he didn't quote me info because their "classic" department was having phone issues.

What's neat is that the good old "GO PHONES" is still running. From the User ID: type 77770,101 It will barf out ?? LOGSTU - System temporarily unavailable Then just type "PHONES" without quotes at the next User ID: prompt.

I recently rediscovered that Compuserve is still running their text based environment under Compuserve "Classic". Anyone know what the current connection charges are and all that stuff? I do know you can access it via the internet by telnet to telnet://gateway.compuserve.com

I noticed this the other day when visiting the Synchronet BBS website. Seems that one could "emulate" an entire 8-bit multi-line bbs complete with ATASCII menus if they really wanted to and push this out as a "telnet replacement" since Vista doesn't have a telnet client. http://syncterm.bbsdev.net/

Greetings, Does anyone out there have a copy of Packet Radio BBS program for the 8-bit? I know the Commodore or IBM was usually the platform of choice when it comes to it, but I'm curious to find out if there was any programs written for it doing this purpose and additionally how it handled multiple connections over one serial line. Thanks!

They were used on the C-64 version of "Elite"....

Not scanned (Yikes! - what a project THAT would be), but I think I gave close to the complete run of Compute!, and a decent chunk of Compute!'s Gazzette as well. I agree - growing up as a teen with these computers - the best part was typing in the listings and giving all the programs a go (except the boring/useless Filer and Address Book ones! ). --Timster-- Actually, if someone has a set they don't mind me destroying the binding of, I have a brand new all-in-one printer with a "page feeder". Definately not as fancy as the one at my last steady job (Xerox Docucenter) but it can do the job. And once each is in a reasonable quality/size PDF, I'm sure we could find some place to host it. Heck, Google can parse PDF files for search terms even. I'd say do it both with Compute! and Compute!'s Gazette. Or any other magazine with program listings...

Actually on this subject, the other day I went to look for scans of Compute! magazine with none to avail. Compute! was cool because it had all these listings of programs at the back of the magazine with different versions for different computer platforms. Does anyone have these scanned somewhere? The articles are nice but not enough