DGS-Atari

They're digging out some remarkable stuff, including loads of stuff from Micro Live that I haven't seen since their original live broadcasts in the 80s. When I saw this one they uploaded last month, I suddenly remembered where I got the idea for my LIDS music programming language in Digi-Studio. It's just a reworking of the BBC Micro's Music 5000 box and programming language he demonstrates at 5:48 in the clip. Actually, the whole idea for Digi-Studio was probably based on this whole clip!

The excellent BBC Archive YouTube channel has recently added this clip from 1983 where British magician Paul Daniels discusses his new Atari adventure game. I remember seeing his interview in the Atari I/O magazine that he mentions in the video (I did an article on the old Atari I/O magazines that's available on my website http://www.dgs.clara.net/ ).

I have a few scans of old Silica Shop flyers (which I think are different ones to those already posted) in the 'Pictures & Scans' section of my website: http://www.dgs.clara.net/

I have one more from probably about 1987. It's funny that although I can't clearly see the screen, I can see enough to tell that I was playing Gyruss! And nice to see that grey/blue late 80's style sweater I was wearing!

A touch off subject, but I have a video looking at the Replay sound sampling cartridge if anyone missed it before:

This was my setup around 1987 I would say: And here I was doing some sound sampling with my trusty Replay cartridge:

Sorry, I can't remember to be honest. I used to get a lot of stuff sent to me from other libraries in the States back in the day, which is probably where it came from.

I've unearthed another Page 6 catalogue from the mid-80s, this one was presented as a cardboard wallet full of various bits of paper so I've created a video of this for now. I intend to scan these in at some point and put on them on my website, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4jZWaQhMKY

A couple of new scans now on the DGS website for you. I have finally gotten around to scanning the whole of the two Atari User Show guides I have from 1987 (April and November). Held in London, the Atari User shows were huge and the place to be. The scans include all the original advertising, show plans, list of exhibitors, articles, etc. They're in the 'Pictures & Scans' section of the website: http://www.dgs.clara.net/

Today (30 June) is the last day to take advantage of the 30% off offer listed above, if anyone wants Quick or the software pack at the reduced price.

I'm not normally one for fanfare or gimmicks, but it's now 30 years since I started DGS and started shipping copies of my own PD out to real customers! In celebration of this, I have decided to offer the current DGS products at a 30% discount for a limited time only. This is only for anyone reading this who wants to take advantage of my good mood! So, if you want just the QUICK package that'll be $3.50 (down from $5) at the following direct discount link: http://www.dgs.clara.net/quickbyemail30off.htm If you want the full DGS commercial software pack (including QUICK) for $4.90 (down from $7) then that's at the following direct discount link: http://www.dgs.clara.net/pack30off.htm This offer will end on 30th June 2018. Payments are by PayPal only (you don't need an account to pay with a card). PayPal 'Buy Now' buttons are on each page.

No, I used Atari800WinPlus to export to video with sound, then dropped the avi file into Audacity to edit it and output to mp3.

Not strictly tape load music, but sort-of related so I'll put this in here to avoid starting a new topic. I always liked some of the music in Atari games, so I thought it would be nice to make mp3 files of some of them, so at least you can listen to them while on the move and such like. Saves having to carry an Atari around with you, or at least an emulator! Anyway, I've started with one to try, the music from JW Darts, also known as the intro music to 'The Big Demo'. JWDarts.mp3

The Page 6 catalogue is now in the Pictures&Scans section of my website. This one is I think the first catalogue they put out. It was presented as a disk-sized booklet. I have scaled it to about actual size.

Just back from a visit to my parents and managed to unearth some Atari stuff I'd dumped on them when I moved. Found quite a few disks of general stuff that I'll go through when they get up to me (they're following me up via courier). They weren't stored well so unfortunately many of the disks were clearly damaged beyond use, but I'll see what's readable and usable. I also found some old catalogues and flyers from Page 6 and Silica Shop that I scanned. I've added the Silica Shop Newsletter from January 1986 to my site for now, and I'll sort out the Page 6 product catalogue out later (it's lots of pages and they all need scaling and aligning properly). They're in/will go in the 'Pictures & Scans' section of my website: http://www.dgs.clara.net/

I can't believe how much these things are selling for. I remember Derek Fern (Micro Discount) had a load of them out of the Atari UK warehouse he'd cleared out in about 1990 time. They were all returns, but most did actually work. I think he sold me a few of these things for about £10 each. Sold them all though not long after. Should have kept them! Getting the paper was the problem, but if you knew somebody with an industrial saw you could get a roll of thermal fax paper and cut it to the correct width.

A 'K' on a blank screen? Are you sure you're not booting a ZX81 by accident?! (Heck, I'm old! )

Second era for me, October 1985 down to Dixons for a large box containing an 800XL, 1010, a joystick, and European Countries&Capitals, An Invitation to Programming, and The Lone Raider on tape. All for £59 if I remember correctly. Bargain!

I didn't want to start a new topic for this, so I'll just give it a mention in this one. I've been doing some work on the DGS website and made a few changes to the layout and sections. A new Videos section has been added to bring together all the DGS videos that are on YouTube, and the other sections for articles and scans have been redesigned to fit with the same theme as the rest of the site. Also, the 'products by email' section has been scrapped. There are now just two ordering options for the DGS products: either the whole commercial software collection for $7, or just the Quick programming language on its own for $5. Anyway, it's all at: http://www.dgs.clara.net/

Yup, if it doesn't have that magical little letter 'i' in front of the name then it's got to be rubbish, even though you're paying a 500% premium for that 'i' and there are plenty of other alternatives without the 'i' which do the job just as well, and usually better!

I had worse than that once. After going around the store for 10 minutes having a giggle at the prices, I attempted to leave without buying anything when a member of staff said sarcastically 'well thanks for looking anyway'. I went back in and said 'what the hell's that supposed to mean? If your prices weren't such a joke I might have bought something!'. That shut him up!

Quick reminder that I uploaded a 'DOS pack' containing the more unusual official Atari DOS versions (1,3,4,XE) in another thread a while back if anyone needs any of those: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/265709-need-a-dos-disk/?p=3766500 I also uploaded a 17Mb ZIP file containing all the disks from the old DGS PD library, which includes the DOS versions mixed in around the library. Also in there is one of my early offerings called DDS which was an attempt at a sort-of GEM rip-off which was more a simple graphical front-end to some of the TurboBasic DOS commands: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/268373-dgs-pd-library-the-whole-lot-to-download/

A quick reminder that I uploaded all the 'unusual' DOS (1,3,4,XE) versions in a single ZIP file for anyone who wants them: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/265709-need-a-dos-disk/?p=3766500

I put a ZIP file up containing DOS 1,3,4, and XE (the unusual and lesser known official DOS versions) in another thread a few months back if anyone needs copies of those: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/265709-need-a-dos-disk/?p=3766500

Found these in my paper archives, and thought they may be of interest to somebody. These are from the 1987 (April and November) Atari User Show guides. Bob Gleadow, general manager of Atari UK at the time, would give a month-by-month summary of Atari UK's key events and achievements in the preceding year. They're just two JPEGs zipped up: AtariUK_1987.zip