RedBeard

Okay, I hate to admit it, but I'm stuck already... I've d/l'ed the various tools to use batariBASIC, put them all near each other on the hard drive (C: ATARI_DRIVE). I found at the SemiOfficial bB page some source code etc. So far, so good. Well, after one successful "build" of the sample program, I can't get anything else to work. I'm using WinXP, and trying to go through the 2600 DEVKIT. XP appears to choke out all the dos windows. When I send something to Assemble, I get a flash on the screen (looks like a DOS window), then right back to XP... I tried Ctrl-Alt-Del and it doesn't show any extra things running... yet it refuses to let me see the DOS-style windows. Is there a control panel I should adjust? Kill XP and go back to 98SE? Oy! -Thanks In Advance, -RedBeard

Well, last time I was around here (last year-ish), I was running OSX and all of the tools seem to work if you a) find a recent version to d/l and 2) take each tool separatly and slowly.

Wow! It's nice to be back. You know, last time I was around here, Batari was super helpful. And now he's developed a full BASIC implementation! Whee! Okay, time to get serious about that Atari game I always wanted to make. (...he says...again)

Well, if it isn't one thing it's another. I think I've got the DASM working, but the macro.h file isn't working. I have several copies in floating in various folders just in case. Still everthing that I use from it (CLEAN_ START from the coding examples for 2600 beginners, in particular) errors out. I've gone to Kisrael's place and d/l'ed a copy (it is just a text file, right?), but it doesn't work. One thing I was wondering is can I just put all the parts into one giant folder? Or does each thing specifically look for the folder in which I d/l'ed it the first time? I'm getting folder / file clutter. -C.F. P.S. If I ;comment it out, sure enough it compiles and runs...

So if it (the CLEAN_START) isn't the 9 byte version, how much room does CLEAN_START take? Is it just the main lesson above with a couple of extra lines, perhaps? ...not that any programming I do would need the extra memory, but the discussion revolved around saving a bit of space... -C.F. P.S. Forgive my ignorance, but are the real Atari carts ('the olden days') 2k or 4k? I just don't remember. Are 4k versions I'm seeing just Supercharger / Emulator tricks or actual Atari games?

I second the Red Baron's motion. This is truly helpful. -C.F. P.S. This stuph is great!

Hey, y'all, I think I'm on to something...I am testing that MPW through Classic Interface. I think I actually got something to compile. Or assemble? -I'll keep you posted, -C.F. WHOOPEEEE!

Batari & Jason, thank you for your help and patience. I really appreciate it. Here's the latest: This thing is killing me. I try not to run OS 9 very much, though I use it at work. If I can't resolve this, then maybe... I've tried the chmod, no error messages, but still shows -rw-r--r- and won't let me run it. I tried to su /. dasm fred.asm -f3 -oethel.bin, terminal asks me for the password then rejects me every time. I've gone through the system and changed the password then tried it. I've logged in as root (dangerous, I know...) and tried to run the program. REJECTION! EVERY TIME! I'm about to throw this computer at the wall! I think I'm ready to get going, reading the tutorials, looking around the house for old Atari books, printing out the tv scan lines diagram, all that stuph. And I can't even get dasm to work! Aaugh -help, please, *fists clenched, head down* -C.F.

You probably just need to change the permissions on dasm to allow execution. type: chmod +x dasm Darnit! I knew I should have payed attention in Intro To Unix class! :^) -C.F. re: speed of emulation: that would be fast enough. I'm not a snob or purist by any stretch of the imagination. My notebook is only a G3, though. I guess the question is, will it save me any time in programming and/or open up so many more options that I should check it out...

Hey, all, this is awesome. And speaking of late-comers. I'm reading this in the middle of 2005! I have so much catching up to do...must...fight...urge...to...call...in...sick... Also, a big thanks to kisrael for puting them into an outline. I almost gave up until I found that. -Gota Run, -C.F.

Batari, wow are you good! Okay, so OSX wants that. It appears to work until: I don't have permission ... so I do a su /. dasm testfile -f3 -otestfile.bin then OSX asks for the pasword. I type it and it refuses me every time. I even double checked at the system prefs. department and my password is what I thought. Would it be any easier to try out the DOSBOX you spoke of? Or do you know why 10.28 is behaving so strangely? I feel like I'm way off topic here, folks. Forgive me. I knew OSX would be extra headaches -Chris P.S. Batari, I owe you at least one drink (or something) by now, I sure of it.

Okay, y'all, I'm dead in the water again. What is this mpw worksheet? After puting files into certain folders etc. I tried to continue the tutorial and found this: "...just open your MPW worksheet and you're ready to go. Make sure your code is in the same directory as your MPW shell. Then, in the worksheet, type: dasm source.s -f3 -osource.bin Where "source.s" is equal to the name of..." I had a file to test, opened up my terminal, cd 'ed to the right area and typed dasm TESTFILE.s -f3 -TESTFILE.bin I got the error message "dasm: Command not found." So as far as I can tell, *nix (osx, mac) doesn't like dasm as a command. So aftrer rereading, I am left wondering what is this worksheet? -All this and I'm not even programming yet, let alone debugging, oy, -C.F.

Hey, yeah, a playfield that compiles (er, assembles?) and shows up properly...sounds good. Then add a smiley or a fuji. Then make it move via joystick. That sort of thing sounds perfect. Come to think of it, I will probably just use the examples straight from 2600 101, just like I used to do with BASIC books. Also, I found another tutorial here at AtariAge, kind of uses the message boards, but tells 'how to' one message at a time. So much to do, so little time. Maybe I'll quit my job and become a full time 2600 programmer! :^) Maybe not, that's probably gone to India anyway. Curses! Foiled Again! BTW, I haven't heard of that DOS emulator. I tried one once, BOCHS or something, but it was pretty slow and I didn't really need one at the time. I'm testing out some Atari ST emu's. also. I think I will try that one out too. -Hey, this computer thing might just catch on, -C.F. P.S. I got a cool avatar now too. Wow this is fun. (Shouldn't I be mowing the lawn or something?)

Wow! Thanks already, batari! I assume you mean the regular old terminal of OSX? BTW, why aren't these tools GUI yet? Is there something technical? Or just that nobody has put a nice front end on it yet? I will try using the terminal and see what I can make of it...looks like Jason-MayDay had a few problems, too. I also thought that I might add these, just so we're a bit clearer. ~My Prog. Exp: some BASIC, PASCAL, FORTRAN, C++. I never got too far into these, just far enough to see how much more there is to see ~My Computer: OSX mac, mostly using my iBook so I can sit my big butt on the couch and computrify at leisure...still own several ATARI products, most of them are buried hither and yon around the house/garage...I do have working versions of STella and Atari800macX to try out my code and such. I just can't wait to make a 'Hello, World' program for the VCS! Gotta go and try out the info, now. Catcha' later, y'all. -C.F.

Hi, y'all. First things first (oh, thats why they go there...), let me say that you all are great! This is the most fun I've had on the web since, uh, e-bay at 56k speed! I, like MayDay Jason, am a newbie. I've read the 2600 101 over at alienbill_dot_com and have started reading Atari Roots at atariarchives_dot_org. So I'm raring to go. Lets just say that many of us have had a dream for 20-some years; making our own video game. Any of y'all still have graph paper of sprites and backgrounds for your imaginary game? (Oh, er, me neither, no geek am I...) Alas, I have problems. (Hey, lots of them, but I'll limit them to the topic at hand :^) ...) I, too am having difficulties with DASM etc. I may be at an additional disadvantage also, as I run OSX on a mac laptop, so I must be careful about d/l'ing tools (non Win / non Lin etc.) I found mactari, but I need the kind of handholding that alienbill wrote, so mactari just confuses me. I downloaded tools, put them into certain folders etc., but still just see a bunch of text files. At this point, I'd settle for fiddling with the tools, but I can't even do that. I think I'll keep a log of these, like alienbill. I can't be the only OSX using Atarian around... Ideas? Thanks! -C.F.