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Atari 8-bit Software Preservation Initiative


Farb

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how to snag the latest most verified preserved images...

 

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:42e3ba1640a45164e5ad005b87934d7b12b4b692&dn=Atari8bitPreservedSoftware2019-02-03

http://ftp.pigwa.net/stuff/collections/Atari%208bit%20Preserved%20Software%202019-02-03

https://atari-owner.com/fun/atari-preserved-software/

https://mega.nz/#F!g00X1ALa!Vb4tGV0cNFSHe7220HG-VA

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:42e3ba1640a45164e5ad005b87934d7b12b4b692&dn=Atari8bitPreservedSoftware2019-02-03

 

in person meeting distro..

USB stick

SSD

 

and to help with the project..

http://a8preservation.com/#/guides/diskDumping

Edited by _The Doctor__
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Hi,

 

I was just starting to check through some disks I got a while back from a seller on Marktplaats.nl (https://www.marktplaats.nl/) in The Netherlands, and found a menu disk with a copy of Quality Software's 6502 Assembler by Gary Shannon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_Software). I did a quick Google, and can't find a downloadable version (http://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-400-800-xl-xe-assembler_12525.html), so thought I would upload the ATR of the menu disk here (see attached).

 

What exactly is the protocol here for uploading/preserving things like this (it seems to have been converted from tape, but the program code is unlikely to have been changed)? One weird thing is that the picture of the tape on AtariMania says "CLOAD and RUN", but it is a binary file that works fine without basic.

 

Also, it needs a translator disk if you want to try it out on an XL/XE etc.

 

I've had a quick play, and the commands seem to be:

 

ASM

A (add lines)

D (delete line(s) start[, end]

E (edit line number)

L (list)

R (read from tape)

S (save to tape)

ESC (cancel operation, return to ':' prompt)
Dumping the binary it looks like there are directives for:
EQU, ORG, ASC, HEX, END, DA, DS, OBJ, PON, POF, VON, VOF
Hope this is of interest to someone, given this was from a software house, I wonder which (if any) titles were developed with it?

qs_assembler.atr

post-64501-0-79557800-1549491611.png

post-64501-0-71291100-1549491625.png

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I notice the OS ROM zips aren't in this release. Is there some reason they're not being included (copyright maybe)? I have copies of the files from an earlier release if they're needed. Would be nice to have them included for completion sake.

 

OS ROM 600XL (1983)(Atari)(US).zip

OS ROM 800XE (1985)(Atari)(US).zip

OS ROM 1200XL (1982)(Atari)(US).zip

OS ROM XEGS (1987)(Atari)(US).zip

OS ROM XL-XE (1983)(Atari)(US).zip

OS ROM 65XE (1984)(Atari)(US).zip

OS ROM 400-800 NTSC (1979)(Atari)(US).zip

OS ROM 400-800 NTSC (1981)(Atari)(US).zip

OS ROM 400-800 PAL (1979)(Atari)(US).zip

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Hi,

 

I was just starting to check through some disks I got a while back from a seller on Marktplaats.nl (https://www.marktplaats.nl/) in The Netherlands, and found a menu disk with a copy of Quality Software's 6502 Assembler by Gary Shannon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_Software). I did a quick Google, and can't find a downloadable version (http://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-400-800-xl-xe-assembler_12525.html), so thought I would upload the ATR of the menu disk here (see attached).

 

What exactly is the protocol here for uploading/preserving things like this (it seems to have been converted from tape, but the program code is unlikely to have been changed)? One weird thing is that the picture of the tape on AtariMania says "CLOAD and RUN", but it is a binary file that works fine without basic.

 

Also, it needs a translator disk if you want to try it out on an XL/XE etc.

 

The "QSASSEMB.ER" file on the disk is odd - it's not a standard binary load file, as it doesn't have the usual FFFF and start/end address indicators... its also not a BASIC tokenized file. The disk loader must know where to load it into RAM and jump to it manually. Altirra debugger seems to show code executing in the $1000-$1500 area when I break. Probably directly dumped from the tape release, and meant for tape use, as there are only tape-based save/load functions...

 

Some googling....

Interesting snippet from apple2history.org: https://apple2history.org/history/ah17/#05

"TED/ASM: Developed at Apple and smuggled out the doors around May 1978, this assembler had memory conflicts with DOS, so they couldn’t be used together. The text editor module was written by Randy Wigginton, and the assembler was written by Gary Shannon. In the early days, it was the only assembler they had available that would run on an Apple II."

 

Gary J. Shannon also wrote Sargon and Othello for Apple II in 1979, and Aquaventure for the 2600 in 83? https://atariage.com/software_page.php?SoftwareLabelID=855

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I've still not even started downloading the torrent.....I hope that we keep up the numbers...

 

I think the fear of Torrent use is the major stumbling block, people have to remember that they are not looking for stuff like the Atari 8 bit, its the current music and films that get the bans and cease and desist letters...There's no issue with that would ever come to something over this sort of stuff, arcade games and new games yes, but this stuff is fine and the worst that could happen is that an ISP might ask you what you are P2P'ing if they can't be bothered to look themselves.

 

Downloading AND seeding will have no issues....Its not going to get anyone in hot water...Hence the Archive sites with Atari games are still there, the only reason they go down is normally hosting costs..

 

Relax folk....The FBI are not looking over your shoulder :)

 

Well not for this :)

 

PS..Before copyright is mentioned I'd hope that if anyone had an issue with an item in a torrent that they would ask for the torrent to be changed rather than report it as a copyright violation....We value our devs and copyright holders but there's no need for a big scene...

 

 

While I wholeheartedly agree that this group is performing a noble, necessary service, I think it might be good to be just a little bit paranoid.

 

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/wjm5kw/nintendo-makes-it-clear-that-piracy-is-the-only-way-to-preserve-video-game-history?utm_source=reddit.com

 

edit: Typo

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Is there a Torrent link available rather than a Magnet link? It's probably right in front of my face but I am not seeing it. I have been seeding the old torrent for the last year or so and would like to hop onto this one if possible.

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Is there a Torrent link available rather than a Magnet link? It's probably right in front of my face but I am not seeing it. I have been seeding the old torrent for the last year or so and would like to hop onto this one if possible.

The magnet link is the complete information required to begin downloading the desired file right from the peer directly. a magnet link is a serverless method of getting the data which is ample to begin the downloading of the torrent.

 

I provided a clickable magnet and a cut and paste magnet,

none of the major sites add the files anymore for legal reasons magnets are the way to go, well for a for a number of reasons...

 

here's a quick read or two...

https://lifehacker.com/what-are-magnet-links-and-how-do-i-use-them-to-downloa-5875899

https://www.bestvpnanalysis.com/what-are-torrent-magnet-links-and-how-do-i-use-them/

 

always end up there seems to be a reason why I do what I do :)

Edited by _The Doctor__
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Also still seeding - every time I check, there's no traffic. It does say I have uploaded 2.19GB though.

Conversely, I’ve uploaded less than 60 megabyes. Admittedly, I’m on a laptop and while I did work today (machine was sleeping while I was off making dough), I was home all day yesterday doing stuff on the machine, so it was up and running/seeing about 15 hours yesterday. Another hour this morning before work and 3-1/2 hours after work. So far as I can tell, nothiing at all was uploaded today from my machine.

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Nice, so it looks like we have decent enough activity across the the delivery methods.

The more folks involved and getting the preserved compilation the better the chances it all survives the ages!

Please take the time to snag it, who knows when it will be needed some day or what surprises you may find.

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While I wholeheartedly agree that this group is performing a noble, necessary service, I think it might be good to be just a little bit paranoid.

 

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/wjm5kw/nintendo-makes-it-clear-that-piracy-is-the-only-way-to-preserve-video-game-history?utm_source=reddit.com

 

edit: Typo

 

Yep its true that Nintendo have always been utterly anti piracy and go to great lengths to shut down places, strip out usenet content for anything Mario related etc (the posts look ok until you download, the posts show as complete but are not). Atari has not been so strict, its seems whoever actually owns any of it has just given up and bar the odd copyright owner staking their claim the Atari stuff has been largely left alone with only internal removals of recent copyrighted stuff (which is very rare to even see new stuff on places, I can't even remember the last item that appeared).

 

Whilst its technically possible for other owners to step in and place desist orders its really very very unlikely on the old stuff and we appreciate their understanding, archiving ISN'T making money off it and should be applauded, imagine if history was eaten away with the same ideal of stopping the spreading of good old memories and knowledge..

 

You also have to remember that Nintendo is a Japanese company and there's a great sense of law abiding in that country amongst the people as simple as not crossing a crossing unless the green man is showing, its considered very bad if you cross on a red even if there's no traffic and any Police will give you a ticking off. Again, eating in the street is frowned upon especially walking and eating, its NOT the done thing and again will cause you problems if done in a city. So the point is that Nintendo have very Japanese bases business ideals and copyright theft very much more frowned upon than say the USA etc.

 

To us it seems a bit old worldly but its cultural and of course good business practice to control your IPs well.

 

So sleep tight, the archived Atari stuff is accepted by almost all...

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Hi,

 

Ironically enough, a second hand Nintendo Wii can be picked up for a pretty low price, and can be softmodded (most versions) to install the Homebrew channel, to which quite a few emulators can be installed, including one for the 8-bit Atari. You can even plug in a USB keyboard if you want.

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