Recent Video Interview with the Co-Author of Atari BASIC, Paul Laughton

[UNIXcoffee928]

Those interested in a little historical primer on Paul Laughton & Kathleen O'Brien should read this synopsis, first, if you haven't already.

 

Below, you will find a very Interesting video interview that goes deeply into areas that are not normally covered in Atari-specific interviews with Paul Laughton.

Here you will get the gossip about how Kathleen O'Brien (the other Co-Author of Atari BASIC, & author of Atari Editor Assembler, etc.) physically assaulted Steve Jobs in a very memorable Reality Check. Hahaha, she's probably the only person who ever put him in his place for being impolite & obnoxious while applying his "Reality Distortion Field" conversation technique, ha!

Paul Laughton discusses his early career with IBM, and his early work with Shepardson Microsystems, providing a lot of background history on what it took to later bring us Atari BASIC, DOS, and Optimized Systems Software (OSS) products. This includes a lot of coverage of the work that was done for Apple that provided the basis for the later Atari products (this interview is like a prequel to the "ANTIC the Atari 8-bit Podcast" audio interview with Paul Laughton).

He discusses how the "Apple Annie" Apple project led to the early basis of the Atari software. His Atari days are 42 minutes into the interview, but watch the whole thing, to put all of the details in perspective.

Lots of good stuff on the past, the present, & the future in this interview!

Computer History Museum: "Oral History of Paul Laughton"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeEGJg6vXCg