Advice for a Programming Focused Multi-Cart

[Evad97]

Hi All ... I popped back on to this website a few weeks ago after a very (very, very) long break from retro computing.  With the Covid situation being what it is, I've found that re-starting my retro computing hobby has helped out a little bit with my state of mind.  

 

I have a couple of Atarimax's flash carts and a SIO-PC unit and I am looking for guidance on the sort of programs I should be working with if I want to do a little harmless development on either my 800 or my 800xl.  I've never done any programming on the Atari line - most of my knowledge is tied to Apple ][s so I don't really know what is worth using and what I should just ignore.

 

I suppose I'm primarily looking for advice on compilers and assembly language editors - although any other tips would be appreciated.  I know that Microsoft produced a version of Basic for the Atari and I'm not sure if that's worth anything or if there are other versions of Basic that might be worth looking at.  As I am going into this with out much of a plan, I'd consider messing around with Forth and Pascal, too.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

E.

[Alfred]

First thing is to decide whether you want to write code on the Atari or if you’re just going to program under Windows. That will determine what tools are available to you.

[Evad97]

Hi there - thanks for the reply!  I appreciate it.  I want to work on the Atari itself.  I have a flashcart that I can load up with the various programs as well as the SIO2PC.  I have a couple of 1050s too, if I need to use them.  I don't really have any plans at the moment - I just want to make sure that I don't invest in a particular piece of software / version of basic / version of a language that isn't commonly used by the community or isn't reliable.  Since I don't really have any background knowledge to draw upon specific to the Atari, I am hoping for some guidance.

 

I understand that working on a retro machine is very different from using modern tools to build for a retro environment.  I'm just looking to have a little fun.

 

E.

 

[dmsc]

Hi!

2 hours ago, Evad97 said:

Hi there - thanks for the reply!  I appreciate it.  I want to work on the Atari itself.  I have a flashcart that I can load up with the various programs as well as the SIO2PC.  I have a couple of 1050s too, if I need to use them.  I don't really have any plans at the moment - I just want to make sure that I don't invest in a particular piece of software / version of basic / version of a language that isn't commonly used by the community or isn't reliable.  Since I don't really have any background knowledge to draw upon specific to the Atari, I am hoping for some guidance.

 

For a modern BASIC dialect, look at FastBasic: https://github.com/dmsc/fastbasic . It is much faster than standard Atari or MS basics, has modern syntax without line numbers, an integrated editor and compiler, Player/Missile and DLI instructions, etc.

 

Just download the ATR image, mount it using your SIO2PC and you are ready to go. You can read the manual online, download the PDF or read directly in the Atari. The disk image includes a little demo game (joyas.bas) and other simple demos.

 

Have Fun!

[Evad97]

Thanks for the advice!  I'll check that out!