• Tag Archives Atari XEGS

  • Antic: The Atari Resource (January 1987)

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    Antic: The Atari Resource, January 1987

    Antic was one of the magazines that covered Atari 8-bit computers and was probably second in popularity to ANALOG. It also covered the Atari ST at times including in this issue which had a special ST section. The January 1987 issue of Antic includes:

    Features

    • Talking Typewriter – A software/hardware project for the Atari 8-bit and Atari ST that lets you add spoken letters and numbers to your own programs.
    • For Sale: Atari Voices – An overview of some of the speech synthesis and other sound related products available for Atari computers. Products covered include Covox Voice Master (Atari 8-bit), Soundmouse (Atari 8-bit), Parrot (Atari 8-bit), MathTalk (Atari ST), Speller Bee (Atari ST), KidTalk (Atari ST), First Shapes (Atari ST), Talker (Atari ST), Senor Tutor (Atari ST), and Hippos Sound Digitizer (Atari ST).
    • Now Hear This – A history of speech synthesis on computers. I think the movie Wargames made everyone thing computers should talk all the time…
    • Door Prize – Basically, this type-in program is a random number generator designed to pick a raffle number. There is optional speech synthesis code that will read the number out loud.
    • Atari Fairs ’87 – Atari works with local user groups to host computer fairs or shows featuring Atari computers. At least twelve events were scheduled for 1987 across the country.
    • Star NL-10 Printer – A review of this “affordable” dot-matrix printer from Star Micronics. It would cost you $319 plus $60 for the interface required for the Atari.
    • First XLEnt Word Processor – This word processor for Atari 8-bit computers gets a good review here and is relatively inexpensive at just under $30.
    • Menu Maestro – A type-in BASIC utility that allows you to create complex menu screens for use in your own programs.

    Departments

    • Education: Math Attack – A type-in educational game that teaches math. It also works with the “Talking Typewriter” program to add speech.
    • Starting Out: New Owner’s Column – Part 10 of a series of articles on BASIC programming on the Atari 8-bit. This part includes a lesson on strings.
    • Game of the Month: Rebound – A type-in game for Atari 8-bit computers in which you must control the bouncing character “Flip” to rescue the Ogarts.

    ST Resource

    • ST Flight Simulator – A review of Flight Simulator II for the Atari ST.
    • Super Trek in ST BASIC – A GEM Desktop version of the public domain Star Trek game that you can type in.
    • MODULA-2: Developers Version – Review of the MODULA-2 based development package for the Atari ST.
    • ST Product News – A look at new stuff for the Atari ST including First CADD (computer aided design and drafting system), Arrakis Advantage Series (a series of educational software products), Metacomco BCPC and Make (programming language and Unix like make system), QuikStart (batch processor), OverDrive (RAMdisk), MaxThink (idea processor), K-Minstrel (music composer), K-Switch (keeps two programs in memory), K-Word (word processor), K-MAX (a $2200+ package featuring an Atari ST expansion with up to two T414 Transputers and two 256K blocks of RAM), Smart Watch (real-time clock), Unicalc (spreadsheet), ST Base BBS, World Games (from Epyx), and much more.
    • Degas Elite – Review of this popular art and animation package for the Atari ST.
    • ST Reviews – Reviews of The Animator (animation package) and Macro Manager (desk accessory).

    Departments

    • I/O Board – Questions answered about ATASCII, recursion in BASIC, designing a character set, creating a menu driven disk, Atari printer drivers, and more.
    • New Products – A look at new Atari 8-bit related products including a 10MB hard drive and interface for $625, a 256K upgrade for the Atari 800XL, 1200XL and 130XE, Pegammon (backgammon game), Spell It! and Word Attack! (educational games), Millionaire (stock market simulation), and more.
    • Product Reviews – Reviews of Blazing Paddles (drawing program), Graphics AT (printer interface), and Epyx 500XJ Joystick.
    • Tech Tips – Using the extra 16K in Atari XL computers as a RAMdisk, searching strings, using ST Writer or 1st Word to create BASIC listings on the Atari ST, and more tips.

    …and more!


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  • Antic: The Atari Resource, April 1985

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Antic: The Atari Resource, April 1985

    Antic: The Atari Resource
    Volume 3, Number 12
    April 1985

    Antic was primarily an Atari 8-bit magazine but at times it covered both the Atari 8-bit line and the 16-bit Atari ST. This was the case in April 1985 when the Atari ST had been recently released.

    The April 1985 issue of Antic includes the following:

    Features

    • First Look at the New Super Ataris – A look at the brand new Atari 520ST which included an 8 MHz 68000 (faster than the Macintosh at the time) and 512K of RAM. At the time, a 130ST and 260ST were also planned with lesser memory (128K for the 130ST and 256K for the 260ST) but these never materialized. There were new Atari 8-bit computer as well with the 64KB Atari 65XE and the 128KB Atari 130XE. These had been redesigned to match the aesthetics of the Atari ST.
    • Robot Update – Predictions of a robot meeting you at the door with the newspaper (if that’s not anachronistic I don’t know what is) and cooking dinner among other things in the next 5 to 10 years (still waiting). Current robots at the time include the RB5X and HERO-1. The RB5X could be programmed from many computers, including Atari 8-bit computers, with Tiny BASIC. The article does mention robots that could vacuum in the future and at least we do have those now.
    • Expert Systems – A look at the state of artificial intelligence in 1985.
    • The Eight Queens Problem – Solving a chess problem the brute force way with BASIC on an Atari 8-bit with at least 24K.
    • ’84 Tax Spreadsheet Update – An updated template for SynCalc, a spreadsheet program for the Atari 8-bit, that allows you to do your taxes.
    • Secret Agent – A type in-program that allows you to encrypt/decrypt messages.
    • Dot Matrix Digitizer – How to build a cheap (obviously lo-res and mono) photo digitizer than can then be printed on various dot matrix printers.
    • Spash In Action! – A comparison of ACTION! (a programming language) with BASIC.
    • Speech Editor – A type-in program that gives you a menu driven interface to S.A.M., Atari’s speech synthesizer.
    • Picture Show – This is an enhancement to a previously published graphics utility.

    Departments

    • Communications: Welcome to Antic Online – A new Atari online service available via CompuServe. Some of the things included are news, index to back issues, product review library, user group directory and more.
    • Starting Out: Why You Want DOS 2 – Newer disk drives shipped with DOS 3 which offered improvements but also introduced all kinds of incompatibilities so that most people stuck with DOS 2 until 2.5 came along with the Atari XEs.
    • Profile: Atari’s Founder Goes Robotic – Nolan Bushnell introduces an inexpensive robot (called Andy) that could be controlled with an Atari 8-bit or Commodore 64.
    • Toolbox: Parallel Bus, Revealed – The final part of a four-part series that provides a guide for building and programming a high-speed parallel-bus (PBI) interface.
    • Game of the Month: Maneuver – A type-in strategy game for two players.
    • Bonus Game: Crazy Eights! – A type-in card game.
    • I/O Board – Questions and comments from readers. Topics include Alternate Reality, Typo II, a complaint about a Superman cover and more.
    • Help! – Readers ask for help regarding DOS 3 errors, taxes, Bannetizer (a previous type-in program), and more.
    • Product Reviews – Reviews this month include Whistler’s Brother (Broderbund), Party Quic (Suncom), Serpent’s Star (Broderbund), Space Waste Race (Sunburst), ABCs of Atari Computers (Datamost), G.E. Compu-Mate Data Recorder, Conan (Datasoft) and Up and Down (Sega).
    • Shopper’s Guide – A classified ads style section with ads from various Atari dealers.
    • New Products – A brief look at new and upcoming products including the Okimate 120 printer; Morsecode Master, Reversi Master (New Horizons); R-Link (serial modem interface by Quantum Microsystems); Space Base (astronomical software by Urania Systems); 85- Cables (cables for connecting the Atari 850 interface box to various RS-232 devices); Bank Street Musicwriter; and Run For It (game from Weekly Reader Family Software); U.S. Doubler (disk drive mod from ICD).

    …and more!


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  • Antic, July 1985

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    Antic, July 1985






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