[net.micro.atari] Lets talk about R E A L Ataris

tjb@snow.UUCP (Timothy Bissell) (01/30/85)

{ Is the line eating bug related to Elizabeth Taylor? }

	Come on folks, I'm getting bored (not to mention envious) of the
 endless discussion of what Atari is going to bring out this summer. Doesn't
anyone use the Ataris they have got now?

	Let's have some articles about the goodies we've got now. Here are
some suggestions:-

 o  Reviews of interesting products- peripherals, utilities, languages, and
    games.
 o  Discussions of programs and languages (e.g. the brain-damaged 'records'
    in Action.
 o  Small programs, e.g. 25th line clocks, Typeahead Buffers etc.

 o  Bugs and features of the Atari hardware and software.

	Here are some things I'd like to know:

1. How do you read the XL 'Help' Key? (( Strangely, under the 'Translator' OS,
   it produces a key-click when pressed)
2. Does anyone out there use QS Forth on an XL? Have they cured the
   compatability problem (It works, but no output reaches the display) ?
3. Let's whine about Action; I love the fact that it is in ROM, that it
   compiles fast, and *is* fast, but why can't you have pointers in records?
   I hate using CARDs. And why are all variables static? Just try writing
   recursive programs! (I know you can use arrays, but I want to be
   difficult)  >-{
4. Has anyone out there got 'Deep Blue C' or whatever; I'd like to use 'C'
   on my Atari, and I'm not impressed by C/65. Appraisals, please.

If you mail me, I'll post all your spelling mistakes on the net, so come on
all you colonials, you invented the thing, get moving!!

	Yours sincerely (I kid you not),

		Tim Bissell

     "Honk if you hate IBM"

mroddy@enmasse.UUCP (Mark Roddy) (02/04/85)

[ddt]

> 	I evaluated the operating systems by two sets of criteria. 
> 	First, they had to meet three requirements: 
> 
> 		1) double-sided double density support;
> 		2) ADOS compatibility- if it runs using the
> 		   Atari OS it has to run under the tested OS;
> 		3) reliability- disks should not be routinly trashed;
> 		4) Atari DOS file compatability (or conversion utilities;
> 		5) accurate user documentation.

 ooops! try five requiremnts