
Atari's “The Book” (1980) [pdf] - mindcrime
http://pdf.textfiles.com/technical/atari_thebook.pdf
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pjmlp
Also Atari related, for those that don't know this resource.

[http://www.atariarchives.org/](http://www.atariarchives.org/)

Full of great books about programming the Atari home computers and a time
window for the youngsters how we used to code.

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jamiesonbecker
Very nice. Also
[http://www.atarimagazines.com/](http://www.atarimagazines.com/) \- classic
scans of Analog, Antic, creative computing, Compute! ...

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evo_9
What a blast from the past.

I use to write game reviews for a few of these magazines for fun.

I also wrote this feature length article for STart magazine when I was 18:
[http://www.atarimagazines.com/startv2n3/hownottoshop.html](http://www.atarimagazines.com/startv2n3/hownottoshop.html)

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deevious
Did they know how to write a good manual back then. You've got your soldering
primer, guides on how to use test equipment... heck, you can probably apply
some of the mechanical knowledge to fix your kitchen sink.

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jacquesm
Most of the trouble-shooting techniques also apply to cars and computers. It's
incredible how large a chunk of this manual is totally non-specific to Atari
stuff but just general solid information on the technology used in those days
and how to maintain it and repair it.

It says in the preface that 'the book' will not turn you into a technician but
I've seen some 'technician course materials' that couldn't hold a candle to
this one publication.

Very nice to see this preserved.

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wodenokoto
Is this one of the manuals recently salvaged?

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ersii
I don't think so. Jason/textfiles only scanned a few single manuals and the
Last-Modified HTTP Header says "Wed, 02 Apr 2003 20:20:24 GMT", of course -
that doesn't have to be indicative of the actual modification time.. but
still.

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Arjuna
Thanks for posting this; very cool!

The thing that always impresses me with the early game developers was their
knowledge of the hardware, and not just the software. They were so close to
the metal that it would have been difficult to develop a game without knowing
the capabilities and details of the hardware.

Fast-forward to today, and we have really nice APIs that facilitate game
development. For example, most of us don't need to have detailed knowledge of
iOS hardware (or most any modern platform, really) to create a game.

Of course, that's a big win for how technology has progressed, but I can't
help but hold those early game development pioneers in high-esteem.

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jhallenworld
If you are into classic arcade games, visit FunSpot in Laconia NH:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAtdvWpnzIw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAtdvWpnzIw)

They have everything. I remember playing Bosconian there when I was a kid and
took my kids there this year.

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wyclif
ZOMG! I remember this; I had a copy when I was 13 years old and I have no idea
what happened to it. I learned soldering with this. Thanks!

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nstokoe
Who needs an EE degree when you've got this.

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t2015_08_25
Oh, just those who want to do magnetics, motors, radio, radar, batteries,
robotics, sensors, electrostatics and so on. Pretty much anything beyond
become a television repair technician.

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mfringel
Truth. On the flip side, if you're intimidated by working with all of the
physical objects that are part and parcel of basic electronics technology,
this book does a really good job of demystifying a bunch of it.

