
Atari’s home computers turn 40 - vontzy
https://www.fastcompany.com/90432140/how-atari-took-on-apple-in-the-1980s-home-pc-wars
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jmccorm
I'd like to recognize the author for their unexpectedly accurate and complete
historical recounting of the Atari 8-bit computer line. Well done! At the same
time, I'm a little sad to see this go by without any real discussion on
_Hacker News_. As the article mentioned, the machine had a bit of an identity
crisis. Sure, it was a game machine, but it was just as much a hacker's
personal playground.

The Atari 8-bit home computer line was a bastion of experimentation and
homebrew software development. Free software _was everywhere_. The A8 was one
of the highest clocked 6502-based machines of its day, and that extra
processing power was often put to good use. The hardware lent itself unusally
well to clever code which could exchange CPU cycles for other benefits such as
enhanced sound, resolution, or colors. There were the published hardware
specs, and then there were various software-driven enhancements that took the
hardware even further.

Many a person (the article's author included) developed their talent for
hardware, software, and troubleshooting back in those days. Computers have
gotten so much better over the years, but we're still trying to recapture the
hands-on learning that was a significant byproduct of this and other classic
computing platforms.

Also related, for those who don't recognize Chris Crawford (an Atari employee
that was mentioned in the article), you might also recognize his name as the
founder of GDC, the Game Developers Conference.

