Shawn Jefferson

You have lots of options with the Atari 8-bit (BASIC, Assembly/ML, Action, C.) I personally like to program in C, so I really like cc65 (www.cc65.org) You can slap up something pretty quick in C for the Atari and then optimize specific sections of it with hand-tuned, or from-scratch Assembly. This is a cross-compiler, so you would use a platform such as Linux or Win/dos to write and compile your code. Then you can test it in Atari800Win, and finally bring it to your real hardware via SIO2PC (every Atari 8-bit owner should have/make one of these.) I've started writing a little graphics library in C for the 8-bit... I currently have a little routine to create display lists, screen bitmaps, text and plot functions for all the graphics modes (except MCS, HIP/RIP and other similiar "advanced" modes) It ain't fast, but then I haven't even looked at optimizing it yet.. I just banged out a bunch of C code. I've just started on the player missle graphics routines. All of it has been pretty fast to code up in C.

Is that Best Electronics, as in Brad Koda Best Electronics? I was thinking of bidding on that item to see if I could fix it, but if Brad couldn't fix it, it probably really is broken.

It wasn't an option, so much as a side-effect. If you use a monitor with the Chroma/luma interface you don't get artifacting and thus you get B&W in games that utilize Gr.8 and artifacting to get color (Ultima, David's Midnight Magic, Lode Runner, ...)

Atari800WinPlus defaults to artifacting off. You need to turn it on for Ultima. Check the View menu, Artifacting.

Well, AFAIK the main compatibility problem arose when Atari changed the Operating System for the XL line. Software that did not use the jump vectors, but rather jumped directly to the OS routines would not work on the XL OS. The Translator disk (or FIX-XL and friends) would turn off the ROM in the XL/XE, turn on the RAM and load the 800 OS from disk into memory making your XL/XE an 800 with only two joystick ports. The 130XE model had 128k of ram, where the extra 64k could be banked in at $4000-7FFF in 16k chunks. Software written to use this extended memory will not work on the other models (unless a RAM expansion is peformed on them, and then only the XL/XE models will work generally.) Software that puts code/data "under" the OS ROM area of the XL/XE line will not work on the 800 since the 800 did not have RAM under the ROM. Disk versions of SpartaDOS operate this way, as does TurboBasic XL. The 600XL, 800XL, 130XE (European 65XEs) all had the PBI/ECI bus which would allow the attachment of bus peripherals such as the MIO, BlackBox, Ram upgrades and other stuff. The 400/800/1200XL/XEGS does not have this connector. Did I forget anything? Short answer: a large majority of titles will work on all 8-bit models.

Doesn't a PM area need to be aligned to a 2k boundary? BASIC would move the string around as more memory is used and you may not get an aligned 2048 byte string?

I have a working 65XE that I was trying to trade for some Lynx games... got any Lynx games?

No, the 8-bit had its own cartridges. Most 5200 games were ported over to the 8-bit, but not available in cart form. The 600XL only has 16k.

(bump) I've had some interest in these items, but I'm hoping to trade for lynx games. The games I have are: Rampart Qix Blue Lightning Gauntlet 3 Cal. Games Xybots Chips Challenge Steel Talons Tournament Cyberball Kung Food Crystal Mines II I'm looking for anything not on this list! I'd even entertain 8-bit stuff.

Personally, I think the best way to develop for the Atari 8-bit is with a cross-assembler/compiler and the emulator. Unless you are going for the full retro feel...

There is, I think. Version 3.1 of Atari800Win included network play... it would supposedly let you play multi-player games over the internet with each person using one of the four joystick ports. I haven't tried it yet, but I want to get a multi-player game of MULE going with some buddies soon!

I have a couple of items that I have picked up but probably will not keep. I am willing to trade them, PM me if interested. Atari 2600 (small w/ rainbow) w/ PS, no controllers, works (I can do a AV mod on this unit if wanted, was thinking of doing it anyhow.) It's in good condition, minor scratching on the silver plate. Red label Qbert 2600 cartridge, loose. Label in very good condition, two small dents on the top of the label (but not ripped.) Koala Illustrator cartridge for Atari 8-bit loose. Sorry no koala pad! Definitely working. Unboxed Atari 65XE with PS, working. Atari 1050 Disk drive, with PS, working.

I just did a BIN off ebay for 6 more games (common ones I guess) Xybots Steel Talons Cyberball KungFood Crystal Mines II Chips Challenge 12.50 includes postage to my door (supposedly, haven't heard back from him yet.) That's a little over $2.00 per game. Bad/Good? That brings my grand total of Lynx games to: 12!

Those are the bastards who snap up all the Atari stuff at the local thrift stores before I can! That's great, I will have to email Gordon and see what its all about.

Unfinished as in no ending, or just needs polishing and bug fixes?

Many people have suggested in the past that a weak (broken) power supply may cause the computer to show just a solid color screen. Check the output of your PS with your multimeter. I'm not sure what the XEGS should have coming in. Hang on... checking the Atari 8-bit FAQ... (http://www.faqs.org/faqs/atari-8-bit/faq/) Looks like 5V. DC supplies (external adapters) 5 V DC 1.0 A (5.0 W) Atari#CO70042 600XL,65XE,XE Game System 5 V DC 1.5 A (7.5 W) Atari#CO61982/CA024814 600XL,800XL,65XE,130XE,XE Game System 4 varieties, detailed by Ben Poehland in Current Notes v10n9 Nov 1990: Type I: The Beauty Queen, 1983-84, made in Hong Kong matches XL hardware, repairs easy Type II: The Ugly Clunker, 1984-85, made in Taiwan all black, external RF interference supression box, entirely permanently sealed, unrepairable Type III: The Black Beauty, 1985, made in Taiwan, uncommon like Type I but all black, simplest design/easiest repairs Type IV: The Peanut, 1985-?, made in Taiwan black with silver plate, difficult/tedious repairs

No one's even heard of this game?

If you want to make things clearer you could use capital letters. LOL

I believe that a CF card needs an interface that works in true ATAPI mode (which means 16-bit access) and the MyIDE doesn't AFAIK. Double post! Why do I always hit

I believe that a CF card needs an interface that works in true ATAPI mode and the MyIDE doesn't AFAIK.

I bought this game right after I got my 1050 drive and at some point about 10 years ago the disk went bad and I threw it out. I havent' been able to find a copy of this game anywhere on the 'net. Does anyone have a copy of this game by Educational Software? I still have the manual for it... it's very low budget; it looks like it was just photocopied. Unfortunately, when I was a teenager I threw away the case it came in as well, thinking that it was just "taking up space." LOL.

Does anyone know what zeropage addresses are available for use? All of them, or does the system use them in some way during operation?

Are you referring to the Hardware Documentation on 42Bastian's site? Ugh. I read it twice and still didn't understand just what the heck the "pen palette" was. I found a website with "Lynx Programming for Dummies" (I am a dummy I guess) and it was explained there. I now know what the pen palette does and how the palette itself works, as well as the layout of screen memory, thanks to that document. The example programs are nice to have too, and I've been studying them. But most examples presuppose that you understand the SCB layout (which I didn't fully.) Also, the Hardware Documentation explaination of not having to load some parts of the SCB is really bad (even the author knew it.) By loading and saving, I am referring to saving the game state, character stats, high scores, etc... I was under the impression that Handy didn't emulate a cartridge with an EEPROM on it. I will do my development using a PC and Handy... Of course, I haven't written a line of code for the Lynx yet.... so I have no idea how development for it works. Thanks for your help so far!

You send the email to the site owner to remove your copyrighted work. Tell them they have three days to remove it (or some such) and then you go to their web host. So they still don't remove it. Email their web host saying that such and such web site hosted on their domain has infringed your copyright. Ask them to remove it, or you will be forced to forward this matter to your lawyer. That usually gets it removed. Worst case scenerio is a letter from your lawyer to the ISP/Web Host in question. Unfortunately, you are going to have to track these guys down and get them to remove the infringing material. As Curt says, a lot of people think since it is on the Internet it is "free." This happens with web content all the time.. I personally think it is *not* helping the community to piss off good developers! Just because you can't contact the author doesn't give a person the right to violate that author's copyright. It's a dumb arguement. Chase it down and have it removed. Unfortunately it is a little bit of work on your part.

Well, that explains it then.