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Found: pre-release versions of Atari documentation


Savetz

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Gray Chang (creator of Claim Jumper, Dog Daze, and others) sent me a box of interesting things!

 

(I had interviewed him for the ANTIC podcast: http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-episode-15-the-atari-8-bit-podcast-gray-chang-jonathan-halliday )

 

In the box I found an version of the Atari 400/800 Operating System Users Manual dated November 1980. The official published version is dated 1982. This version seems to be an internal-use-only version from before the days when Atari decided that releasing developer documentation was a smart idea.

I scanned it for you: https://archive.org/details/AtariOperatingSystemUsersManualNovember1980

 

Also in the box: the Atari Computer System Hardware Manual, also from November 1980, also a year or two before the official version was published. I scanned it for you: https://archive.org/details/Atari400800HardwareManualNovember1980

 

Also also: a pre-release version of De Re Atari, probably also from 1980 or 1981. I scanned it too: https://archive.org/details/DeReAtari_early_version

 

These all have lots of Grays notes handwritten on them.

 

I did a quick spot-check and noticed that some of the books are significantly different in the order of material presented. Some charts and graphs are hand-drawn, where they were replaced with more professional looking versions in the published editions. I haven't compared the text closely - I have no idea if these contain any secrets that were redacted from the published versions. I can't wait for ya'll to find out.

 

As far as I know, none of these have been made available online until now.

 

Here's a bonus: the Atari Company Store Price List, dated August 24, 1981 -- https://archive.org/details/AtariCompanyStorePriceList

 

He ALSO sent disks which apparently contain the source code to (at least) Claim Jumper and Dog Daze Deluxe. I haven't dug into that yet, but will make it available once I have sorted them out.

 

Gray sent a little something for me, too.

post-803-0-85902300-1413168864_thumb.jpgpost-803-0-09489900-1413168879_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

 

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Gray Chang (creator of Claim Jumper, Dog Daze, and others) sent me a box of interesting things!

 

(I had interviewed him for the ANTIC podcast: http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-episode-15-the-atari-8-bit-podcast-gray-chang-jonathan-halliday )

 

In the box I found an version of the Atari 400/800 Operating System Users Manual dated November 1980. The official published version is dated 1982. This version seems to be an internal-use-only version from before the days when Atari decided that releasing developer documentation was a smart idea.

I scanned it for you: https://archive.org/details/AtariOperatingSystemUsersManualNovember1980

 

Also in the box: the Atari Computer System Hardware Manual, also from November 1980, also a year or two before the official version was published. I scanned it for you: https://archive.org/details/Atari400800HardwareManualNovember1980

 

Also also: a pre-release version of De Re Atari, probably also from 1980 or 1981. I scanned it too: https://archive.org/details/DeReAtari_early_version

 

These all have lots of Grays notes handwritten on them.

 

I did a quick spot-check and noticed that some of the books are significantly different in the order of material presented. Some charts and graphs are hand-drawn, where they were replaced with more professional looking versions in the published editions. I haven't compared the text closely - I have no idea if these contain any secrets that were redacted from the published versions. I can't wait for ya'll to find out.

 

As far as I know, none of these have been made available online until now.

 

Here's a bonus: the Atari Company Store Price List, dated August 24, 1981 -- https://archive.org/details/AtariCompanyStorePriceList

 

He ALSO sent disks which apparently contain the source code to (at least) Claim Jumper and Dog Daze Deluxe. I haven't dug into that yet, but will make it available once I have sorted them out.

 

Gray sent a little something for me, too.

attachicon.gifIMG_0252.JPGattachicon.gifIMG_0253.JPG

 

 

 

 

I have these same versions (November 1980) of both the Hardware technical and OS manuals. They were simply the original releases. I believe I paid $30 for the set and that I learned of them in an early issue of Analog Computing (originally A.N.A.L.O.G.) Features of the books (or features lacking rather) are there's no index and no page numbers. There's only chapter, section and paragraph numbers. Most importantly The OS source code was not included, only the equates with comments.

 

I'm pretty sure in the 2nd release of these books there's an indication that they are revised.

 

[EDIT]

Yes, you will see on the bottom right corner of the cover of the 1982 edition the part number,

"C016555 Rev. A".

 

I'm less sure of when I obtained my copy De Re Atari

 

-SteveS

Edited by a8isa1
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I have these same versions (November 1980) of both the Hardware technical and OS manuals. They were simply the original releases. I believe I paid $30 for the set and that I learned of them in an early issue of Analog Computing (originally A.N.A.L.O.G.) Features of the books (or features lacking rather) are there's no index and no page numbers. There's only chapter, section and paragraph numbers. Most importantly The OS source code was not included, only the equates with comments.

 

I'm pretty sure in the 2nd release of these books there's an indication that they are revised.

 

[EDIT]

Yes, you will see on the bottom right corner of the cover of the 1982 edition the part number,

"C016555 Rev. A".

 

I'm less sure of when I obtained my copy De Re Atari

 

-SteveS

As often is the case, my memory is blurred.

 

Both the Atari books have page numbers. However, the OS manual hasn't page numbers or paragraphs indicated in the index. The hardware technical manual pages are numbered by chapter and page within the chapter and the index is so indicated.

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Wow! That price list is amazing. The prices they had to pay, and this is an Employee-discounted list! A nice car could be purchased for the cost of a whole system with software. It's amazing. Some of the programs (Energy Czar) have held their value if found intact and in box ($11). The Educational Series (Dorsett) are very hard to find. If anyone has the History series, Geography, etc. Let me know.

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First time I've seen this 1981 version of De Re Atari, though I guess there were always clues referencing an early version.

 

Does anyone have this version with a front or back cover? Seems unlikely, though not impossible, that it had no cover at all. It might have the Atari part number C060070, but it would not have the APX-90008 number as the common APX version does.

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  • 2 weeks later...

> He ALSO sent disks which apparently contain the source code to (at least) Claim Jumper and Dog Daze Deluxe.

> I haven't dug into that yet, but will make it available once I have sorted them out.

 

The source code is available now: I've announced it here http://atariage.com/forums/topic/231111-source-code-and-printed-matter-from-gray-chang/

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  • 3 months later...

I found another version of De Re Atari -- another pre-APX version. I've uploaded it here:

 

https://archive.org/details/DeReAtari_Alternate_Early_Version

 

That makes two early versions that Ive seen (the other is here https://archive.org/details/DeReAtari_early_version) plus the APX version (http://archive.org/details/ataribooks-de-re-atari)

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