How did you get your first Atari computer?

[zzip]

46 minutes ago, x=usr(1536) said:

400DM isn't bad - that would have been around US$100 at the time, IIRC.  From what I understand, smuggling consumer goods (especially electronics) into the then-Eastern bloc was fairly common at the time, and good on everyone who got away with it  

Was it illegal to own one if imported?    What I've gathered from talking to people who lived in the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc countries was that there was a massive "gray market",  with things that weren't exactly illegal, but not commonly available in the state-sanctioned shops either.

[Albert]

I don't really have a sordid story to contribute, but I can talk about how I purchased my first Atari computer.

 

The first computer I was able to use at home, exclusively to myself, was a Vic-20 a friend let me borrow after his parents bought a Commodore 64 for him.  I only had a tape drive to use with it, and mostly what I did was type in programs from magazines such as Compute's Gazette.  I didn't even save those programs, I would type them in, play with them for a bit, then power off the machine. 

 

Someone I met who owned an Atari 800XL invited me to his house to take a look at that.  The first thing he showed me was Alternate Reality (The City), and I was absolutely blown away by the game.  That, along with having seen Star Raiders several years prior on an Atari 800 at another friend's house, cemented my desire to own an Atari 8-bit computer. 

 

If I wanted such a machine, I would have to purchase it myself.  This was in the early to mid-1980s, and I wasn't even 16 yet, so I had to do odd jobs to earn that money. This included shoveling snow in the winter, mowing yards in the summer, and doing a paper route on top of that.  Eventually, I was able to save up enough to purchase an 800XL, 1050 drive, and 1030 modem.  I made the purchase at a Toys 'R' Us (likely in Waterford, Connecticut) when computers and video game consoles were displayed in glass cases. Back then, you had to pull a paper ticket for these items, pay for them at the register, and then go to the security booth to pick them up.  I can't tell you how excited I was to get home and set that machine up!  (Amusingly, years later I would get a job at the Toys 'R' Us in Rochester, New York while attending school there, and I worked in the security pickup booth -- I remember when Super Mario 3 came out and I had to unbox over 600 copies of the game for our initial shipment!)

 

The very first game I purchased was Tail of Beta Lyrae, and I had a hell of a lot of fun playing that.  I didn't even know at the time that it was created by the same people who'd later go on to produce the Alternate Reality series!  And it didn't take me long to purchase Alternate Reality and play through The City, followed by The Dungeon.  I'm still peeved that the series was never completed!  I meticulously mapped out both games on graph paper, and I really enjoyed both of them! 

 

Later I would use this same 800XL system, along with a ton of other hardware that I used to run an 8-bit BBS for years.  This included two US Doubler'ed 1050 drives, two Indus GT drives, 1MB MIO board, 256K RAM upgrade for 800XL, XEP80, Adaptec MFM hard drive controller board, two 20MB hard drives (one was a Seagate ST225N, and the other was some Micropolis drive), and a big-ass PC XT case to put it all in, complete with PC power supply to power the drives and Adaptec controller).  I had two displays setup, a Commodore 1702 and Magnavox 80 column display, as the Carina II BBS supported two displays when using an XEP-80.  Also had various modems over time for the BBS, and years later I'd go on to run a multi-line Remote Access II BBS on a PC using Desqview.

 

At some point I also purchased a 130XE for my own personal use.  I did a lot of programming in BASIC and 6502 Assembly, and also used it to play games. 

 

Much fun was had with those machines, and I fondly remember the time I spent with them!  I'd eventually "graduate" to an Atari ST, and sold all my Atari 8-bit hardware before going off to college in 1988 (and I'm still kicking myself for doing that).  And some time after that I moved on to PCs, with my first machine being a Gateway 2000 386DX machine that cost me $3,000 at the time.  The first game I played on that was Ultima VI, and then I went back and played the older Ultimas.

 

 ..Al

[Keatah]

5 hours ago, zzip said:

Maybe in a cabin it fits.   But it was all part of that 1970s look of earth tone colors-  brown wood panelling, orange shag carpet, woodgrain everything.   I had a doctor's office still styled like that to this day.  The waiting room feels like you're sitting in the Brady Bunch house!

Not the saturated colors. More like a muted Copper for the tans. That fits in a modern minimalism theme.

 

Agreed that wood paneling and woodgrain was overdone back then. And the cheap stuff glued onto walls was the worse especially when it warped or peeled, either actual wood, faux wood, or printed wallpaper.

 

5 hours ago, zzip said:

But the 80s came with bright neons,  pastels,  woodgrain replaced with black or other solid colors.  It made the 70s look feel extremely outdated.  Like I said, it works now as retro...   but back in the 80s I just did not want things that reminded me of the 70s-

Seems most styling trends become overdone over time. They just keep piling it on. More'n'more. Enuff!

 

I was never interested in interior design enough to go out of my way to change it back then. It was what it was. We had this blue shag carpet with a low pile density you combed with a rake it seemed. I didn't care.

Edited November 25, 2022 by Keatah

[clh333]

I bought my first Ataris, a pair of 520STs, in a group purchase.  In 2014 I went downstate to pick up a Kaypro computer I had purchased through eBay and when I met with the seller he pointed to all the other gear he was trying to unload.  I made a package deal that included consoles, drives, software and documentation.

 

Last year I purchased my first 8-bit Atari, an 800XL, from a video game dealer nearby.  I'm still learning but my appreciation for the Atari brand has increased exponentially.  And thanks, by the way, to all who have offered advice and guidance in helping me learn.

 

-CH-

 

 

[Peri Noid]

In Pewex. Polish people will know, what it was  

[Nolium]

3 hours ago, zzip said:

Was it illegal to own one if imported?    What I've gathered from talking to people who lived in the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc countries was that there was a massive "gray market",  with things that weren't exactly illegal, but not commonly available in the state-sanctioned shops either.

No totalitarian regime can't function without black market, it's a very important part of the system. Without one, ruling elite wouldn't be able to enjoy their wealth, common people would rebel if only they would have access to western stuff. Only companies that exported were able to import stuff from the west, but with a closed market, state was limiting what and how much they were able to import. Convertible currency was hard to get by, Yugoslavian currency was worthless outside it's borders and state needed convertible currency for importing of important stuff. That's why every imported thing cost a fortune, greasing officials was not cheap and the only other way was smuggling. If caught while smuggling, stuff was confiscated usually without charges, mostly because policeman would keep the stuff. Corruption.

So yeah, it wasn't legal, but everybody was doing it it.

[robdaemon]

I got extremely lucky that my parents bought me an Atari 800XL, XF551 drive, XM301 modem and Okimate 10 at Federated in Bakersfield, CA in 1985/86.

 

They didn't let me use the modem, but I did get the occasional magazine, and I remember getting these shareware catalogs on floppy in the mail, then I'd print an order form and use my allowance to buy various bits of shareware via the mail.

 

[reifsnyderb]

Around 1985, my parents bought an 800XL with a 1050 drive.  There was also DOS 3 and two other floppy disks.  So, I had to type in programs, screw them up, and learn to debug them.  Eventually, another 1050 was purchased as well as a 1025 printer.  Later on, a Star NP 10 dot matrix printer was purchased.  The computer was basically the family computer and used for applications as well as games.  A lot of book reports were written on that computer.  I learned to program on that machine, still have it, and it still works great.  A little over a year ago, I did the S-Video mod so that it will work with a more modern TV.

 

In the early 1990's, I bought an Atari 800 off of someone for $50.  Not long afterwards, somebody asked me if I wanted a free computer.  It turns out there was an Atari 800 system sitting out by a dumpster.  Included were a couple 810 drives, a 410, and a printer.  They were promptly loaded into the trunk of my car.   🙂

 

[Sinjinhawke]

23 hours ago, zzip said:

Apart from the worn out rubber bands,  how did the 1010 serve you?   The 410s seemed pretty unreliable and I always wondered if the 1010 was better.   Not that I'm going to go back to cassette  just curious

I found it pretty reliable.  Legitimate cassettes loaded without issues.  My less than legitimate back-ups worked 80% of the time.  I have used it recently and those old cassettes load about 50% of the time (maybe a little less).

[Mazzspeed]

I was given a 600XL brand new in the box. My uncle worked in an electronics store and they couldn't sell it, so he brought it home and gave it to me. Sadly I never used it as the A8 line of computers weren't big in Australia, so it sat under the bed in my childhood bedroom until I moved out - From that point onward I have no idea what happened to it.

 

But, many, many years later I bought another 600XL, restored and upgraded it with the latest gear and I love it to bits.

[Mclaneinc]

I love the stories where people came to the 8bit long after it had vanished, for me it shows the real draw of these old machines. Having grown up from the days of the very first consoles of any kind and then the home computers, I feel an attachment to them, but how much more fun must they be to someone who never had one back in the day or never used them. There's all these PS5's etc but we get as much fun from these relics of the late 70's..

 

Nice..

[bfollowell]

Yeah, I love hearing the stories too, even the ones that start with Mommy and Daddy gave me my first Atari, which is the complete opposite of what I was asking for when starting this thread. Still, everyone seems to be enjoying the thread, including me, so who cares? I guess it's become more of a "how did you acquire your first Atari computer" thread now. I have to admit though, that I find the stories of those privileged enough to have been gifted their first Atari far less interesting than those of us that had to really work long and hard, or use unusual means to purchase our first Ataris ourselves. In the end though, we're all in the same place, and that's still in love with our Ataris, some of us some 40 years later.

 

 

[Mclaneinc]

It's all age related, many of the folk on here came in late to the deal or simply could not afford one, lets be honest, they were not cheap

 

We seem to be one of the oldies that DID have to buy it from our own working paypacket, but there's been some nice stories of the younger folk earning their crust to buy them. I like to hear about those folk simply because knowing it's value is so important later in life. Those that were gifted one, it's not a bad thing, Xmas would be a pretty lame event if as a kid you had to buy your own toys

 

I myself feel privileged, working for an Atari dealer had a lot of pluses for it, discounts, payment in parts, free stuff here and there and getting to meet a few of my heroes. I can't complain..

[bfollowell]

1 hour ago, Mclaneinc said:

It's all age related, many of the folk on here came in late to the deal or simply could not afford one, lets be honest, they were not cheap

 

We seem to be one of the oldies that DID have to buy it from our own working paypacket, but there's been some nice stories of the younger folk earning their crust to buy them. I like to hear about those folk simply because knowing it's value is so important later in life. Those that were gifted one, it's not a bad thing, Xmas would be a pretty lame event if as a kid you had to buy your own toys

 

I myself feel privileged, working for an Atari dealer had a lot of pluses for it, discounts, payment in parts, free stuff here and there and getting to meet a few of my heroes. I can't complain..

Oh, I agree with you 100%. It's just that that was not the intention of this thread. Otherwise, I would have called it, how did you get your first Atari, or how did you acquire your first Atari, or when were you given your first Atari. I made certain the topic title was pretty specific and self-explanatory. I was interested in stories of others like myself, that had to work to get their Atari, not necessarily those that were given theirs. Still, the thread has garnered some fair amount of interest and there were some interesting tales, so I consider it a success and I certainly don't fault those that were too young to work for theirs and were gifted them or came into them later in life. In the end, we're all Atari lovers, regardless of how we came by our machines, or we wouldn't be here.

Edited November 26, 2022 by bfollowell

[_The Doctor__]

On 11/24/2022 at 11:10 AM, Atari8guy said:

I tried, he was friendly enough to trade emails, I even helped connect him with Best so he could get a few replacement parts, etc...  He was unwilling to share the code as he didn't write it - though he changes it when it's needed (which is totally fair, he is still using it commercially afterall).  All I can tell you is he said it's in Atari Basic.  

 

If it's possible some photos with the name the POS and who wrote it, we more than likely can get (if we don't already have it) permission to look / share it. There were only 3 such entities/parties I am aware of that viably sold the systems. Some of which may have already commented about such things here on AA.

[Atari8guy]

1 hour ago, _The Doctor__ said:

If it's possible some photos with the name the POS and who wrote it, we more than likely can get (if we don't already have it) permission to look / share it. There were only 3 such entities/parties I am aware of that viably sold the systems. Some of which may have already commented about such things here on AA.

I will reach out again and see what information he is willing to share...

 

Happy Holiday Weekend and Leftovers to all my Yankee Atari Friends!!

[+MrFish]

On 11/22/2022 at 4:50 PM, Atari8guy said:

Still in business and still uses a 130XE as the cash point of sale system.

That's cool, and pretty amazing (in 2022).

 

Not entirely strange, though; I used to restore old, unwanted 386 and 486 machines for people who needed them to replace machines they used for running their businesses. There was also always a demand for any machines equipped ISA slots. I imagine this is still true.

 

Edited November 26, 2022 by MrFish

[+slx]

On 11/25/2022 at 8:05 PM, Albert said:

This was in the early to mid-2000s, and I wasn't even 16 yet, so I had to do odd jobs to earn that money. This included shoveling snow in the winter, mowing yards in the summer, and doing a paper route on top of that.  Eventually, I was able to save up enough to purchase an 800XL, 1050 drive, and 1030 modem.  I made the purchase at a Toys 'R' Us (likely in Waterford, Connecticut) when computers and video game consoles were displayed in glass cases.

Early to mid-2000's sounds pretty late for an Atari 8-bit machine to be sold at Toys'R'Us. I thought they were discontinued in the early 90's. (Not trying to correct you and I never lived in the US, so all I know is from reading on the web. Just wondering if this might be a typo or if my perception of what was available when is wrong.)

[Albert]

9 minutes ago, slx said:

Early to mid-2000's sounds pretty late for an Atari 8-bit machine to be sold at Toys'R'Us. I thought they were discontinued in the early 90's. (Not trying to correct you and I never lived in the US, so all I know is from reading on the web. Just wondering if this might be a typo or if my perception of what was available when is wrong.)

You're right, I meant to say early to mid-1980s, not 2000s.  I fixed my post, thanks.

 

 ..Al

[robdaemon]

8 hours ago, bfollowell said:

Yeah, I love hearing the stories too, even the ones that start with Mommy and Daddy gave me my first Atari, which is the complete opposite of what I was asking for when starting this thread. Still, everyone seems to be enjoying the thread, including me, so who cares? I guess it's become more of a "how did you acquire your first Atari computer" thread now. I have to admit though, that I find the stories of those privileged enough to have been gifted their first Atari far less interesting than those of us that had to really work long and hard, or use unusual means to purchase our first Ataris ourselves. In the end though, we're all in the same place, and that's still in love with our Ataris, some of us some 40 years later.

Wow.... I guess I didn't expect this level of vitriol.

 

I'm sorry that my 7 year old self getting a computer from parents where one made minimum wage, and the other barely made more than that, and saved up for several years to give it to their kid with ADHD and medical issues qualifies as a "Mommy and Daddy" and privilege story.

[carlsson]

I bought my first Atari computer c:a 2006-2007, of course second hand. The sole reason for me to get into Atari in the first place was that I co-arranged a small retro gaming expo in the spring of 2006. One of the exhibitors had a copy of M.U.L.E. for sale. I strongly thought it was for the C64, but it wouldn't boot at all. However the packaging was nice so the seller let me have it for $3. Not until later, I realized that the fine print on the floppy disk said Atari 800, which meant I needed an Atari computer and disk drive if I wanted to play it. I got a boxed PAL 800XL and a 1050, and through various purchases and sales later, I'm sitting with a loose PAL 130XE, the same 1050, and a NTSC 800.

 

I never saw the M.U.L.E. seller again but if I did, I would offer him an entire evening's worth of beer or whichever he would like to drink. The going rate back then was at least $80, perhaps closer to $100 so it was a steal like nothing else to get the game for $3.

[+MrFish]

37 minutes ago, robdaemon said:

Wow.... I guess I didn't expect this level of vitriol.

I think vitriol is a bit of an exaggeration. He's just saying he has more of an interest in stories like his own.

 

However, there is a huge difference between being gifted a $600 machine in '82 and being gifted a $120 machine in '86.

 

Edited November 26, 2022 by MrFish

[+slx]

55 minutes ago, carlsson said:

I never saw the M.U.L.E. seller again but if I did, I would offer him an entire evening's worth of beer or whichever he would like to drink. The going rate back then was at least $80, perhaps closer to $100 so it was a steal like nothing else to get the game for $3.

Around 10 years later I bought an original Atari floppy of M.U.L.E. for 20€ (together with a few cassettes) mostly because the seller assured me that I‘d easily find a C64 package to make it complete (and a bit because I always regretted not having paid Dani Bunten for that masterpiece). 
 

These days packages never seem to go for less than 100$ so I guess that floppy will never rest in one. 
 

I agree that the stories of those who had to work for their Ataris are spicier. First Atari stuff I paid with my own self-earned money was a hard drive for my ST and later a used TT. 

[carlsson]

So those children of billionaires who might stop by AtariAge should start their own thread telling the story how their dad, the oil mogul, used a bit of pocket exchange to buy his children their first Atari computer?

[_The Doctor__]

well you know the multinational donkey club guy came home for christmas in his limo (from the executive holiday party) and tossed the kidz all the computers and one of them was an Atari with all the trimmings... of course Mr Daddy wrote them all off on taxes and used some of the savings to pay his kick backs to keep the good timez going!

 

But there is also the dad who worked till the skin came off his hands in heavy construction and scrapped cars to get his kid his first computer in the hopes they'd never grow up having to do the same...

Edited November 27, 2022 by _The Doctor__