Skip to content

Atari Projects

Fun projects for your Atari 8-bit home computers and video game consoles

  • Welcome
  • Projects
  • About
  • Contact

Tag: Programming

Try the PILOT Programming Language for the Atari 8-Bit Computers (15-60 mins)

November 26, 2021 moorejh Programming

Task: Try the PILOT Programming Language for the Atari 8-Bit Computers Needed: Web Browser, Emulator, and/or PILOT Cartridge Time: 15-60 mins Introduction I received the Atari Programming Inquiry, Learning, or Teaching (PILOT) programming language cartridge for Christmas in 1983 or 1984 and absolutely loved it.

Read more

Purchase a New 4-in-1 OSS Programming Language Cartridge for Your Atari 8-Bit Computer (5-10 mins)

November 21, 2021 moorejh Programming, Software

Task: Purchase a New 4-in-1 OSS Programming Language Cartridge for Your Atari 8-Bit Computer Needed: Web Browser Time: 5-10 mins Introduction Optimized Systems Software (OSS) made the best programming languages for the Atari 8-bit computers in the early 1980s. Some of their products included BASIC

Read more

Explore the 8-Bit and More YouTube Channel (30-60 mins)

October 24, 2021 moorejh Hardware, Modifications, Programming, Software, Video, Web Resources

Task: Explore the 8-Bit and More YouTube Channel Needed: Web Browser Time: 30-60 mins Introduction I love watching YouTube videos when I am learning a new Atari 8-bit programming trick or hardware mod. There are so many awesome YouTube channels out there for the Atari.

Read more

Learn to Pass Parameters to Procedures in FastBasic (15-30 mins)

July 25, 2021 moorejh Programming

Task: Learn to Pass Parameters to Procedures in FastBasic Needed: Web Browser, Altirra Emulator Time: 15-30 mins Introduction I have previously posted and introduction to a modern BASIC for Atari 8-bit computers called FastBasic. One of the nice features of FastBasic is the ability to

Read more

Watch Peter Dell’s Programming the Atari XL/XE YouTube Videos (2-3 hours)

June 26, 2021 moorejh Programming, Web Resources

Task: Watch Peter Dell’s Programming the Atari XL/XE YouTube Videos Needed: Web Browser Time: 2-3 hours Introduction Programming is one of my favorite things to do with an Atari 8-bit computer. I have previously posted some of my own tutorials and some resources for learning

Read more

Learn to Implement Horizontal Scrolling in BASIC on Atari 8-Bit Computers (30-60 mins)

March 27, 2021 moorejh Graphics, Programming

Task: Learn to Implement Horizontal Scrolling in BASIC on Atari 8-Bit Computers Needed: Web browser Time: 30-60 mins Introduction Scrolling games like Defender, Caverns of Mars, and Eastern Front are tons of fun and I always wondered how the cool scrolling effects were programmed. This

Read more

Try Programming in FastBasic on an Atari 8-Bit Computer (15-30 mins)

February 13, 2021 moorejh Programming

Task: Try Programming in FastBasic on an Atari 8-Bit Computer Needed: Altirra emulator Time: 15-30 mins Introduction I have previously posted about the diversity of different BASIC programming languages for the Atari 8-bit computers. Among these is FastBasic which is a modern BASIC for the

Read more

Explore Bugs in Atari BASIC (15-30 mins)

December 13, 2020 moorejh Programming

Task: Explore Bugs in Atari BASIC Needed: Revision A of Atari BASIC Time: 15-30 mins Introduction The first version of Atari BASIC (revision A) for the Atari 400 and 800 computers had a number of bugs which could be quite annoying for serious programmers. I

Read more

Explore BASIC Programming Languages for the Atari 8-Bit Computers (30-60 mins)

August 29, 2020 moorejh Programming

Task: Explore BASIC Programming Languages for the Atari 8-Bit Computers Needed: Web browser Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction Nearly all of us who grew up with Atari 8-bit home computers learned to program in BASIC. This was especially true in the early days given software was

Read more

Tips for Speeding up Atari BASIC Programs (15-30 mins)

July 1, 2020 moorejh Programming

Task: Tips for Speeding up Atari BASIC Programs Needed: BASIC Time: 15-30 mins Introduction Atari BASIC is notoriously slow which is why many game developers worked with assembly language to do anything serious. However, if you want to develop in BASIC there are a number

Read more

Use Strings to Store Assembly Language Code in Memory for Execution from BASIC (10-15 mins)

January 4, 2020 moorejh Programming

Task: Use Strings to Store Assembly Language Code in Memory for Execution from BASIC Needed: A BASIC cartridge or Altirra emulator Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction I previously demonstrated how to POKE assembly language code into page 6 of memory for execution by BASIC using the

Read more

Call Assembly Language Code from Your BASIC Program (10-15 mins)

January 1, 2020 moorejh Programming

Task: Call Assembly Language Code from Your BASIC Program Needed: A BASIC cartridge or Altirra emulator Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction In my previous post on writing, compiling, saving, debugging, and running assembly language programs with the MAC/65 assembler, I referred the reader to Chapter 5

Read more

Compile and Run an Assembly Language Program for the Atari Computer (15-30 mins)

January 1, 2020 moorejh Programming

Task: Compile and Run an Assembly Language Program for the Atari Computer Needed: MAC/65 cartridge or Altirra emulator Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction I dabbled in assembly as a kid but never became a pro. I taught myself 6502 assembly later in life and became good

Read more

Explore AtariWiki (15-30 mins)

December 26, 2019 moorejh Programming, Web Resources

Task: Explore AtariWiki Needed: Web browser Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction One of the best web resources for Atari 8-bit computers and programming is AtariWiki. The following description is taken from their manifesto: “The AtariWiki is a collection of Information about the Atari 8-Bit computer line

Read more

Explore the Antic Software Archive (30-60 mins)

November 29, 2019 moorejh Games, Magazines, Programming, Software, Web Resources

Task: Explore the Antic Software Archive Needed: Web browser Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction As I mentioned in my last post about Antic Magazine, one of the great features of Antic was the software that came in each and every issue. Most of these were software

Read more

Explore KSquiggle’s Atari 8-bit Programming Shrine (15-30 mins)

April 28, 2019 moorejh Programming, Web Resources

Task: Explore KSquiggle’s Atari 8-bit Programming Shrine Needed: Web browser Time: 15-30 mins Introduction Bill Lange pointed me to this awesome Atari 8-bit programming resource developed and maintained by Kevin Chase (aka KSquiggle). I had seen this before but it was great to get it on

Read more

Fun With The Atari Touch Tablet (15-30 mins)

March 31, 2019 moorejh Graphics, Hardware, Programming

Task: Fun With The Atari Touch Tablet Needed: Atari Touch Tablet Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction I got an Atari Touch Tablet along with the Atariartist cartridge for Christmas back in the early 1980s. This was one of my favorite Atari gifts ever. I had so

Read more

Try Player-Missile Graphics in BASIC (30-60 mins)

March 25, 2019 moorejh Demos, Graphics, Programming

Task: Try Player-Missile Graphics in BASIC Needed: BASIC Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction Player-missile (PM) graphics helped make the Atari the premier arcade and graphics machine in its day. A key feature of PM graphics is the ability to draw players and missiles on the screen

Read more

Read the Book “De Re Atari” (3-6 hours)

November 17, 2018 moorejh Books, Programming

Task: Read the Book “De Re Atari”  Needed: De Re Atari  Time: 3-6 hours Introduction When the Atari 400 and 800 computers were released in 1979 they were a closed system. That is, only Atari personnel knew the details of the hardware that were necessary

Read more

Mad Magazine BASIC Program (10-15 mins)

September 11, 2018 moorejh Magazines, Programming

Task: Load and Run a BASIC Program from Mad Magazine (1985) Needed: BASIC, ATR File, Altirra Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction I remember reading Mad Magazine as a kid as many did during that time. What I didn’t know until recently is that there was a

Read more

Read the Book “Racing the Beam” by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (3-6 Hours)

September 3, 2018 moorejh Books, Games, Programming

Task: Read the Book “Racing the Beam” by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (3-6 Hours) Needed: The book Time: 3-6 hours Introduction I had an Atari Video Computer System (VCS) or 2600 before I owned an Atari 400 and then 800 computer. The 2600 was

Read more

Sound Effects in BASIC (30-60 mins)

September 1, 2018 moorejh Programming, Sound

Task: Program Sound Effects in BASIC Needed: BASIC Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction The Atari 8-bit computers had a pretty decent sound chip called the POKEY. POKEY is an acronym for Pot Keyboard Integrated Circuit. The POKEY generated four-voice sound and had some other functions such

Read more

Search the Projects

Project Categories

Advice Books Collecting Competitions Demos Documentary Emulators Events Games Graphics Hardware History Magazines Media Modifications News Newsletters Podcasts Programming Software Sound Troubleshooting Utilities Video Web Resources Welcome

Links

Antic The Atari 8-Bit Podcast

AtariAge

eBay

Internet Archive

Vintage Computer Center

Copyright (c) 2022 Jason H. Moore, Ph.D.