Category Archives: Antic

ANTIC Interview 329 -Douglas Wilder, Ultimate Renumber Utility

Mar
02

Douglas Wilder, Ultimate Renumber Utility Douglas Wilder published one program though Atari Program Exchange, Ultimate Renumber Utility, which he co-wrote with his father, Justin Wilder. It first appeared in the winter 1981 APX catalog, but was featured in the catalog for less than a year: in the winter 1982 catalog, it was replaced by BASIC/XA, which did renumbering as well as other functions for programmers. This interview took place on January 26, 2018. Teaser quote: “So we got enough money off the sales of that through APX that it paid for both my father’s computer and mine.” Ultimate Renumber Utility in the winter 1981 APX catalog

Source:: ANTIC Interview 329 -Douglas Wilder, Ultimate Renumber Utility

      

ANTIC Interview 328 - Jerry Horanoff, Carina BBS Software

Feb
13

Jerry Horanoff, Carina BBS Software Jerry Horanoff was the creator of the Carina bulletin board system software for the Atari 8-bit computers, and later, Carina II. The October 1986 issue of ANTIC Magazine wrote: “This expandable, module-based bulletin board software package is written in understandable BASIC and includes XMODEM upload/download transfer protocol, message editor with word processor-like functions and a total of 44 commands, including 17 sysop functions. It operates at 300, 1200 or 2400 baud and works with most DOSs and BASICs.” Jerry also created Ultramon, a disassembler. Later he worked at ICD and Commodore. This interview took place on January 25, 2018. Carina 1 Software And Documentation Carina II Manual 1987 interview with Jerry Purrfect Sift kickstarter

Source:: ANTIC Interview 328 - Jerry Horanoff, Carina BBS Software

      

ANTIC Episode 49 - Thomas Cherryhomes and PLATO

Feb
09

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast: In this first episode of 2018, we talk about the fact that ANTIC has been downloaded over ½ million times, we get a surprise visit from Thomas Cherryhomes, who talks about PLATO for the Atari, we offer Atari 8-bit gift options for Valentine’s Day, Nir Dary tells us about some things he’s been exploring, plus all the Atari 8-bit news that we could find. Happy New Year!

READY!

Recurring Links

Floppy Days Podcast

AtariArchives.org

AtariMagazines.com

Kevin’s Book “Terrible Nerd”

New Atari books scans at archive.org

ANTIC feedback at AtariAge

Atari interview discussion thread on AtariAge

ANTIC Facebook Page

AHCS

Eaten By a Grue

Donate to Ted Nelson project at: https://paypal.me/Savetz

TEH: Tech Enthusiast Hour - https://tehpodcast.com

What We’ve Been Up To

Interview Discussion

News

YouTube videos this month

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Nir’s Segment - SilliVenture 2017

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.

Source:: ANTIC Episode 49 - Thomas Cherryhomes and PLATO

      

ANTIC Interview 327 - Rawson Stovall, The Vid Kid newspaper column

Feb
01

Rawson Stovall, The Vid Kid newspaper column As you no doubt gleaned from the clips of his appearances on CBS Morning News and The Tonight Show, Rawson Stovall was only a child when he started writing a syndicated newspaper column in which he reviewed computer games and home video games. The column, called Vid Kid, appeared in 20 newspapers around the United States. He was in fact the first nationally syndicated reviewer of video games in the country. He is author of The Vid Kid’s Book of Home Video Games — a compilation of his reviews — which was published in 1984, when Rawson was 12 years old. This interview took place on January 23, 2018. Stovall on the CBS Morning News Stovall on Tonight Show Rawson on Wikipedia Rawson on Twitter

Source:: ANTIC Interview 327 - Rawson Stovall, The Vid Kid newspaper column

      

ANTIC Interview 326 - Chris James, Thorn EMI

Jan
28

Chris James, Thorn EMI Chris James worked at Thorn EMI, where he was a programmer and later a project manager. Later he founded James Software, which specialized in game conversions to various computer platforms. His long list of Atari game credits includes Darts, Tank Commander, and several jigsaw puzzle games such as European Scene Jigsaw Puzzles and Hickory Dickory Dock. He is also the husband of Hanan Samara, whom I interviewed previously, and whom you can hear providing color commentary in the background from time to time. This interview took place on November 13, 2017. Teaser quote: “We didn’t feel like we were sort of on a frontier as such, but we were, I guess — and breaking ground.” AtariMania’s list of Chris games: http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-james-chris_team_650_8_G.html Hanan Samara interview: http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-325-hanan-samara-jumbo-jet-pilot-and-jinn-genie

Source:: ANTIC Interview 326 - Chris James, Thorn EMI

      

ANTIC Interview 325 - Hanan Samara: Jumbo Jet Pilot and Jinn Genie

Jan
25

Hanan Samara: Jumbo Jet Pilot and Jinn Genie Hanan Samara was a programmer at Thorn EMI, where her work included programming the game Jumbo Jet Pilot. Later she founded Dalali Software, a company that specialized in converting games to various computer platforms. There she created the Atari computer game Jinn Genie. This interview took place on November 13, 2017. Her husband, Chris James, can be heard in the background, and is the subject of my next interview. Teaser quote: “We just had to really learn fast. I mean really, really learn fast.” Atarimania’s list of Hanan’s software Hanan in January 1985 Popular Computing Weekly Hanan in January 1988 Advanced Computer Entertainment

Source:: ANTIC Interview 325 - Hanan Samara: Jumbo Jet Pilot and Jinn Genie

      

ANTIC Interview 324 - Geoffrey Card, kid game reviewer

Jan
22

Geoffrey Card, kid game reviewer In my interview with Orson Scott Card, he mentioned that his son, Geoffrey, helped him review Atari games — thoroughly playing games, then providing a sort of executive summary for his dad, who then wrote about the games for Compute! magazine. I thought it would be fun to get Geoffrey’s perspective about that time. This interview took place on January 19, 2018. Teaser quote: “One of the interesting, great things about that era was the fact that somebody could sit there in their garage and they could make something, and it really was indistinguishable from what the professionals were making.” Video version of this interview: “>https:// Orson Scott Card interview: http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-323-orson-scott-card-compute-books

Source:: ANTIC Interview 324 - Geoffrey Card, kid game reviewer

      

ANTIC Interview 323 - Orson Scott Card, Compute! Books

Jan
17

Orson Scott Card, Compute! Books Orson Scott Card is a Hugo Award winning, best-selling science fiction author, perhaps best known for his 1985 novel, Ender’s Game. But we’re not here to talk about that — because for about nine months, Orson Scott Card was an editor at Compute! Books, where we worked on several books about the Atari 8-bit and other computer platforms. His work appears in Compute!’s Third Book of Atari and Compute!’s Second Book of Atari Graphics. He also wrote extensively for Compute! magazine, primarily about computer games. His FontByter and ScreenByter graphics utilities for the Atari computers were published in Compute! His short story The Lost Boys features a character that plays games on an Atari computer. This interview took place on January 5, 2018. A “>video version of this interview is also available. Teaser quote: “I really miss programming. I miss those nights, starting after the kids were in bed — 8:30, 9 o’clock — just solving problems … noticing that there was now light coming through the basement windows, and realizing that I had pulled an all-nighter … just debugging three minutes of a game.” “>Video version of this interview Card’s articles in Compute! magazine Home Computer Games Grow Up Card’s final column in Compute! Compute!’s Second Book of Atari Graphics Reading the Keyboard Codes in Compute!’s Third Book of Atari Bill Wilkinson interview Bev and Bryan Wilkinson interview Richard Mansfield interview

Source:: ANTIC Interview 323 - Orson Scott Card, Compute! Books

      

ANTIC Interview 322 - Maurice Molyneaux, Atari animation guru

Jan
06

Maurice Molyneaux, Atari animation guru Maurice Molyneaux was a game artist, Atari graphics animator, and writer. He wrote articles for Video Games & Computer Entertainment Magazine and A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing Magazine, and wrote “The Animation Stand” column for ST-Log magazine. He created many animations for various clients primarily using MovieMaker, an animation program for the Atari published by Reston Publishing. Those clients included Broderbund, EPYX, Antic magazine, Omnitrend, and others. This interview took place on November 20, 2017. Teaser quote: “[Lee Pappas] said ‘Oh, we get the reader service cards in, your column is like the most popular thing in the magazine.’ And I said, ‘Well, then you won’t mind paying me the technical rate instead of the standard rate.’ … He said ‘Oooh, you got me.’ So I ended up making my rent every month writing that damn column.” Video version of this interview: “>https:// Maurice’s web site: http://mauricemolyneaux.com Maurice’s blog posts about Atari animation: https://mmolyneaux.wordpress.com/category/animation/ Maurice Molyneaux’s articles in ST-LOG magazine: http://www.atarimagazines.com/st-log/index/index.php?author=Maurice+Molyneaux YouTube playlist of Atari MoveiMaker animations: Colecovision vs. Atari 5200 Hardware Comparison: http://www.atarihq.com/5200/cv52/ Maurice’s Atari ST game demo:

Source:: ANTIC Interview 322 - Maurice Molyneaux, Atari animation guru