How to Use Atari Computers.pdf

The Atari 400 computer.

The Atari 800 computer.

The Atari 1200 computer.

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ATARI

COMPUTERS

by Michael Boom

AN ALFRED HANDY GUIDE

Computer Series Editor:

George Ledin Jr.

Introduction ........................................ 3

1. The Atari Home Computers ....... . ..... .... 3

Hardware ........................................ 4

Software......................................... 10

2. Running Your Atari Computer ............ 12

Taking Stock ................................... 12

Setting Up ...................................... 12

Powering Up ............................. ...... 13

3. Using the Keyboard........................... 15

Entering Memo Pad Mode .................. 15

Trying the Keyboard ......................... 16

Types of Keys .................................. 19

The Screen Editor............................. 27

Are We Done With the Keyboard? ........ 28

4. A Look at BASIC Programming........... 28

Loading BASIC................................ 29

Entering Commands ......................... 30

The PRINT Command ....................... 30

Writing a Program ........................... 31

How the Atari Runs a Program............ 32

Saving a Program on Cassette ............. 32

Saving a Program on Disk .................. 33

Erasing the Memory ......................... 34

Loading a Program from Cassette ........ 34

Loading a Program from Disk ............. 35

5. File Storage: Cassette and Disk ........... 35

Cassettes and the Atari 410 ................. 36

Diskettes and the Atari 810 ................. 39

6. Peripherals ..................................... 44

Printers ......................................... 45

Modems . ................ .............. .......... 46

The Atari 850 Interface Module............ 47

Improving Your Current System .......... 47

Additional Peripherals....................... 51

7. Software: Running Your Computer ...... 52

Applications .................. . ................. 54

Utilities.......... ...... .......................... 58

Computer Languages ................. .. ..... 60

Games .............................. ....... . ..... 61

Appendix . .... ....................... . ..... ...... 62

~ ALFRED PUBLI SHING CO ., INC .

LJ ~ SHERMAN OAKS, CA 91403

HOW TO USE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to express my thanks to all of the people who

helped me in my research for this book, especially Gary

Furr, A. J. Sekel, and Judy Wilson of Atari, Mindy

Storch of Datasoft, and Donna McN eilley of Percom

Data. I would also like to thank the staff of HW Com-

puters in Northridge for their cheerful answers to

inquiries about the latest Atari compatible products,

and Roland Kato for being a computer novice

guinea pig (who also lent us his pristine Atari

800 for photos.) Thanks also go to Steven Manus

and Joe Cellini for their editorial help, and to

Lynn Morton for general inspiration.

This Handy Guide is not a pUblication of Atari and should

not be used in li eu of the instruction manuals that accompany

their products. All information regarding Atari com puters

may not be accurate or completely up to date.

Editorial Supervision: Joseph Cellini

Cover Design: Paula Bingham Goldstein

Interior Photography: Bill Hurter

20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Printed in the United States of America.

or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or

mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any

information or retrieval system without written permission

of the publisher.

Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.

15335 Morrison Street

P.O. Box 5964

Sherman Oaks, CA 91413

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Boom , Michael .

How to us e the Atari computers.

(An Alfred handy guide)

Includes bibliographies.

1. Atari computer-Programming. 2. Basic (Computer

program language) 1. Title.

QA76.8.A82B6581983

001.64

83-8792

ISBN 0-88284-235-8

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the world of the home computer. They

are machines that did not exist a few short years ago,

but are now common in many households. People use

them to figure household finances, keep records, write

letters and books, educate their children (or their par-

ents!), and to play elaborate games.

This Handy Guide introduces you to three of the

most popular home computers: the low-priced 400, the

full-featured 800, and the top of the line 1200 (see inside

front cover). In addition, we will examine many of the

numerous products manufactured by Atari and other

companies to augment these machines by increasing

their power and uses.

The material is presented logically through seven

chapters. The first offers an overall look at a typical

Atari system: what the parts are, what they do. Chap-

ter 2 shows how to get your computer running. In

Chapter 3 you learn the keyboard and the screen editor

(the part ofthe computer that displays what you type),

and in Chapter 4 you take a brief look at BASIC pro-

gramming. Chapter 5 shows you how to store pro-

grams, and Chapters 6 and 7 will help you build up

your Atari by showing you how to expand your pro-

gram library and to buy optional equipment. The

Appendix is a handy, self-contained guide for the com-

plete novice on how to load and run programs.

If you can't wait to unpack your computer and

start playing games immediately, read Chapter 2 to

get your computer running, and jump to the Appendix

to learn how to load and run your game cartridge. But

if you have more self-control, let's take a look at the

Atari computer system.

1. THE ATARI HOME

COMPUTERS

So there it sits in front of you, boxed up or on a

desk. Just what is a home computer anyway? Let's

look at the obvious facts first. A home computer is a

machine which can perform small tasks, such as adding

two numbers or displaying a small dot on a TV screen.

Many machines around us are capable of doing this. A

pocket calculator can add numbers. We can make dots

with a pencil. What makes a computer something

different?

To begin with, it can perform a wide variety of

small tasks extremely quickly. This gives it the power

to combine them into much larger and more impressive

tasks. For instance, if the computer displays a number

of small dots in the correct place on a TV screen, it can

draw a complex picture (see Plate I on inside back cover).

Perhaps the most important feature of the computer

is that it has a memory to store lists of these small

tasks. In this way, the computer has a guide to tell it

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