Re: Paper tape readers for micros. (Re: I feel 31337!111!!)

[sacraver@use.my.princeton.address (Xcott Craver)]

Nick Bensema <nickb@fnord.io.com> wrote:
>
>If I'm not mistaken, the Atari magazines weren't so smart.  They had
>us type in decimal, meaning three keystrokes per byte.
	
	Ah, those wonderful programs in Machine Language ... written
	in BASIC.  Decimal DATA statements with a FOR loop to poke
	them in.  Even then they could have used encoding, dammit.
>
>Besides, typing in BASIC programs was more fun, it taught me to program.
>I remember my dad typed in one such program, and changed one PRINT
>statement to read "STEVE'S REVENGE" instead of the original title, which
>also had "REVENGE" in it.

	The only problem was that text adventures are given away if you
	type them in (unless they ROT-13 the DATA statements, but not 
	many people thought of that.)  I too have fond memories of my
	Dad modifying the code to the CURSOR games to personalize them.
	The monsters in DUNGEON! were Kevins, Scotts and Choppers rather 
	than Ogres, Wyverns and I-forget-what.  Hmmmm, I wonder what he
	meant by that.
	
>Then again, you could print your own backups and have no need to spend
>a thousand bucks on a floppy drive.

	I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP:  one issue of the Transactor had an
	article on holography using a dot matrix printer.  Yes, 
	holography.  Included code for printing out a pattern on your
	paper, which you could then photoreduce onto film and shine
	a laser through.

	That was utterly irrelevant, but I completely forgot about it
	for the last decade or so, until just now when you mentioned
	printing out backups.  *wail*

							-S