Re: Apple II vs Atari 800

[Payton Byrd <plbyrd@gmail.com>]

On Apr 15, 2:19 pm, "Ensor" <none@localhost> wrote:
> Hi,
>
>   > Apple, in contrast, published *everything* needed to make
>   >software, plug-in cards, and even more computers!
>
> So, you're saying that the Atari Technical manuals I have not 6 feet away
> from me are figments of my imagination? :-)
>
> True they weren't shipped with the machine, but had to be bought seperately,
> but they contain full schematics, operating system listings etc....
>
> By the time of the XL/XE series machines Atari had stopped publishing such
> manuals, but then again so had Apple etc.
>
>   TTFN - Pete.

Actually, Atari jealously guarded the secrets of the chipset in the
400/800 until it was obvious that the system would only survive with
3rd party software support.  By then it was too late.  Even the Atari
Assembler cartridge comes with horrible documentation that doesn't
even scratch the surface of what you need to create usable software.