Could only afford the system at first. I had no way to save any programs. I wrote them all down since they were lost when powering it off. Saved up to buy the cassette storage which was mostly reliable. Amazing how you got used to listening to the transfer the Atari played out and could tell when it was going to fail. After working all night on an elaborate program and finding all three copies on tape irretrievable I was determined to get a floppy drive. Ended up buying a Rana compatible drive through the computer store I worked at.
The best part was learning the hardware. A friend found a local store that sold the complete hardware manual. I bought the assembler/editor cartridge and a book and taught myself 6502 assembly for the Atari. Learned all about the other chips including the graphics processor that used cycle stealing to draw the screen.
It really helped me understand things that I ended up studying a few years later in college working with a 68K board and assembly.
It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. As mentioned. I could go on and on about it and the related things I did.
I'm sorry, but today's so called smart phones (both apple and android) are crap. They are more trouble than they are worth unless you are simply looking for a distraction. I want something that will allow me to effectively manage my email, make and receive calls, manage my contacts, maybe browse the web and do it all without the pain and lack of privacy involved with today's devices. It really isn't too much to ask for. The very fact that so many people put up with the crap manufacturers put out today is just amazing.
No. Most people don't actively protest. Look how long it took for the protests in the Mid-East. No, too many people think the system isn't bad enough for them to skip work, not take care of their families, etc in order to take to the streets. To assume that it is working when they vote the way you want, but not when they don't, is the wrong assumption. Why couldn't it just be that sometimes you agree with the lobbyists and Congress always follows their lead?
That could mean that your assumptions may make you part of the problem, if there is one.
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Could only afford the system at first. I had no way to save any programs. I wrote them all down since they were lost when powering it off. Saved up to buy the cassette storage which was mostly reliable. Amazing how you got used to listening to the transfer the Atari played out and could tell when it was going to fail. After working all night on an elaborate program and finding all three copies on tape irretrievable I was determined to get a floppy drive. Ended up buying a Rana compatible drive through the computer store I worked at. The best part was learning the hardware. A friend found a local store that sold the complete hardware manual. I bought the assembler/editor cartridge and a book and taught myself 6502 assembly for the Atari. Learned all about the other chips including the graphics processor that used cycle stealing to draw the screen. It really helped me understand things that I ended up studying a few years later in college working with a 68K board and assembly. It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. As mentioned. I could go on and on about it and the related things I did.
I'm sorry, but today's so called smart phones (both apple and android) are crap. They are more trouble than they are worth unless you are simply looking for a distraction. I want something that will allow me to effectively manage my email, make and receive calls, manage my contacts, maybe browse the web and do it all without the pain and lack of privacy involved with today's devices. It really isn't too much to ask for. The very fact that so many people put up with the crap manufacturers put out today is just amazing.
No. Most people don't actively protest. Look how long it took for the protests in the Mid-East. No, too many people think the system isn't bad enough for them to skip work, not take care of their families, etc in order to take to the streets. To assume that it is working when they vote the way you want, but not when they don't, is the wrong assumption. Why couldn't it just be that sometimes you agree with the lobbyists and Congress always follows their lead? That could mean that your assumptions may make you part of the problem, if there is one.