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Atari 8-bit computer software

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Built-in and disk operating systems

File:AtariComputerMemoPad.png
The startup screen of early Atari 8-bit models when no program is loaded.
File:AtariBasicStartup.png
The startup screen when ATARI BASIC is selected.

The Atari 8-bit computers came with an operating system built into the ROM. The Atari 400/800 had the following:

  • OS Rev. A - 10 KiB ROM (3 chips) early machines.
  • OS Rev. B - 10 KiB ROM (3 chips) bug fixes. Most common for 400/800.

The XL/XE Atari 8-bit models all had OS revisions due to added hardware features and changes. But this created compatibility issues with some of the older software. Atari responded with the Translator Disk, a floppy disk which loaded the older 400/800 Rev. B or Rev. A OS into the XL/XE computers.

  • OS Rev. 10 - 16 KiB ROM (2 chips) for 1200XL Rev A
  • OS Rev. 11 - 16 KiB ROM (2 chips) for 1200XL Rev B (bug fixes)
  • OS Rev. 1 - 16 KiB ROM for 600XL
  • OS Rev. 2 - 16 KiB ROM for 800XL
  • OS Rev. 3 - 16 KiB ROM for 800XE/130XE
  • OS Rev. 4 - 32 KiB ROM (16 KiB OS + 8 KiB BASIC + 8 KiB Missile Command) for XEGS

The XL/XE models also came with built-in Atari BASIC. Early models came with the notoriously buggy revision B. Later models used revision C.

The standard Atari OS only contained very low-level routines for accessing floppy disk drives. An extra layer, a disk operating system, was added to assist in organizing file system-level disk access. Enter Atari DOS, which, like most home computer DOSes of the era, had to be booted from floppy disk at every power-on or reset. Unlike most others, Atari DOS was entirely menu driven.

  • DOS 1.0 - Initial DOS for Atari.
  • DOS 2.0S, 2.0D - Improved over DOS 1.0, became the standard for the 810 disk drive. 2.0D was for never-released 815 drive.
  • DOS 3.0 - Came with 1050 drive. Used a different disk format from previous DOSes, and was incompatible with DOS 2.0, making it very unpopular.
  • DOS 2.5 - Replaced DOS 3.0 in later 1050s. Functionally identical to DOS 2.0S, but able to read and write Enhanced Density disks.
  • DOS 4.0 - Designed for 1450XLD, cancelled, rights given back to the author.
  • DOS XE - Designed for the XF551 drive.

Several third-party replacement DOSes were also available. See Atari DOS under Third-party DOS Programs.

Available programming languages

  • Action! – A product of Optimized Systems Software. A high performance language that compiled to machine code, with good support for Atari's hardware. While it was popular with hobbyists, it never attained widespread acceptance, particularly since it was limited to the Atari 8-bit platform.
  • Assembly language
    • Atari Assembler Editor – A 6502 assembler editor and compiler was released by Atari in a ROM cartridge.
    • Atari Macro Assembler (AMAC) – A macro assembler released by Atari Program Exchange (APX) in disk form. Copy protected.
    • MAC/65 – 6502 macro assembler/editor developed by Optimized Systems Software. Released in disk and cartridge forms.
    • Synassembler – Assembler from Synapse Software. Written by Steve Hales. Not compatible with XL/XE computers without patching.
    • Macro Assembler/Text Editor (MAE) – Assembler from Eastern House Software. Written by John Harris.
    • ATMAS II
  • BASIC dialects.
    • Atari BASIC – This was the original BASIC for the Atari 8-bit family. Came as a ROM cartridge with the Atari 400/800 models, but was built into the computer's ROM in later models. In the XL/XE models, BASIC could be disabled by holding down the OPTION key while booting.
    • Atari Microsoft BASIC – A version of BASIC for the Atari 8-bit family released by Atari that was more compatible with Microsoft BASIC. It was initially released on disk only. Microsoft BASIC II was the same except it was in a ROM cartridge plus extension disk.
    • Turbo Basic XL – An improved version of Atari BASIC released by a third party that is not only faster, but offers many more commands. There is also a compiler that makes Turbo-BASIC XL programs even faster by compiling them into machine-language binaries.
    • BASIC A Plus — An extended BASIC from Optimized Systems Software
    • BASIC XL — An improved BASIC from Optimized Systems Software [1]
    • BASIC XE — An enhanced version of BASIC XL from Optimized Systems Software [2]
    • Advan BASIC – This BASIC was written by William Graziano (Advan Language Designs) which was a full featured BASIC with advanced sound and player-missile support. There is also a BASIC compiler, Screen Design, and Utility package. This software was released to public domain in 2006 by William Graziano [3]
  • C (Programming Language)
    • Deep Blue C – A C compiler. Written by John Palevich, APX. Based on Ron Cain's popular Small-C compiler.

After Atari's 8-bit machines entered the realm of retrocomputing in the late 1990s, cross platform development tools such as XASM, TASM, and cc65, most commonly run on PCs, have been much used by enthusiasts to do programming intended for the machines.

Applications

See Category:Atari 8-bit family software.

Games

See Category:Atari 8-bit family games.

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