ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Podcast

John Victor, Program Design Inc.   John Victor was founder and president of Program Design Inc., one of the earliest publishers of educational software. Based in Greenwich CT, PDI created dozens of educational software titles and a few not-so-educational games for Atari 8-bit, Commodore PET and 64, TRS-80, Apple II, and Texas Instruments computers. Software marketed by PDI included Moonbase IO, Sammy the Sea Serpent, and Preparing for the SAT (which was probably the first SAT prep software for any home computer).   PDI also created "An Invitation to Programming", the casette-based BASIC programming primer sold by Atari. That may have been the first "how to program" tutorial for a home computer.   Here's what ANALOG Computing's September 1981 issue had to say —   Program Design, Inc., better known as PDI, has been involved in supporting the Atari computers since even before its release. Most Atari computer owners know of this company through the Invitation to Programming series, which was conceived and executed entirely by PDI. Located in southern Connecticut, PDI has been actively producing educational software for several small computer systems, concentrating on the Atari in particular. The majority of PDI's offerings are oriented towards children, with the age bracket ranging from 3 years old to high school level. All of the programs are on cassette format only, frequently taking advantage of the voice track capability. One of the newer programs, "Sammy the Sea Serpent", is an interactive storybook type game where the child participates in the story. While graphics are  displayed on the screen, a voice (a female actress' voice was used in this case) narrates the story calling upon the child to use a joystick from time to time to move 'Sammy' about the screen. ... Other tapes drill students on vocabulary and number problems, with some aimed at preparing high school students for the SAT tests. For adults, Astro-Quotes and Mini-Crossword Puzzle can be an interesting challenge (Astro-Quotes, our particular favorite)...   Other titles published by PDI included Bowling, Captivity, various word search programs, Code Breaker, Let's Spell, Cash Register, Preschool IQ Builder, Reading Comprehension — the list goes on.   This interview took place on October 4, 2026. Video version of this interview 1984 Antic magazine profile of John Victor ANALOG Computing "In the Spotlight" PDI programs at AtariMania Programs co-credited to John An Invitation to Programming Moonbase IO game audio

Vince Wu, The Learning Phone (Atari PLATO Terminal)   Vince Wu worked at Atari for about two and a half years. He was the programmer of The Learning Phone, the PLATO terminal for Atari 8-bit computers. Before that, he worked with PLATO at the University of Illinois, then in California for Control Data Corporation. PLATO was the first generalized computer-assisted instruction system, a groundbreaking graphical client-server computer system aimed at education.   To assist in this interview, I was joined by Thomas Cherryhomes and Michael Sternberg, who were on a road trip to a Vintage Computer Festival conference. In 2018, Tom Cherryhomes created IRATA.ONLINE, a modern working version of the PLATO server and terminals. Michael Sternberg helped reverse engineer the Atari PLATO cartridge for that project.   This interview took place on September 10, 2026. Video version of this interview 1984 "PLATO Rising" article in Antic magazine The Learning Phone review in ANALOG Computing magazine The Friendly Orange Glow: The Untold Story of the PLATO System and the Dawn of Cyberculture Computer History Museum PLATO@50: PLATO Computer Learning System 50th Anniversary IRATA.ONLINE, a modern PLATO server and terminals ATARI PLATO Users Guide version 3.1 (1983) ANTIC Episode 49 – Thomas Cherryhomes and PLATO ANTIC Interview 10 – Mark Rustad ANTIC Interview 117 – Landon Dyer ANTIC Interview 183 – Lane Winner Early versions of Atari PLATO released PLATO on Wikipedia Vince Wu – Follow the Arc of Justice Vincent Wu's birthday memories—jailed at Selma in 1965, worked security for MLK at the March finale

Walt Klappert, Atari Advanced Development Group/WCI Labs Walt Klappert worked at Atari's Advanced Development Group/WCI Labs in New York, and later at Take One Enterprises in California. He worked with Nancy and Steve Mayer on a variety of projects with a concentration on creating software for girls. He is credited as Director of "Fisher Price Dance Fantasy", a dance choreography game for small children. He also worked on a system for authoring CD+G, an enhancement to the compact disc spec that allowed graphics and lyrics to be displayed synchronized with music. This interview took place on August 14, 2026. Video version of this interview Walt's YouTube page Dance Fantasy at AtariMania  ANTIC Interview 65 - Steve Mayer, 400/800 Designer

ANTIC Episode 130 - The Tongue-Twister Episode In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… We trip all over our own tongues trying to bring you all the news fit to print in the Atari 8-bit computer world… READY! Recurring Links  Floppy Days Podcast  AtariArchives.org  AtariMagazines.com  Kay's Book "Terrible Nerd"  New Atari books scans at archive.org  ANTIC feedback at AtariAge  Atari interview discussion thread on AtariAge  Interview index: here  ANTIC Facebook Page  AHCS  Eaten By a Grue  Next Without For  What we've been up to Diskmenu manual - archive.org/details/apx-diskmenu-manual  30th anniversary of Classic Computer Magazine Archive - AtariMagazines.com:  Discussion - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/391744-30th-anniversary-of-classic-computer-magazine-archive/  Atari Yahoo Groups archives: https://archive.org/details/@savetz?query=atari+yahoo+group  https://archive.org/details/@savetz?query=identifier%3Ayahoo-group*∧%5B%5D=mediatype%3A%22texts%22  Atari Usenet group archive additions - https://archive.org/details/ANTIC_podcast_extras?tab=collection&query=usenet  MPP MicroportXL board manual - https://archive.org/details/Supra_Microport-XL_for_Atari_manual  New Atari Legacy magazine -  ​​https://atarilegacy.com/  Recent Interview Shows  Interview index:  here  https://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-459-mike-lorenzen-atari-program-text-editor-pitfall-ii  https://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-460-tim-jenkins-cheating-at-roulette  ANTIC Interview 461 - James W. Burley, APX Data Base/Report System  ANTIC Interview 462 - Bob Fraser, APX Insomnia, Supersort, De Re Atari  https://forums.atariage.com/topic/392145-bob-fraser-disk-trove/  New & Updated Games AstroSmasher!, Atari 8-bit computer game made with AI inspired by Intellivision's classic title Astrosmash! - by gimmee99 -  https://forums.atariage.com/topic/391594-saturday-fun-astrosmasher/  Texas Hold 'Em - MultiPlayer Game by MassiveRobot - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/391615-texas-hold-em-multiplayer-game/  FujiRealm Playable Demo MORPG Released for FujiNet by mozzwald - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/391580-fujirealm-playable-demo-morpg-released-for-fujinet/  New & Updated Software FujiLink — A FujiNet Driver for SpartaDOS X 4.50 by Piotr D. Kaczorowski - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/391472-fujilink-%E2%80%94-a-fujinet-driver-for-spartados-x-450/  Kat5200 emulator - https://t.co/HH0p6DtNaO  Mailbox protocol adapter with GMAIL and IMAPS support by Thom Cherryhomes - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/391551-mailbox-protocol-adapter-with-gmail-and-imaps-support/  FujiGPT - an LLM client for Atari FujiNet by HanJammer: https://forums.atariage.com/topic/391346-fujigpt-an-llm-client-for-atari-fujinet/  https://github.com/HanJammer/FujiGPT  ATRaction – ATR/XFD image manager - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/392013-atraction-%E2%80%93-atrxfd-image-manager/  d/BASIC for d/OS - Raj S Madugula - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/392300-intro-to-king-dos-atari-130xe-a8picocart-and-me-60fps/  Publications Atari Insights - https://www.ataribasics.com  Compute's Gazette - https://www.computesgazette.com  End of the rainbow https://amzn.to/3RZSV6z  Atari Projects:  https://atariprojects.org/2026/06/28/benchmark-your-atari-8-bit-computers-using-basic-15-30-mins/  https://atariprojects.org/2026/07/04/learn-about-scanlines-using-peek-in-atari-basic-5-10-mins/  https://blog.archive.org/2026/08/27/a-computer-history-time-capsule/  New & Updated Hardware JUST_POKEY from Lotharek: https://forums.atariage.com/topic/391270-just_pokey-from-lotharek/  https://lotharek.pl/productdetail.php?id=431  The Company That Calls Itself Atari https://kotaku.com/atari-and-universal-sign-movie-deal-for-10-video-game-adaptations-including-pong-asteroids-and-missile-command-2000719087  Other Jeffrey Stanton died  https://smmirror.com/jeffrey-stanton-leading-venice-beach-historian-who-authored-coney-island-of-the-pacific-passes-away-at-79/  https://www.atariarchives.org/agagd/  Tom Hudson - https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/thomas-hudson-obituary?id=54708986 FujiNet NOS Introduction Video (YouTube) by Thom Cherryhomes: https://forums.atariage.com/topic/391452-fujinet-nos-introduction-video-youtube/  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-1PJEkK2ck  FujiNet NOS Introduction PDF - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/391386-fujinet-nos-introduction-pdf/  FujiNet Programmer's Guide PDF - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/391365-fujinet-programmers-guide-pdf/  If you would like to receive regular FujiNet updates, please consider subscribing to fujinews.substack.com All user manuals are available on this page: fujinet.online/getting-started. For your convenience, here are direct links to each manual here: FujiNet for Atari Owner's Guide  FujiNet NOS (for Atari) (Introduction to the FujiNet Network Operating System)  FujiNet for Apple II Getting Started Guide  FujiNet for Coleco ADAM Set-Up Manual  FujiNet for Tandy Color Computer Getting Started Manual  FujiNet for RS232 on MS-DOS Guide to Operations  Brewing Academy back in business: https://forums.atariage.com/topic/390695-all-brewing-academy-inventory-is-being-sold-please-read-for-details/ Soft launched with a lot of the easier products – TheBrewingacademy.com is up and running! Atarimania update: https://forums.atariage.com/topic/392305-new-atarimania We are happy to announce the launch of the new version of Atarimania! https://atariprojects.org/2026/08/23/explore-the-new-atarimania-website-10-15-mins/  Upcoming Shows Vintage Computer Festival GB 2026 - September 11-13 - Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, United Kingdom - https://www.facebook.com/events/25457837877216829/  Vintage Computer Festival Midwest - September 12-13 -  Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL - https://vcfmw.org/  Portland Retro Gaming Expo - October 9-11 - Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR - https://retrogamingexpo.com/  VCF Montreal - November 7-8 - Champlain College Saint-Lambert, Saint-Lambert, QC - https://cvcfed.org/vcf-montreal-2-0/  YouTube Videos Messy Atari 800XL comes in for a refit - FlashJazzCat - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPfGf8xbkBg  Level demo by Agenda (Atari 8-bit computers) - Philsan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4rid6qTsGw  The Atari Console You've Probably Never Seen - RETRO is the new black (Wolfgang Kierdorf) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gYwQssg6eQ  AUTCODE Invaders👾 A Space Invaders-inspired shooter for Atari 8-bit - atariteca - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXHkXRLyXMg  New at Archive.org  https://archive.org/details/mag-the-australian-atari-gazette-91-03 https://archive.org/details/xio-3-garden-city-atari-computer-enthusiasts-newsletter-march-april-1996 https://archive.org/details/Computer-Shopper-February-1985 https://archive.org/details/computer-shopper-march-1985-images https://archive.org/details/Computer-Shopper-April-1985/ https://archive.org/details/Computer-Shopper-July-1985/ https://archive.org/details/computer-shopper-july-1986-images https://archive.org/details/computer-shopper-august-1986  https://archive.org/details/gcp-lordsofspace_202608/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/gcp-cyberworld/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/gcp-biowar/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/atari-8-bit-program-listing/ New at Github https://github.com/HanJammer/FujiATC  https://github.com/grzes71/atari-font-maker https://github.com/jhonnaker1/8x8-Trek https://github.com/JeremyJStarcher/yahtzee-a8 https://github.com/grzes71/dziki-zgon  https://github.com/tebe6502/GIF-Viewer-VBXE https://github.com/slaapliedje/ur https://github.com/sarnau/Atari-Jumpman https://github.com/grzes71/py-image-converter https://github.com/vincentlauriat/SpaceInvaders https://github.com/grzegorzzyla/NG-atariATR https://github.com/pdavis68/AtariHacker https://github.com/brad-colbert/atari-xex-memory-analyzer https://github.com/dillera/8bitlife https://github.com/HanJammer/FujiGPT https://github.com/supurloop/farmsquad  Feedback https://www.orphanedgames.com/  three articles can all be read here: The Legend of Pitfall Harry From the VCS to the PC Pitfall Update: Pitfall III Pitfall Update: The End of the Secret Level! What the original newsletter looked like in 1998 - OC&GS, Vol. II, #4 (June 1998) 

Steve Bryson, game programmer Steve Bryson was a programmer for EPYX and The Connelley Group, where he ported many games to various 8-bit systems. He ported Dragonriders of Pern, an action/strategy game based on the Anne McCaffrey novels, to Atari and Commodore 64. He ported Jumpman to the Apple II, and Lower Reaches of Apshai, Upper Reaches of Apshai, and Temple of Ra to the C64. This interview took place on August 5, 2026. Video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/SdK56W9bd6Y Steve's personal web site: https://www.stevepur.com Randy Glover, Jumpman interview: https://www.savetz.com/antic-interviews/transcripts/i171/i171-transcript.html Tom Zimmerman, AMY chip interview: https://www.savetz.com/antic-interviews/transcripts/i431/i431-transcript.html Jon Freeman, Freefall Associates interview: https://www.savetz.com/antic-interviews/transcripts/i070/i070-transcript.html Dragonriders of Pern at Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/a8b_Dragonriders_of_Pern_The_1983_Epyx_US Dragonriders of Pern at AtariMania: https://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-dragonriders-of-pern_1723.html