My Computer Journey
This was an article I wrote, describing my path to learning about computer programming first on the Atari 65xe system and eventually transitioning later to the Commodore 64. It was a YouTube documentary I created several years ago. Now you have access to the Word document in PDF format.
The videos below are the result of this documentary article. Thanks for visiting. 🙂
Part I
As a toddler my journey was to push myself forward even again unsurmountable odds. In this scene I am ascending a staircase in an effort to reach the top. As a little tot that world often seemed far away. However, my independent mind didn’t let that stop me, but it often took an emotional boost such as someone calling me from above. Eventually I would grasp the ability to stand, which allows more freedom of movement. My knees would thank me for that much later.
(Scene 2)
In the early beginnings, I was always a curious child. Analytical in some kind of state. Here I am seen playing with a toy train that seems to have bombarded into my leg. I could often catch myself doing many different things just out of curiosity and I think my curiosity continued as I edged further in life.
(Scene 3)
After my parents discovered that I wasn’t bumping into things too much, I was granted the freedom to explore the outer world, with my parents in range of course. Often my brothers supervised me too. My interests often directed me to running around in a randomized state. I was grateful this only lasted for a short duration since my lungs usually surrendered in defeat out of exhaustion.
(Scene 4)
My family consisted of my two older brothers, and a younger sister. My mother’s job was to manage us when my father was away, such as when he went to the store. Because of the age difference between my brothers, I drew closer to my sister. We often played together and my imagination ran wild. Although computers had not seen the light of day yet, I was already managing to control my environment and more too often my sister. However, my dad often came to the rescue when I harassed her too much.
(Scene 5)
Here I am posing for a school picture. I was well liked by my classmates due to my friendly nature. During those years I started to build some true friendships that would last for years. One such friend was my neighbor, Jeff. He was actually bolder than I was in those days, which sometimes led to arguments and fist swinging, which often left me face down on the sidewalk. Still he was my best friend, regardless and we usually made up the next day.
(Scene 6)
During the holiday season, my family took us on a bus downtown to explore the city. There was a popular mall that attracted many people due to their wide variety of products. Also within that building, up an escalator, and down to the back was where Santa Claus was stationed. For the longest time I believed he visited the stores to see if we were misbehaving. The stories on televised channels depicted Santa as obese, but I can still recall the skinny legs since I kept slipping off his lap. Maybe that was why I was standing in this picture.
(Scene 7)
We met our dog when she was a puppy. Somehow I learned she had escaped from our neighbor’s house and ran over to our door in the rain. My father heard a bark, the sound of whimpering and was surprised to see a beautiful Chihuahua scratching at the door. We often called her queen since she liked to let everyone know who was boss. In this picture my sister is gazing on as I manage to get our dog under control, which was often difficult at best. However, she quickly became well liked by our neighbors. Yet was the strangers who backed off when she growled in a barking rage with only a chain link fence to protect them from an uncertain fate.
(Scene 8)
Due to my fascination with comic books later, one of my very first hobbies was drawing. Often I would find scratch paper and try to reproduce a picture on a comic book. As I became more obsessed with drawing other things, temptations would take root. One day I found myself grabbing “extra paper” at school to have something to draw on in the evenings. Later my brother walked into my room and saw me sifting through rows of paper lined in a drawer. He asked me where I got this from and I told him my teacher gave it to me. Too this day I still cannot remember that conversation I had with my teacher, but decided to never again take something without permission.
(Scene 9)
My first introduction to digital technology occurred when my brother received a special Christmas present around 1975 my parents had purchased from Sears. It was the world’s first game console in our town. The founder was a company called Atari. The game was titled Pong by its’ creator Allan Alcorn. The goal was to control a blip with a moving paddle. You scored a point whenever the ball proceeded to the opposite side of the screen after the other played missed the block. Pong soon became very popular and other game versions were released much later.
(Scene 10)
After the success of Pong, Atari began work much later on a newer game console called the Atari 2600. It was released around 1982. My brothers noticed how addicted I was to Pong and talked my parents, into purchasing us one in 1983. When I unwrapped that console that Christmas every other gift became a blur. I had seen my future, but didn’t know it yet. I spent many sleepless nights playing many different games long into the night during the summer. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was already strategically learning to control things in an organized state. After all the game didn’t give me a whooping from my father since I left my sister alone.
(Scene 11)
One of my favorite games was called Swordquest Fireworld. Atari released several versions and launched a contest to see who could solve the puzzles. My analytical mind grabbed onto this quickly and I played the Swordquest series for the longest time. There was also a comic book that came included with the game that provided suttle clues to the objects hidden throughout the mazes.
(Scene 12)
Seen here is a scene from Fireworld. Navigation is accomplished by passed through the open walls in the game. It was also during these years that I began my first stages of hacking. After some trial and error and learned to send my character flying through a wall by rubbing against it and quickly reversing the direction on the joystick. Due to a character collision error this would sent the player moving quickly through any of the walls. I enjoyed this discovery so much and began exploring other options. Much later I learned a hack with the console itself. If you flipped the game on and off quickly sometimes you could reset the player position in the game. I tried this with other games later and in the game Hero I learned how to grant myself infinite lives.
(Scene 13)
River Raid was another game that I quickly became addicted to. I enjoyed the strategic maneuver around boats, shoot helicopters passing to the right, avoiding enemy fire on the harder levels, all while being sure not to get crushed between the cavern walls. It was games like this also that helped set the foundation for game design and maps. I have Atari to thank for all of this. My hat’s off to you Nolan Bushnell! Because of this machine and its discoveries, my journey into computers was not far behind.
Part II
(Scene 1)
Soon afterward arcade machines started to populate within nearly every retail store. At that time kids were being drawn to these arcades like magnets due to the challenging arenas, flashing lights, and by the sound of electronic explosions and music. I remember my first experience vividly. One day I visited Jeff and he told me that the store had just installed a new game machine. As I followed him to the corner store I wondered what he was talking about. Suddenly as I directed my eyes to the storefront, I was witnessing history in the making. Games were going to change the world.
(Scene 2)
The store owner had managed to get a contract with the arcade vendor and in that moment in time I was introduced to Pac-man. I observed my friend as he dropped quarters into a small slot on this massive console. Soon the screen was illuminated and a musical fanfare played. He began playing the game. Rather than a hand-held controller, I noticed that a joystick was embedded on the machine. Suddenly colorful ghosts began chasing after Pac-man. My eyes enlarged as I saw this amazing revolution animating behind an enclosed glass screen.
(Scene 3)
Much later other smaller game consoles began to flood the market that mirrored after the arcade machines. My friend, Jeff had just purchased a new one and the game was called Donkey Kong. He demonstrated it to me one day when I dropped by for a visit. I was in awestruck wonder at this game since it had better graphics than the Atari 2600 and was miniaturized on an even smaller display. It also mimicked the arcade machines that were common in that era and the player controlled the game characters with joystick controllers attached to the machine. Donkey Kong began a legend. Like its predecessor, Pac-man, Donkey Kong quickly became a favorite present to find stashed under the Christmas tree.
(Scene 4)
The Apple lle computer was originally released into production in 1981, but I didn’t witness this until 1984. When I was in my eighth grade history class the teacher had advised the class of an history assignment that was due the next day. Since I was the only participant, I was free to leave for the day. Since I didn’t have transportation home yet because the buses picked up students within an hour, I decided to visit the library. I clearly recall walking into the library and staring out the Apple IIe computer sitting toward the center. My future was suddenly becoming crystal clear.
(Scene 5)
At that time one of the library staff members showed me how to use the computer and demonstrated how to load programs onto a floppy disk, but I was too distracted by the site of this amazing machine to comprehend that. My mind filtered out her words until she stated, “Okay the program will run now.” My program selection suddenly produced a very nice graphical picture onto the colorful display. It was almost like a cartoon, but different since I could control the screens by sending navigational commands to the console, such as GO EAST or GO WEST. This was too cool!
(Scene 6)
The next year in high school I learned about a newer computer called the Macintosh. We often spent our English course in a lab designated for this computer. It came packaged with a monitor embedded with a disk drive. Many writing assignments were produced using this new system. During my lunch time, I visited the library however since they also had an Apple IIe accessible to the students. It was during that time I began to acquire a hunger beyond any teenager fantasy that had nothing to do with girls. My love was a box that littered the screen with amazing graphics and beeping sounds deep within.
(Scene 7)
It was at that time when I began obsessing over owning my own computer. Yet I didn’t have a job beyond a lawn mower service I inherited from my older brother. So I set a budget that enabled me to save up for my own personal computer. In those days a computer could easily over $200. It was also during that time I began writing a journal to keep track of the money I was accumulating from many pampered lawns. This was a great goal since I would learn to become more economical over time.
(Scene 8)
When I had finally managed to save up enough money the next year, I began exploring newspapers to see if there was an affordable computer somewhere. My brother was interested in my logic and helped me scan newspapers for any sales occurring in the retail outlets. One day my other neighbor, Nicholas came for a visit and told me excitedly that he knew where I can purchase a cool, cheap computer. It was a toy store called Children’s Palace. His mother was even willing to chaffer us to the store. It was also the first time I ever stepped into a magical fantasy land of computers in every direction. Soon after I tendered $80 to finally own my first personal computer in the Christmas season of 1986. It was the Atari 65xe.
(Scene 9)
This was the moment I had waited over two years for. At last I can begin learning about this incredible machine! I studied the Owners Manual for a short time learning about the components parts of my system. After getting comfortable with the keys, I turned to a chapter on Basic programming. The programs were simple and taught concepts at an elementary level. However, I didn’t care. My destination was suddenly evident as I began to enter the strange commands into my Atari. My typing wasn’t the best, but eventually I typed the RUN command and watched my program spring to life. It printed Hello Steve. Eureka!
(Scene 10)
At first I had no recording device and actually wrote down programs by hand for the longest time. Eventually I decided to start saving for a media storage device. I had my sight set on a program recorder. However, at the time I totally misunderstood what was going to work for me. I received a tape recorder from my dad in those days and set about trying to get a cable for the tape recorder. Much later, I realized my error after I finally purchased the Atari 1010 cassette recorder. It was only then that I realized the difference between a computer recorder and a tape recorder.
(Scene 11)
In the spring of 1988, I went to work at an Italian restaurant making pizzas. It was my first job. During that time, I befriended a coworker there named Stephen. One day while we were filling some pizza dough with sauce, I asked him if he liked computers. To my surprise not only did he enjoy programming, but he also owned an Atari 800XL. I think I met my twin early in life. When he finally invited me over I noticed that he also owned a disk drive and a monitor. It was the first time I realized how badly I wanted a better storage device. I was grateful to have a job and began saving for my own disk drive. Eventually I purchased one a little later.
(Scene 12)
Soon I began piling up my collection with a lot of blanks disks to write programs on and games for entertainment purposes. I began to get more serious about my programming and started trying all types of things from games, demos, utilities, and one time I even made a program to help me study for an English test. Basic was fast becoming so addictive to me, that I hardly spent any time playing video games or outside recreational activities. At least now I was also able to save and load my programs much faster since the disk drive was efficient.
(Scene 13)
I would like to say that my parents were supportive, but they came from a different generation. My mother was hoping I would find some nice lady to hang out with and my father was upset when he tripped over wires one day while walking into my room. I realize now I could have been more organized. They were still great parents and tried to adapt to my new “hobby” as best as they could. Remember that the world was different then and many adults even considered video games a threat to learning and altering kids thinking in a negative way. Yet I was determined to push forward despite the odds stacked against me. I knew what I wanted to do with my life finally and wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way.
(Scene 14)
My nephews soon took an interest in my passion for computers. Although Nintendo was started to dominate the market at that time they still had a curiosity about what made things work the way they did. I can’t say they wanted to program since it was not their hobby, but they gave me many ideas for programs. I even recall my older nephew on my Atari in this picture requesting a football game so we put one together. My younger nephew really enjoyed the games on the Atari home computer.
(Scene 15)
Much later as my passion and skills increased in programming I bought a book at the city mall called Mapping the Atari. I had no idea at the time how resourceful this book would become. It turned out to show me the internal workings of my computer system and how to write machine language programs in Basic. The machine language programs allowed Basic to execute routines faster since Basic was limited on speed based on the task of compiling each time a program was run. I learned later that many of the arcade hits were written in this language. So I was determined to learn this strange language at all costs, even though it was sometimes impossible to track down errors in the logic.
(Scene 16)
Once I began to work past creating machine language routines in Basic, I started wanting to write larger programs. It was at that time I purchased my first machine language compiler. It was a cartridge released by OSS Precision Software called MAC/65. It also turned out to be the most popular language cartridge of its generation and was used by professionals in the industry. I started writing simple graphic programs at first and moving sprites. Eventually I moved onto more sophisticated programs such as vertical blank interrupts and collision detection.
(Scene 17)
Listed below is a list of machine language opcodes. These are the commands that are accepted by MAC/65 and other similar compilers. Notice also how they are repeated in some ways and only contain 3 characters for the first command. There is too much to cover about machine language for this slideshow, but I highly suggest grabbing a book on beginning machine language programming. You will soon discover just how powerful these commands are and how fast they can execute in cycles per second. That is what made machine language so powerful! It was much easier to get things running more quickly and create amazing games for its generation.
(Scene 18)
I have included the program screenshot below so you can see how a typical machine language program may look in Atari Basic. This one controls the device controls of the operating system. When used together, machine language commands can create storage locations, loops, input/output access, graphical screens, timer interrupts, and so much more. However, to be honest, machine language is not for the weary. It will take some type to grasp the nature of this simple, but complex logic. I would personally suggest starting out small. Writing simple programs to store calculations and begin moving forward only when you are comfortable with each process in succession. If you are an intermediate machine language programmer then reading through larger code segments will help you create better algorithms for your own programs.
(Scene 19)
After I graduated from high school I began to think more seriously about programming. I began checking the local newspapers in search of a career. To my surprise however, I learned that many jobs were requiring some kind of college degree. I guess that is what first inspired me to eventually get enrolled in college. Yet that would not happen until 10 years later. During that time however, I continued to work on other jobs such as in retail, but still remained true to my passion of programming computers. I set to work on creating a massive game in machine language. Although I was determined to finish it, other transitions would soon enter my life that opened my eyes to an entirely new computer with better graphics and sound. It was called the Commodore 64. My world would never be the same again as I left the innocence of my first experience on an Atari home computer in 1986.
The Commodore 64 was also an 8-bit computer. However, it came included with a 3 channel synthesizer, 8 octaves, 4 waveforms, oscillator, synchronization, ring modulation, programmable filters, and so much more. It quickly became the fastest selling computer of its generation. Due to its popularity, many manufacturers began writing games for this amazing system and it was very attractive to musicians. Soon Atari and other computers took a back seat, as the Commodore 64 established its dominance in the industry and its future began to look bright. That story is next.
Part III
(Scene 1)
The Commodore 64 first came to my attention when I was staring at newspaper listings at home around October 1986. I noticed they were expensive. In those days, I wasn’t yet working (save a temporary lawn mowing job) and trying to save every penny to purchase my own Commodore 64 computer. Later I learned a neighbor owned a Commodore 64. I wanted to see if it was as good as the newspaper clipping stated. Finally, he invited me over on November 10, 1986 and I found out it was better than I ever dreamed as I saw the Ghostbusters, GI Joe games, and other titles. After exploring the amazing graphics, I realized I wanted to own my own system. So I began saving all my loose change and the journey began.
(Scene 2)
My second encounter with the Commodore 64 occurred on October 24, 1987. My mother was doing some early Christmas shopping then at the Chapel Hill mall and directed me to go elsewhere. My path lead to the Sears store and this is where I first discovered the existence of the Commodore 64. It was too cool. Since I was already familiar with programming by that time, I began creating some simple loops. Soon a store manager approached me and advised me I would have to leave if I stayed on the computer. She actually stated “The computers are for the customers to see.” Ha! Wasn’t I a customer too?
(Scene 3)
Time put my patience on hold and it wasn’t until January 28, 1989 when I finally purchased my own Commodore 64c computer and a disk drive at Toys R Us. The computer cost $129. I actually purchased the 1541 drive separate at Childrens Palace for $210 since there was a sale. I was fortunate that I already owned a few Commodore 64 games since I had some disks that were double sided. One side contained Atari home computer games and the other side allowed the Commodore 64 titles to run. The computer also came bundled with GEOS, which resembled the Macintosh operating system in those days.
(Scene 4)
The first thing I noticed in comparison to the Atari computer was how much larger the keyboard was. It contained the same amount of memory of 64k (64 kilobytes). The Basic programming language allowed text colors to display up to 16 colors. The Atari lacked this since it only supported up to 5 colors when you used the ANTIC mode. This computer was different alright. Some of the cons were that the graphics mode consumed memory more quickly and were often complicated to program. At that time I had difficulty programming the sprites to move completely across the street. What kind I say? I was already spoiled by the Atari’s Player Missile Graphics.
(Scene 5)
To enhance my understanding of the Commodore 64 Basic language, I began to visit the public library to check out some titles. Since the purchase nearly bankrupted me, I could not afford my own books. However, the library soon filled that void as I was introduced to many amazing books. Some of the earliest titles I checked out were Commodore 64 Color Graphics, 64 Sound and Graphics, How to build programs on your Commodore 64, and All about the Commodore 64. There were some cool game examples I experienced contained within those books.
(Scene 6)
Typing was one of the milestones I had to overcome in those days. Often the programs required a user to enter a bunch of lines sequentially. For the programs to work at 100% this required no less than perfection. I was only an avid typist and had to train my eyes to proofread my code for any errors. After all this could be stressful since it required patience and maintaining a pattern of scanning the lines from left to read. It was similar to reading, but required closer observation of often strange characters and sometimes a mountain of DATA statements. And so, my experience began.
(Scene 7)
About a month later, I finally bought some other Commodore 64 games after receiving my paycheck. I was working in retail then. I purchased Test Drive and Predator at a total of $41. I was instantly hooked on Test Drive since it was a driving simulation and had outstanding graphics. Predator to my surprise had even better graphics, but was often different to maneuver the character around. As my eyes absorbed the amazing multicolor of the Commodore 64, I began to dream of maybe one day designing my own game program in machine language. I still had a distance to go since I was still learning about the memory map of the Commodore 64 in those days. Yet I was determined to accomplish this in due time.
(Scene 8)
In those days, my neighbor, Nicky would come over to play my Commodore 64 games. He also had possession of another computer called the Tandy Co Co computer. I spent a lot of times walking to his house down the street to type in Basic programs for him from magazines he checked out at the library. He wasn’t thrilled about typing so I opted to slave away at the keyboard while he rummaged around his room. Those began the days of sharing my passion with my neighbor and hoping to convince him that programming was the wave of the future. We always waited in anticipation until the program listing was perfect. Then we could finally reap the rewards of the program we had typed in.
(Scene 9)
I would like to promise you that the Commodore 64 was my favorite computer in those days, but remember I started on the Atari personal system. After spending a lot of time checking out books, researching code in Basic, the Commodore 64 began to frustrate me for its lack of accessing graphic modes and easily sprite assimilation. I was also distracted since I received a monthly Atari Analog magazine and purchased Antic magazines in stores. At that time, the Atari home computer was still the supreme fascination in my life and continue for a little bit of time.
(Scene 10)
Therefore, I began to offer my Commodore 64 to a friend to trade for his computer. At that time, he had everything I wanted for my Atari, which was another computer called the Atari 800 XL, all his programs, books, disks, and printer. It was the deal of the century and I finally turned over my Commodore C64 on November 5, 1989. I felt that then that the Commodore 64 was old and abandoned in my mind. Therefore, I was also planning on trading the Atari 800 XL for Nicky’s Co Co computer. I was on a quest to grow my knowledge of many extraordinary systems and leave the poor Commodore 64 in the dust.
(Scene 11)
During the absence of my Commodore 64 I began to enhance my knowledge of machine language on the Atari home computer. The book seen here called Assembly language programming for the Atari computers was my first journey into learning how to write in assembly language. Much later I would buy ANTIC magazines and continue to deepen my understanding of how to write in the 6502 language. My other hobbies consisted of roller skating in those years and speed skating backward very fast. However, many of my nights were won to the admiration of personal computers.
(Scene 12)
It was nearly a year later November 5, 1990 when my friend called and told me he would sell the Commodore 64 back to me. At that time, we were already hanging out. I’ll have to admit that the wonder of this machine had not yet caught up with me, but somewhere below the surface I yearned to know more about this machine. Also I had just finished my first machine language game on the Atari called Deadman. Finally, on November 8, 1990, I purchased my Commodore 64c back from my friend. At that time however, I learned that he was already working on an IBM PC that he borrowed from a friend. Desktop computers were not affordable in those days.
(Scene 13)
Only much later would I finally gain respect for the Commodore 64 once I realized I couldn’t live without it. That would finally reassemble the frustration I had with the machine and humble me to its power. It was during that time I began work on my very first machine language game for the Commodore 64. It was called Spaced Out.
On January 22, 1992 I purchased the next upgrade to the Commodore 64. It was called the Amiga 500. This system was a revolution for its time and was far beyond any computer designed to date. It came equipped with an operating system, it could reproduce speech (in phonemes), had mind blowing graphics, and came included with stereo audio. I also learned Amiga Basic in those years. The Amiga 500 rivaled many competitors in that day, which included the Atari ST.
(Scene 14)
Leave A Comment