Atari Bean Counter

[ Table of Contents ]

Small Business Accounting Ad
Creative Computing
September 1980

This Atari Bean Counter ad, which mentions the Atari Accountant software, is from pages 8 and 9 of the September 1980 issue of Creative Computing magazine.

Atari first introduced the fabled Atari Accountant software at the June 1980 Summer Consumer Electronic Show in Chicago. From the article Random Ramblings - The Consumer Electronics Show by David H. Ahl, in the September 1980 issue of Creative Computing, the Atari section on page 30 states that

Atari introduced a new piece of software, the Atari Accountant and three new peripherals ... The Atari Accountant was "created to give the small businessman the benefit of computerization without special training or the time required to learn computer programming." It seems to be aimed at the businessman who does his own bookkeeping or who has a part time bookkeeper. The Atari Accountant consists of a general ledger master module, with accounts receivable and payable available as independent add-on modules. Atari promises an inventory control and order entry module at a later date ... We'll reserve judgement on this system until we see it in operation ... 

The Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive was also introduced at the June 1980 Summer Consumer Electronic Show. From the same September 1980 Creative Computing article mentioned above:

The Atari 815 is a dual disk drive with double density on 40 tracks per diskette. Using this storage system each diskette stores over 163,000 bits of data. The dual drive has a built-in microprocessor for control and includes DOS/FMS (double density disk operating system/file management system). List price for the 815 is $1499.95.

Business Software Collection
BPI Systems, Inc.

Atari again showed the Atari Accountant series at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show, held January 9-12, 1981 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In an article by Jean Yeates that starts on the front page and continues on page 29 of the March 2, 1981 issue of InfoWorld covering the CES event, it states:

Business Applications for Atari

Atari has purchased, adapted and enhanced the BPI, Inc., accounting system (formerly available on the Apple II computer) to the Atari 800, and named it the “Atari Accountant.” Arthur Young and Company, a large CPA firm, has written a primer and manual on accounting specifically for the “Atari Accountant,” which has three packages: General Ledger, Accounts Receivable and Inventory Control. Atari’s new “user hotline” provides immediate response to questions about the system.

It's not clear (to me) if Atari purchased the rights to BPI Systems, Inc.’s accounting software and made the required changes in-house or if Atari just paid BPI to develop a version for the Atari 8-bit computers. Clearly, Atari paid Arthur Young and Company to write the documentation (and as we will see later, test the software).

Top Ten Most Popular Business Programs, 1981
Softalk Magazine
April 1982

The Atari Accountant software is based on BPI’s General Ledger and Accounts Receivable packages by John Moss and Ken Debower. According to a reader’s poll on page 164 of the April 1982 issue of Softalk magazine, the two Apple II software packages were listed in the top ten most popular business software programs of 1981.

Accounting Software for the Apple II
BPI Systems, Inc.

At the time, Austin, Texas based BPI Systems, Inc., had the United States’ largest installed customer base of microcomputer business accounting software. There were versions of the BPI accounting software available for the Apple II, the Apple III and later the IBM PC and compatibles. There is a review of a later version of the BPI General Accounting package on page 43 of the March 25th, 1985 issue of InfoWorld.

Front Cover
The Atari Accountant Sales Brochure
C016902 REV. 2

In 1981, Atari created a six page sales brochure covering the Atari Accountant. The sales brochure give a copious amount of information on the promised small business software packages, including sample screen shots.

The Atari Accountant
Accounting Software for the Atari 8-bit
(Recreated from C016902 REV. 2 for Better Resolution)

The Atari Accountant was also mentioned as a new product on pages 4 and 5 of Atari Connection magazine, Vol. 1, No. 2, in June 1981:

The Atari Accountant 

Computerized accounting for small business is finally here. The Atari Accountant brings the price of computerized accounting within reach of most small businesses. You don’t have to be a computer professional or accountant to operate the Atari Accountant. Its operation is simple and straightforward.

The Atari Accountant is comprised of three packages: General Accounting System, Accounts Receivable System and Inventory Control System. Each operates by itself or in conjunction with the other packages. You can start with one package and add others as your needs dictate. The General Accounting System is now available at your local dealer. The other two packages will be available soon. 

General Accounting System 

The General Accounting System can be customized to your needs. With this program, you can process up to 750 general ledger accounts and up to 2,5000 journal entries per month. Financial statements and reports are generated automatically. Statements and reports range from balance sheets and profit and loss statements to subsidiary ledgers for accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll. In addition, updating your records is faster with this system than many other personal computer accounting programs on the market. 

The Atari Accountant will dramatically reduce manual bookkeeping, thus increasing the accuracy and timelines of journals and reports. Developed with assistance from and tested by Arthur Young & Company, a large accounting firm, the Atari Accountant will produce financial statements which summarize accounting data entered into the system. It will provide you with the financial information you need to make intelligent decisions concerning your business.

To use the Atari Accountant - General Accounting System software package in 1981, at a minimum, you would have needed an Atari 800 with 48K RAM, an Atari BASIC Cartridge, a mythical Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive, a hard to acquire Atari 850 Interface Module, an Atari 825 80-Column Printer and the Atari General Accounting System software. You would also need a supply of blank Atari CX8202 certified double-density 5 ¼ floppy diskettes or compatible.

The Atari Accountant In Action
Part I

In an announcement on page 158 of the June 1981 issue of Compute! Magazine, it states:

… The previously introduced Atari Accountant software package for small business or professional use has been priced at $1,499.85. Each of its three components, which are available separately, is priced at $499.95. They include systems for accounts and inventory control … All prices mentioned are manufacturer's suggested retail prices in the U.S. only.

Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive

The Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive was also mentioned as a new product on page 5 of the same Atari Connection, Vol. 1, No. 2, in June 1981:

More Memory Than Ever 

Atari announces its new Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive. This new Dual Disk Drive provides over 356K bytes of double density data storage on two 5 1/4 inch diskettes. It comes with full operating instructions and a diskette containing the disk operating system programs and File Management System. If one Dual Disk Drive is not adequate for your needs, your Atari 800 Personal Computer can control up to four Dual Disk Drives for a total of 1424 bytes of storage!

Imagine, four Atari 815 Dual Disk Drives at the suggested retail price of $1,499.95 each in 1981 dollars. $5,999.80 in 1981 dollars is equivalent to $16,156.95 in 2017. That's a lot of cannolis.

Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive and Atari Accountant Software Ad
Compute! Magazine
September 1981
Page 149

The Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive was an absolute beast. It wasn’t just two Atari 810 single-sided, single-density, 90K capacity, 5 ¼ inch drive mechanisms in one case, it was two single-sided, double-density, 180K capacity drive mechanisms. It required Atari CX8202 certified double-density 5 ¼ floppy diskettes and the Atari DOS 2.0D disk operating system. 

2020-03-04 Update: Kevin Savetz scanned the rare Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive manual and uploaded it to archive.org.

According to the Atari 8-bit FAQ maintained by Michael Currant, rumor has it that Atari didn’t want to release the Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive due to serious quality issues. Atari hand-built enough of these units to satisfy pre-orders and then promptly killed the product. Many of the units that they did sell were returned due to the quality and reliability issues.

Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive and
Atari General Accounting System
Photograph courtesy of Curt Vendel 

The Atari Accountant series necessitated the need for higher capacity storage on the Atari 8-bit computers. With the Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive dead on arrival, the Atari Accountant series was simply no longer a viable product in its current form as it required the higher capacity 180K double-density diskettes. By this time, Atari probably realized that its 8-bit computers were mostly being used as personal home computers and game machines rather than serious small to medium sized business computers. Atari’s reputation as a game company and its lack of quality, affordable, high capacity storage devices certainly didn’t help.

From page 66 of InfoWorld's Essential Guide To Atari Computers by Scott Mace and the editors of InfoWorld:

Before converting your general-ledger books over to your Atari, be aware that your Atari computer is not optimized for accounting programs. The computer's image as a game and education machine for the home means that Ataris have not invaded offices in the way Apple and IBM computers have. Accounting is generally an office function, and if you accumulate any moderately large records, you'll quickly reach the capacity of both the Ataris' RAM and their disk drives. Also, hard disks are not readily available for the Ataris, and most businesses need the speed and storage capacity of hard disks to store their records.     

And from the December 1982 article Whither Atari? beginning on page 4 of Analog Computing issue #9:

The Atari computer has been on the market just over three years ... For the first year or so, Atari's marketing direction was unclear. All we knew was that Ataris were "Computers for People." With the scrapping of the double density dual disk drive, Atari Personal Computers became Atari Home Computers. The home market became established as Atari's target. The Atari Corporation had apparently decided to focus on the home and educational markets and leave the business market to IBM, Apple, and others ... 

The October 19, 1981 issue of InfoWorld briefly states on page 37 that “A new home accounting system for the Atari 800 will replace the Atari Accountant. The new system is designed expressly for the home market and will be ready for delivery in the first quarter of 1982…”

The Atari Bookkeeper Kit

The unnamed new system mentioned above might be referring to what eventually became the Atari Bookkeeper kit. 

In the New Products section on page 167 of the November, 1981 issue of Compute! Magazine, it mentions, in part, that  

A new home accounting system for the Atari 800 Home Computer will replace the Atari Accountant, a small business accounting system, which will not now be offered for sale.

The new system will be lower priced and easier to use than the current system, since it will be designed expressly for the home market. It will be ready for delivery in the first calendar quarter of 1982. The Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive, which was required for use of the professional accounting package, will not be offered for sale. 

“The major thrust of our marketing efforts is toward use of our products in the home. We feel that our resources are better spent developing products aimed specifically at this market and segments that support this market, such as institutional education. It makes the most sense to convert the existing accounting package for home use,” Roger H. Badertscher, president of Atari’s Computer Division, said.

The new system will work with the Atari 810 Disk Drive, which is priced at $599.95. The dual disk drive was priced at $1,499.95, and offered “more capacity and a higher price than we feel is necessary for most home applications,” Badertscher added.

Considering the lead time required for publishing Compute! and InfoWorld, Atari must have cancelled the Atari Accountant series by at least October 1st, 1981. With purchasing the rights from BPI Systems, development costs of porting the software to the non-standard Atari BASIC format, Arthur Young and Company involvement, product documentation, product packaging and product marketing as well as the development of the Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive, Atari must have taken a bit of a financial hit on this product line! And this was happening at the same time as the Atari Personal Financial Management System debacle.

The Atari Accountant
Screenshot from the Atari 800 In Store Demonstration Program

Even after Atari killed off The Atari Accountant series in the fall of 1981, it was still being advertised in the disk-based version of the Atari 800 In Store Demonstration Program that was being sold to Atari dealers in 1982. 

Taking into account that the Atari Connection magazine stated in June, 1981, that “...the General Accounting System is now available at your local dealer. The other two packages will be available soon…”,  the Atari 815 and Atari Accountant ads beginning to appear in September, 1981, and it being known that at least a few copies of the General Accounting System are in collector’s hands in the United States, I suspect that at least a few copies of pre-ordered General Accounting System and 815 Dual Disk Drives were released into end-user's hands. There were literally no other released software packages in the Atari catalog at the time (or since) that required the Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive except for possibly the Atari 815 Master Diskette (CX8201), which shipped with the drive, and the Atari Word Processor (Atari 815 version) (CX408), if that itself was even released.  

The Atari Accountant In Action
Part II

I asked Curt Vendel, noted Atari historian, curator of the virtual Atari History Museum and co-author of the book Atari Inc. - Business Is Fun, how he acquired the copy of the General Accounting System that is prominently displayed in the atariwiki article on the Atari Accountant series and he said that “I acquired it in the 1990s, during my regular trips out to California … dumpster diving behind various Atari buildings … if I recall, I found it along with some Atari Word Processor binders in a cardboard box behind 390 W Caribbean Drive in Sunnyvale which was one of Atari’s warehouses.”          

With the limited release and failure of the Atari 815 Dual Disk Drives, any potentially released copies of the General Accounting System accounting software were probably returned to Atari and destroyed. Without the hardware to run it, it would have been a very expense paperweight. 

This accounting product was killed off before I even bought my first Atari home computer, an Atari 400, in March, 1982. Luckily, I didn’t need the Atari Accountant series to manage my newspaper route empire. I had the Newspaper Route Management Program by John R. Powers, III published by the Atari Program Exchange for that!

Atari General Accounting System
Photograph courtesy of Curt Vendel 

As of this writing, a few copies of The Atari Accountant General Accounting System (CX401) software and packaging are known to exist in private hands. Unfortunately, neither the multiple double-density floppy diskettes containing the software nor the extensive documentation Atari created for this package are known to have been archived and made available to the Atari 8-bit community. Considering these floppies are almost 40 years old, they might not even be readable any longer. 

Disk Operating System II Version 2.0D
For the Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive
Running Under Altirra 2.90 Emulation

KryoFlux, the forensic floppy controller, should be able to make archival backup copies of the original General Accounting System double-density floppy diskettes. The backup copies could than be used to make disk images. Version 2.90 of Altirra, the Atari 8-bit emulator, can read/boot the Atari Disk Operating System II version 2.0D disk image found on the Atarimania website, so it should be able to read the General Accounting System software if double-density disk images are created. If so, then Atari BASIC source listings could be generated as well.   

For more general information on the BPI Systems, Inc.’s family of accounting software, look for a copy of the book Practical Guide To The BPI Accounting System by Dale N. Flanagan published by Tab Books, 1986.

2019-03-10 Update

In the last few months, with the help of Atari enthusiasts around the world, The Atari Accounting General Accounting System software and documentation has been made available for the first time, and a few articles and blogs have been written about the release.

• The Atari Accountant
• The Atari Accountant, el programa más caro para computadoras Atari
• The Atari Accountant – The elusive and most expensive Atari 8-bit software

-- @BillLange1968

Stop The Presses!

[ Table of Contents ]

The Newsroom Ad
Family Computing
Page 3

This Stop The Presses! ad for Springboard Software's popular The Newsroom desktop publishing software appeared on page 3 of the February 1986 issue of Family Computing magazine.

Family Computing was a U.S.-based computer magazine published by Scholastic, Inc. It covered most of the popular home computers of the time, including the Atari 8-bit family, the Apple II series, the Commodore Vic 20 and the Commodore 64, as well as the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh. The magazine was published from September 1983 until April, 2001. Although, in around July 1987, the magazine changed from a hobbyist home computing magazine to more of a home office computing magazine.

The Newsroom was a best selling (over 400,000 unit sold) Productivity software title for the Apple II series, the Commodore 64, the IBM PC and the Macintosh, as shown in the Software Best Sellers list compiled by the Billboard Research Department of Billboard Publications, Inc., and published on page 18 in the September 1986 issue of Compute! magazine.

Atari 8-bit Version Main Menu
The Newsroom
Springboard Software

According to a 1988 Springboard Software catalog available on archive.org, The Newsroom and its three optional clip art collection packages (Volume 1, Volume 2 and Volume 3) were the only software titles that Springboard released for the Atari 8-bit series of computes. In the July 1987 issue of Compute! magazine, there is blurb in the News & Products section on page 118 that states "Springboard has announced the release of Atari and Macintosh versions of its popular programs, Certificate Maker and Certificate Library Volume 1. And again, Certificate Maker for the Atari is mentioned in a WinWorld article. Unfortunately, Certificate Maker "for the Atari" was only released for the Atari ST platform, according to the same catalog.

Springboard Software
1988 Catalog

Springboard Software/Counterpoint Software existed as early as 1982 based on the Wikipedia entry for Early Games. From page 27 of the July 21, 1984 issue of Billboard, "Educational software maker Counterpoint Software has changed its name to Springboard Software Inc. According to a spokesman, the name change is part of a company-wide program to expand its operation. Company founder John Paulson would not comment on the change. It is believed that the switch is due to an undisclosed amount of venture capital which shuffled in new key staffers. The name modification is being explained as a more accurate reflection of the company's software."

In 1990, Spinnaker bought Springboard Software, creator of The Newsroom, Certificate Maker and Springboard Publisher, among others software packages.

Originally, The Newsroom wasn't even going to be published for the Atari 8-bit family of home computers as Springboard Software had an unofficial "No Atari" policy.

In an editorial published on page 6 in the June 1987 issue of Antic magazine, editor Nat Friedland started a write-in campaign to convince Springboard Software to make an Atari 8-bit conversion. Two months, hundreds of letters and a chance meeting at the June Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago later, Springboard Software president John Paulson gave the go-ahead. The Atari 8-bit version of The Newsroom was finally released in March, 1988.

Editor Nat Friedland again addressed the successful Springboard Software write-in campaign in another editorial in the December 1987 issue of Antic. Antic magazine and its readers definitely deserve a lot of credit for getting an Atari 8-bit conversion of this popular and useful piece of software published.

There is a review of the Atari 8-bit version of The Newsroom by Clayton Walnum beginning on page 90 of the July 1988 issue, issue #62, of ANALOG Computing magazine. In his review, Mr. Walnum states

"What is The Newsroom? Basically, it's a stripped-down desktop publishing system that allows you to create newsletters, brochure, forms and other simple publications. It doesn't have anywhere near the power of such desktop publishing programs as Publishing Partner for the ST, but that's not its detriment. In fact, its simplicity is actually a good part of its charm."

For more information on Clayton Walnum, listen to an interview with him by the hosts of Antic The Atari 8-bit Podcast. He was interviewed in the ANTIC Interview 142 episode, published on March 8, 2016.

There is another review of The Newsroom by Jim Pierson-Perry starting on page 18 of the July 1988 issue (Vol. 7, No. 3) of Antic magazine. The Newsroom is also prominently featured on the July 1988 issue's cover.

Cover Feature - Springboard's The Newsroom
Antic Magazine
July 1988

There is a review of the Apple II version of The Newsroom by Deborah Kovacks in the October/November 1985 premier issue of II Computing magazine.

I used the Apple II version of The Newsroom years before I ever saw the Atari 8-bit version. When I started my senior year in high school at Toms River High School North (Go Mariners!) in the fall of 1985, I bought an Apple IIc from Atlantic Computers. One of the software packages I bought along with the Apple IIc was The Newsroom. [The other software package I bought was Karateka.] I used The Newsroom to create a short newspaper for a high school English project. I can remember two of the spoof articles I wrote for "the newspaper". One article was on Kurt Waldheim running for president of Austria with screenshots borrowed from Beyond Castle Wolfenstein by MUSE Software, specifically, the successful end of game graphic of the castle blowing up. The other article I remember was a spoof piece on the Chernobyl nuclear accident in the Soviet Union, complete with imagery of mutated monsters.

My Atari 8-bit copy of
Springboard Software's The Newsroom

The Atari 8-bit version of The Newsroom requires an Atari XL/XE with at least 64K of RAM, an Atari 1050 or compatible enhanced denstiy disk drive and a graphics-capable dot-matrix printer. An optional Atari-compatible joystick can also be used. A printer interface is most likely required for printer connectivity. The Atari 8-bit version box states "Recommend use with Microprint interface - Does not support Atari 850 interface." The previously mentioned review by Mr. Walnum also states "... The Newsroom doesn't seem to be compatible with the Atari 850 interface, although from talking to Springboard Software's representatives, I get the impression that they're planning to correct this oversight."  I do not know if the product was ever updated to support the Atari 850 interface.

[Note that Jason Howe mentioned that he uses the Atari 8-bit version of The Newsroom with an Panasonic KX-P2123 printer and the Atari 850 Interface, possibly with a patched disk image from an atariage thread or the atarimania website.]

Also, as previously mentioned, in addition to The Newsroom software itself, at least three optional additional clip art disks were published by Springboard Software as well.

Typical Clip Art Found In The Newsroom

B & C ComputerVisions still has new in box Atari 8-bit The Newsroom software available on their website and their eBay store. The Newsroom and The Newsroom Clip Art Collection have entries on the on the atarimania website, but no disk images are currently available. If you would like to try The Newsroom with the Altirra Atari 8-bit Emulator, try using the patched disk images in this thread on atariage website.You can load the disk images to physical Atari 8-bit hardware with the AspeQt SIO2PC software and the proper cable.

Did you use the Atari 8-bit (or any version) of Springboard Software's The Newsroom for school projects, group newsletters or any other interesting project?

If you find that this The Newsroom blog post is putting you to sleep, you can always get The Newsroom Clip Art Pillow!

Thank you to Allan Bushman for scanning and archiving the Springboard Software catalog referenced in this blog post!

-- Bill (@BillLange1968)

From Kindergarten To College

[ Table of Contents ]

ATARI Computer Educational Software Directory

The ATARI Computer Educational Software Directory, is a 48-page catalog of both Atari and non-Atari educational software products. This catalog has a print date of January 1983 as denoted on the bottom of page 48.

At the beginning of the catalog it states:

How to use this Directory: The ATARI Computer Educational Software Directory is divided into the categories shown in the Table of Contents. Each product is followed by the name of the company which produces or distributes the product. In the back of the directory, you will find the addresses and phone numbers for contacting these companies. Atari, Inc. distributes only those products marked "Atari, Inc." or "ATARI Program Exchange." 

This catalogs contains sections on Art And Music, Business, Computer Science, Courseware Authoring And Classroom Management, Foreign Languages, Language Arts, Mathematics, Religion, Science, Social Studies And History, Miscellaneous, an extensive Index, and finally, a Company Listings section.

The catalog lists hundreds of educational software titles from the following companies:

• Atari, Inc.
• ATARI Program Exchange
• Basics and Beyond, Inc.
• Compumax, Inc.
• Compu-Tations, Inc.
• Computer Assisted Instruction, Inc.
• CONDUIT
• Control Data Corporation
• Dorsett Educational Systems
• DYNACOMP, Inc.
• Educational Activities, Inc.
• Educational Software
• Edupro
• Edu-Soft
• Edu-Ware Services, Inc.
• Encyclopedia Britannica Educational Corp.
• High Technology Software Products, Inc,
• Home-Computer Software Company
• Institute for Computers in Jewish Life
• Jadee Enterprises
• JMH Software of Minnesota, Inc.
• Johnson Software
• Krell Software
• Lighting Software, Inc.
• Micro School Programs Bertamax, Inc.
• MICRO-ED, Inc.
• Milliken Publishing Co.
• MECC Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium
• Optimized Systems Software, Inc.
• Phoenix Software, Inc.
• Program Design, Inc.
• Random House Inc.
• Reader's Digest Services, Inc.
• School CourseWare Journal
• SRA Science Research Associates
• Spinnaker Software
• Sterling Swift Publishing Co.
• Sunburst Communications
• Tamarac Software
• Teaching Tools: Microcomputer Services
• T.H.E.S.I.S.

The back of the catalog has an ad for the then upcoming release of ATARI Logo.

ATARI Logo Ad
ATARI Computer Educational Software Directory
Back Cover

I've scanned and uploaded the complete catalog to archive.org.

-- Bill (@BillLange1968)

In-Store Demonstration Program

[ Table of Contents ]

This In-Store Demonstration Program ad was paperwork that was included in the 1982 Atari Home Computers Retailer Information Packet. This packet of information, made available to Atari Home Computer dealers in 1982, included product information, order forms, helpful selling guides, merchandising aids and other interesting ephemera.

Atari In-Store Demonstration Program Introduction Screen

The Atari In-Store Demonstration program was a colorful, hands-free (optionally, a user had a short time period to enter his or her name, otherwise the demo would continue with the default name NEIL) demonstration program that showed off the Atari 8-bit Home Computer's advanced (for the time) graphics and sound capabilities as well as the wide-range of tasks that one could accomplish with the 8-bit machines and the proper software.

Atari In-Store Demonstration Program CLX4019 Box

The Atari In-Store Demonstration program came in two official versions, a 16K ROM cartridge version for both the Atari 400 and Atari 800 Home Computers and a 5 1/4 48K diskette version for the more advanced Atari 800 Home Computer when used along with the Atari 810 Disk Drive. There is also an unofficial, more mature, hacked Naughty Remix version floating around on the Interwebs as well.

According to the Atari Home Computers Merchandising Aids Order Form, the CX8117 Atari 800 Demonstration Diskette cost dealers $16.00 in 1982, which is approximately $40.39 in 2017. The CLX4019 Atari 400/800 Demonstration Cartridge cost dealers $23.00 in 1982, which is approximately $58.06 in 2017.

Atari Merchandising Aids Order Form

The 16K cartridge version of the Atari In-Store Demonstration Program contained about three minutes of programming before restarting. It showed off glimpses of computer-aided tasks such as Record Keeping, Home Entertainment, Personal Finance, Education and Personal Development. A video of the running program is available on archive.org.

Atari In-Store Demonstration Program CX8117 Box

The longer, 5 1/4 diskette 48K version of the Atari In-Store Demonstration Program, which had just under five minutes of programming before restarting, contained additional sections including Personal Financial Management, Business Management, Professional Applications, Programmability, Business Graphics, Statistics, Complex Calculations, Word Processing, the ill-fated Atari Accountant series vaporware and Forecasting With Visicalc. A video of the running program is available on archive.org.

Some Additional Sections In CX8117 Version

Another interesting note is that the CLX4019 Atari 400/800 Demonstration Cartridge program ends with the "We've Brought the Computer Age Home..." tagline. Whereas the CX8117 Atari 800 Demonstration Diskette program ends with the "COMPUTERS FOR PEOPLE" tagline.

Different Taglines

What to know more details of the Atari Demonstration Program? Kevin Savetz, one of the co-hosts of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Podcast, interviewed Mike Albaugh, the developer of the program, way back in Episode 6 of the podcast, published on December 15, 2013. The interview with Mike Albaugh begins at around 1 hour and 2 minutes into the episode.

You can also find additional information on the Demo Program section of the AtariWiki site.

Today

These two programs are useful in showing off the basic capabilities of the Atari 8-bit machines in your vintage computer collection. They also make for a great quick demo during an Atari Party event or as part of an Atari 8-bit Home Computer exhibit at an Vintage Computer Festival.

Now, almost forty years later, there are much more impressive modern demo programs available that exploit the full range and depth of the capabilities of Atari Home Computers.

Neither the cartridge version nor the diskette version of the Atari In-Store Demonstration program seem to be available from the few Atari retailers that remain in business today. Used copies of the 16K ROM cartridge version appear periodically for sale on eBay. The 5 1/4 48K diskette version is now exceedingly rare.

Best of luck selling demoing and exhibiting!

-- Bill (@BillLange1968 on Twitter)

 

There's No Better Time

[ Table of Contents ]

Hayes Stack Chronograph Ad
Personal Computing Magazine
January 1982
Page 75

This "There's No Better Time" ad for the Hayes Stack Chronograph appears on page 75 of the January 1982 issue of Personal Computing magazine. A smaller version of the ad appeared on page 110 of the March 1982 issue of Personal Computing magazine.

The Hayes Stack Chronograph was an RS-232C compatible real-time calendar/clock peripheral with a six-digit vacuum fluorescent display by Hayes Microcomputer Products of Norcross, Georgia, USA. It had a suggested retail price of  $249.00 in 1981, which is about $700.00 in today's (2017) dollars. According to Hayes co-founder Dale Heatherington, engineer John Whitten both designed the hardware and wrote the firmware for it.

There is a review of the Hayes Stack Chronograph beginning on page 186 in the February 1982 issue of COMPUTE! magazine. There is another review on page 134 of the March 1982 issue of Personal Computing magazine.

A Typical Hayes Stack

The Hayes Stack Chronograph was part of the "Hayes Stack"-branded family of microcomputer products that came in high quality, brushed aluminum cases and could be conveniently stacked securely on top of each other and be configured with a semi-common Hayes Command Set. Not only could the Hayes Stack products stack on one another, they were designed to allow a 1980s style desk phone to stack on top as well.

Hayes Stack Ad
Personal Computing Magazine
February 1982
Page 72

A Hayes Stack ad showing the Hayes Smartmodem (a 300 BAUD modem) and the Hayes Chronograph appeared in the November 1981 issue of Personal Computing magazine on page 126.

Hayes Interbridge

The products in the Hayes Stack included the SmartModem, the Chronograph, the Transet 1000 (a printer buffer and email storage device) and the Interbridge External AppleTalk Network Modem. You can read more about the Hayes Interbridge in an article titled "Interbridge: Hardware/Software Bridge Services Appletalk Network" by Don Crabb beginning on page 50 in the March 23, 1987 issue of Info World. When robust sales of the Hayes Stack Chronograph failed to materialize, the "Stack" branding was quietly removed from Hayes Microcomputer Products' hardware and marketing material.

Hayes Transet 1000 Ad
Infoworld Magazine
June 3, 1985

Rise And Fall Of Hayes

Hayes Microcomputer Products would go on to dominate the modem market of the 1980s. Their Hayes Command Set would go on to be the gold standard Hayes-Compatible requirement for modems that is still in use today.

Writer Victoria Shannon of the International Heard Tribune covers the history of Hayes in her article The Rise And Fall Of The Modem King.

You can also find more out about Hayes Microcomputer Products from Hayes co-founder Dale Heatherington's informational website.

Today

I recently came across a picture of a stack of Hayes Stack Chronographs on the interwebs. They looked lonely and unloved. I reached out to the owner to see if I could adopt a few, and, after a time, I was able to acquire three of these rare electronic timepieces.

My Recent Acquisition
Three Hayes Stack Chronographs 

All three units that I received appeared to be in good cosmetic condition, although none of them came supplied with a power cord. I was able to use a power cord from a Hayes 1200 Smartmodem, that I also have in my collection, to power up two of the three Chronographs. One worked perfectly. The other has an issue in its vacuum fluorescent display component, I believe. The third unit uses a different style power cord, which I don't currently own.

What can you use a shiny new Chronograph for, you ask? It makes for a nice, retro-looking desktop clock for one. Hayes' own advertising suggests that it can allow "your computer to accurately record all of your system activities by date and time ...", "Use it for timing everything from lights, burglar alarms, or sprinkler systems ... to sending mail electronically ... logging and recording reports or time-sharing access time ... and batching all your messages to send at night, when rates are lowest."

Heck, maybe you can use it to synchronize your 4th of July Fireworks Display using Robert Veline's Atari 800XL-based fireworks rig and software as reported by Antic Podcast's own Kevin Savetz. Don't shoot your eye out! Kevin also interviews Robert Veline in a recent podcast episode. 

Naked Hayes Chronograph
Vacuum Fluorescent Display/Front Toward Left
Black tube is a container for three double-A batteries

Likely, the most useful application for the Hayes Stack Chronograph with an ATARI 8-bit computer system is to keep accurate time and date values for a computerized Bulletin Board System (BBS) and/or to record file write times with your Disk Operating System (DOS) if you have the software that supports it.

To use the Hayes Stack Chronograph with an ATARI 8-bit computer requires the use of the ATARI 850 Interface Module and an ATARI Modem Cable or similar. A typical setup might included a Hayes Stack Smartmodem connected to the first RS-232 port (R1:) of the ATARI 850 and a Hayes Stack Chronograph connected to the second RS-232 port (R2:). In this configuration, you could modify your AMIS, FOREM or other BBS software to communicate with the modem on port R1: and read the time, date and day of week settings from the Chronograph port R2:.

Hayes Chronograph with an ATARI 800XL

To get my Chronograph to work, I first installed three fresh double-A batteries, which allow the device to keep the time and date settings for up to a year if the unit loses power. I then hooked it up to an ATARI 800XL by way of the ATARI 850 Interface Module on port R1:. Using the BobTerm terminal software program, loaded from a Windows 10 PC laptop running AspeQt software and connected with a USB SIO2PC device and cable, I set the BAUD rate to 1200  and the translation mode to ANSI. I was then able to quickly and easily set the time and date settings, then query them back again using a modified form of the Hayes Commend Set.

Hayes Stack Chronograph Owner's Manual Cover

Next, I was able query the date and time using a simple ATARI BASIC program found the Hayes Stack Chronograph Owner's Manual. The Hayes Stack Chronograph Owner's Manual can be found on archive.org. I also wrote another piece of software in ATARI BASIC to both set and retrieve the date and time.

Now that I have a working Hayes Chronograph to use as a kick-ass desk clock, when I have time, I'll test and repair the other two units, purchasing power cords as needed. One Chronograph is destined to be donated to the Vintage Computer Federation Museum in Wall, NJ. Maybe you will see it there at the next Vintage Computer Festival East!

I am also working on updating the ATARI BASIC code to allow me to both set and retrieve the time so that I don't have to run a terminal program to do so. Then maybe, just for fun, I'll dust off my ATARI Assembler/Editor cartridge and recode it in 6502 assembly code.

The Hayes Transet 1000 User's Guide can be found here. The Hayes Transet 1000 Quick Reference Guide can be found here.

Well, I guess its time to move along ...

2017-07-31 UPDATE

Paul Rickards has created an upgrade for the Hayes Chronograph to allow setting the time via WiFi. He wrote an article about it on his blog.

A hand drawn schematic of the Hayes Chronograph can now be found on archive.org.

2019-03-10 UPDATE

A Hayes Chronograph sold on eBay on March 10th, 2019, for $449.99. The listing included some nice pictures of the original box.

2020-03-19 Update

Another Hayes Chronograph, this one unboxed and without a power cord, sold on eBay on March 19th, 2020, for $293.88.

2020-04-22 Update

The soldered-in display fuse (toward the front of the unit next to resistor R4) burns out often with these Chronographs. If you have one and the display isn't working, try soldering in a new 250V.125A PICO fuse. If you are missing the power supply, it is a Hayes 13.5 VAC 700 mA 9.5 VA power supply. I have Hayes Chronographs with both the 3-pin triangular and the barrel shaped power connectors on the back.

2021-02-17 Update

Paul Rickards updated his blog Biosrhythm with informational posts about the Hayes InterBridge, and the Hayes Transet 1000.


--Bill